All Forum Posts by: Anjana Vakil

Hi @Tim Uittenbroek ! 

Nice to see people outside the US here :) I'm a newbie too - American, currently living in Germany, and before that in Hanoi, Vietnam.

I'm looking at the US at the moment, but in the long term I'd love to take a closer look at SE Asia. Best of luck with your investments in Indonesia, let us know how it goes!

Out of curiosity do you also have investments back home in the Netherlands, or thoughts on the market there?

@Scott Pigman sounds like you have some good options! And you're right, having an excuse to get out of Austin in the sweltering summers doesn't sound so bad :D I wish you all the best with your next investment(s)!

@Denise Madrid Thanks, and yes it's already been very educational! I lived in Berkeley and San Francisco, back when rents were a bit less insane then they appear to be now... Where do you operate?

@James M. Freut mich! Yes Saarlouis is just down the river from here, it's a small world indeed :) Out of curiosity, have you done any investments in Germany, or would you consider it? 

@Dave Visaya Thanks! It's good to be here :)

@Scott Pigman 

Great input, and that totally confirms what I've been reading about the market there, without having boots on the ground - it seems Austin is just not the best place for a cash-flowing buy&hold these days. Of course it's still a fantastic place to live though! (Well, I've never lived there myself, but my friends in the area love it, as do I every time I visit. :) )

It seems like building might be a good way to go if you want to stay in the Austin area. Out of curiosity, what other markets are you considering?

Thanks @Jon Huber 

 @Scott Pigman  that's good to know! It's always great to see bikes being given their due respect :)

Thanks @James Wise :)

@Uriel Castro thanks very much for your comments - yes, I'm sure if I did try to invest in Austin it would have to be outside of the city center (I'm looking for properties under about $300K, ideally closer to 200 - in Austin it seems that's not even "moderate" :D ). But I'm looking for a neighborhood I'd want to live in myself, and personally walk-/bikeability is really important to me. Unfortunately from what I've seen of the Austin suburbs, even bikeable neighborhoods are difficult to come by - unless there are some hidden gems I'm unfamiliar with? The other issue is that it seems that small multi-families seem few and far between in Austin (compared to SFHs), especially ones that will cash flow, as you said. 

Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of that...

Thanks for the info @Dmitriy Fomichenko and @Brandon Turner :)


Thanks a lot for your input @Guy Gimenez and @James Stevens -- what you say confirms everything I've been reading about the Austin market. I would love to live in Austin, especially since I already have some connections there, but unfortunately it seems that at the moment the conditions just aren't right for a first-time buyer with only a moderate budget.

From what I've read, it seems New Orleans might be an easier place to get a foot in the proverbial door.

Thanks for the student housing suggestion @Paul Timmins I've also thought about targeting academics (international students, visiting researchers) if it comes time to rent out my furnished unit, since they often come to work/study for just a semester or two...

Thanks @Brett Synicky, and I hope you do make it to Oktoberfest!  :)

After lurking on these forums for a few weeks now I guess it's time I introduce myself!

I currently live in Germany, but I'm originally from Schenectady, NY, and also lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for quite a few years, among other places.

Soon I'd like to come back to the States and buy, restore, and hold a small multifamily (2- to 4-plex), living in one of the units and renting out the other(s).

I'm not committed to a location, but areas I'm considering (where I have some ties) include:

- NY Capital District (Schenectady, Albany, Troy, Saratoga)

- New Orleans, LA 

- Austin, TX 

- Denver, CO

- Bay Area, CA 

Some of these (Bay Area, Denver, Austin) are probably much too competitive/expensive to be realistic, and I'm definitely open to other livable, growing cities as well. Ultimately I'm also interested in investing internationally, especially in Europe, but I think the US will be a safer place to begin.

BP and its community have already been so informative - thank you! I look forward to learning even more from all of you, and becoming a more active member :)