All Forum Posts by: Ray Li

When people buy rehab and refinance a partially occupied MFH, do you refinance immediately after you rehab the exterior and the vacant units and rent it out? Or do you rehab all units, vacant or occupied (when their lease ends), and then refinance?

Thanks,

Ray

@Peter Schuyler I'm looking at mainly 2-4plexes right now.

Thanks,

Ray

Hi, I'm looking to investing in small MFH's in DFW area soon. Does anyone know any good property management companies specializing in small MFH's that they recommend?

Thanks,

Ray

Hi, what do people look for when selecting property management? Yelp reviews, BBB reviews, major certifications, or even professional-looking websites?

I'm noticing managers on yelp and BBB reviews with no certifications, or certified managers whose companies aren't listed on BBB or have bad reviews.

I know we ultimately need to talk to them to see if they're a good fit, but I'm looking for at least a basic criteria to help me filter them.

Thanks,

Ray

I'm researching property management companies in the area that I'm interested in investing in, and one of the property managers I talked to said that he's also a real estate agent, and would like to help me buy a house in addition to managing the house.

Is this dual-role situation common? Are there any potential conflict of interest here?

Thanks,

Ray

Hi, does anyone have any recommended property managers in the Dallas/Fort worth area?

Thanks,

Ray

Thanks for the suggestion guys. I originally considered Sacramento as well, but decided that if I'm going to hire a property manager, I might as well pick a city with better growth and cheaper prices. I'm currently looking at the Raleigh area, and hopefully will be able to find some good deals there.

Thanks,

Ray

Hi guys,

I got lucky in the Bay Area housing market and was able to buy my house pretty cheap. I'm planning to sell it soon to take advantage of the 250k tax exemption, and invest it in MFHs in other areas while renting a place here.

Depending on how much I sell it for, I should be able to afford something around ~1.5 million with a 400k down payment. In most places that should be enough for a mid size (~20 units) apartment complex or 3, 4 quadruplexes. ( sadly that can only get me a small SFH in the Bay Area).

I've read in some of the blog posts that apartment complexes arent really that much harder to buy and manage compared to smaller MFHs, and it scales better too. But that being said, given that this will be my first time buying investment properties, let alone in a distant area, would you guys recommend that I jump straight to apartments, or should I start with smaller MFHs to better learn the real estate investment business before attempting something bigger?

Thanks

Ray

The reason I'm hesitant about turnkey companies is that I don't know about the property management company they contract with in general, since that's probably the most important aspect of buy and hold. How do people who buy from turn-key companies deal with the property management?

Thanks,

Ray

If I'm looking into rental properties in other areas where I have no connections whatsoever, what's the best way to find good real estate agents that I can trust?

If I find a property management company first and then ask them to recommend some agents, is there any potential conflict of interest there?

Thanks,

Ray