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All Forum Posts by: Rafael Castro

Rafael Castro has started 2 posts and replied 16 times.

Post: flip rehabs/returns - how do i compete?

Rafael CastroPosted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • San Leandro, CA
  • Posts 16
  • Votes 6
Quote from @Ronald Ty:

i am having trouble competing with other flippers. i try to do things the right way (pull permits) & use contractors/hvac/plumbing/electricians who, i feel, give me the best bang for the buck. and we all know the cost of things, and labor, have risen dramatically lately.

i pay cash for my homes and hit the sales price i anticipated beforehand.  

the problem i am having is getting my rehab numbers in line. i feel other investors are doing rentals or doing some/all the work themselves and/or not pulling permits. 

i should also mention, i do not need to flip. i can live off the returns i get in my bond/stock portfolio (w/ a lot less taxes paid). however, i like to flip 1x/year to keep me from getting bored and get that satisfaction from "working" (i retired 4 years ago). 

and no, i am not interested in doing rentals. :)


 Keep doing things the right way. Other investors cutting corners/not pulling permits etc? That’s good for you, quality stands out. 
1) buy better deals with more room in them. Easier said than done.  

2) Maybe it’s time to start getting competing bids from multiple contractors. You could even poach the contractors your investors are using. I can show you how 

Post: [Calc Review] Help me analyze this deal

Rafael CastroPosted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • San Leandro, CA
  • Posts 16
  • Votes 6
Quote from @Cheryl Burd:

View report

*This link comes directly from our calculators, based on information input by the member who posted.

Please let me know your opinion...should I purchase? Why yes or why no? Thank you!!


 What are comps selling for? The idea is to get a property below market $. Looks like you might be paying market price which won’t work for an investment property. 

Post: Looking for Transaction Coordinator

Rafael CastroPosted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • San Leandro, CA
  • Posts 16
  • Votes 6
Quote from @Eric Perez:

Hey Raphael. I am working on an assignment acquisition from a wholesaler. So sounds like it’s right in your wheelhouse. I need to make sure the paperwork is where it needs to be because it’s an assignment of an owner carry purchase that has already been recorded at the county.  Maybe we can schedule a call?

Yea shoot me a text at 5107356413. 

Post: Looking for Transaction Coordinator

Rafael CastroPosted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • San Leandro, CA
  • Posts 16
  • Votes 6
Quote from @Eric Perez:

Looking for a TC that also has experience investing in real estate. Or one who has experience in TC on creative deals in TX. 

 Hey Eric, I may be able to help you. What do you need?

I've wholesaled more than 150 deals from the MLS.

Post: First Flip - Getting offers! Need advice

Rafael CastroPosted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • San Leandro, CA
  • Posts 16
  • Votes 6
Quote from @Evan Holly:

I just finished my first flip ever, and am so happy to be getting multiple offers! I've never actually sold a house on the MLS before, and am wondering if any experienced flippers could chime in on what they would take.

House is in Ohio. Purchased at 16.5k, rehabbed for 35k, and have a few thousand in holding when all said and done. All in I'm at 55k. We listed at 79k on Friday, and I've gotten 3 offers over asking so far.

1. 96k - FHA loan,

2. 95k - with inspection

3. 90k - no inspection

This flip was challenging due to contractors backing out, and while I believe everything is up to code, I have some doubts about their work. Considering the offer of $90k with no inspection, as my realtor warns a negative inspection report could hurt future prospects.  Would love some insight!


 You should counter the no inspection offer to 95k. 

Post: Wholesaling 150+ fixers from the MLS— dominating CA & WA markets

Rafael CastroPosted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • San Leandro, CA
  • Posts 16
  • Votes 6

What a beautiful city I thought, coming over the bridge and into San Francisco. Up until now I’ve never had a reason to take this first exit which leads you to highrises and eventually the rest of the downtown. It was 2016 and I was now face to face with the largest high rise I’ve ever set foot in, wow I will live like this one day, I said internally. I was there that day to interview for a job - I wasn’t even really told what the job was. Just that this guy was buying 10 properties a month. That doesn’t even make sense I thought when my friend explained. I didn’t care I just knew I needed ti be a part of that. Yo introduce me to this guy I asked Tim my best friend. He knew this guy through his older brother. Timmys not around anymore he died a few years back but it’s crazy how this connection forged so much of my life even years after his death. Wow So much beauty in that time looking back. It was a Sunday, odd day for an interview I thought. The guy I sat with looked tired, worn out. I asked if he was ok, late night man he replied, had this chick over and all I’ll say is that we did not sleep. LOL this guy is so cool I thought. This is exactly what I want. Cliche looking back, but I was 21 and impressionable. We had a good convo, still didn’t explain what they were doing I just knew from looking around that I need to join this guy. I’d find out a few days later that I got the job.

I’m about 3 weeks in and at this point my instructions have been to check the mls every day for fixers and put them on the log. And to send some emails. I was working at chase as a banker at this time and I’d do my real estate on lunch and after work. My parents thought I was getting scammed, trying to convince them that this is a real job and good opportunity blah blah where is the money they asked you haven’t even been paid. Sheesh I couldn’t argue with her there. Luckily tho I was just about to get my first taste.. taste of what’s possible, taste of that delicious real estate money. Hey man you just made 1k we got one of your deals done. Hell yea I thought. But I still didn’t know how any of it worked.. see the thing about whole sailing and woleaalers is that it’s a huge secret. Those gurus aren’t giving you all of their tricks. I was 3 weeks in and this guy finally explains what wholesaling real estate is. I was hooked, it was like making money out of no where. It was like printing money. I was hooked.

I started as an assistant then obtained my CA Real estate license. And eventually WA state. I became a machine, wholesaling ACTIVE deals from the MLS to investors. Multiple deals a week sometimes making up to 25k /month. I would have made more but I was earning a small %. See the thing about wholesaling is that with skill & finesse, the seller or listing agent will never even know that you're wholesaling them. The beautiful thing about wholesaling from the MLS is that the deals are already there with willing sellers. Most importantly being licensed means that you represent the investor and collect the commission on the deal. Oh and you can also add fees on deals so you collect both! We'd also re list the property when it was done.

You may be asking how? How does one wholesale an active deal from the MLS, collect buyer agent commissions and sometimes fees on top of those and not have problems with sellers? Well I've been through a lot to obtain that knowledge and there's no simple answer. It takes skill and finesse.

Why am I writing this? Honestly I don't even know. I've dominated MLS markets wholesaling 150+ deals over 5 years as a licensed agent. I started as an assistant and eventually moved to another state to start a wholesaling operation. I moved into a high rise, penthouse suite. There's a lot more to the story. I've learned a lot from wholesaling to building relationships with investors. I'm just not sure what I want to do next.