All Forum Posts by: Ben Skove

One other thing to think about is, given that all the properties are on one street, is that all of your eggs are in one basket. This can be a double-edged sword, in that you can use those factors which are in your control to improve values in the area; however, factors outside of your control can also affect your portfolio as a whole in a negative way. Just something to chew on!

@Ben Bakhshi , do you mean West End or the west side?

There's activity down in the West End neighborhood, but it's too far from UC for students.

Happy birthday, Josh!

@Tim G. Welcome to BP, Tim. I live in Clifton, and while I don't do student rentals, I know folks who do. Be sure to really familiarize yourself with the area, as it changes greatly block by block.

I'm also curious as to whether the student housing market here is tightening, as a number of brand new student apartments have gone up, equipped with lots of amenities.

Very nice! I say stick with the square planter blocks, as they echo the wood borders.

Actually, it was an extremely simple process - just a matter of filling out the paperwork. Others can correct me if I'm mistaken, but I've been told that the auditor here in Hamilton county generally recognizes arm's-length transactions (such as ones listed on the MLS) to be considered an appropriate valuation of the property. However, I'm sure the appraisal will jump a bit on the next go around.

In fact, I just got an offer in the mail recently from a "Tax Appeal Service" regarding my most recent purchase (off-MLS). They're offering to do the tax appeal in return for half of the first year's savings. I'm trying to find out if I'm better off with representation or not in a situation where the property wasn't listed.

Something to think about in regards to property taxes: fight for revaluation. If the taxes are based on a valuation from bubble times, and you can have them revalued to your purchase price, you've done yourself a great service.

I ended up getting a nice refund check on my first property in that manner, and hope to do the same on the current rehab.

Cincinnati is on the verge of bankruptcy? While there are long-term structural issues, the city's still quite solvent.

Jumping in awfully late in the discussion, I'll speak for why I generally hold tight to my purse strings. I come from an academic background, and when I've taken classes, I know what I'm getting. The university or organization behind the course is accredited. The teacher is vetted. The subject matter is presented in a transparent manner. (I've never had a professor tell me that if I want to really master the course, I need to meet him at the back of the classroom with my credit card.)

I'm sure there are good real estate teachers (coaches, gurus) out there. However, it's the Wild West in terms of differentiating the good from the bad, and the signal to noise ratio is very low.

There's also difficulty in figuring out who's actually good at teaching. I've been an instructor before, and the skill set is not the same as it is to practice the subject itself. Being great at RE doesn't necessarily make you a good instructor (and vice-versa.)

What would be nice would be the same sorts of stats that schools put out - the equivalent of independently determined graduation rates, test scores, etc., not just cherry-picked student "success stories." If we insist that RE is all about the numbers, shouldn't we expect the same from RE education?

@Roy N. - thanks for that head's up. I'm rehabbing a nicotine house currently, so I'd love any links you have to any of the literature regarding nicotine encapsulation.

I've already done the scrubbing and Zinnser route, and am hoping that the original amount of staining is small enough so that it won't end up coming back. Having just finished last week, you're supposed to be bringing me better news! :)