All Forum Posts by: Rob Quinn

Mike, went through something similar recently, also in bayonne. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like to go into details. 

@Mark Moyer greetings from a fellow BP real estate photographer!

I think that the craigslist and MLS rental ads in my area (Hudson County, NJ and NYC) prove that most landlords and agents are still underestimating the value of quality photography.

Putting ourselves in the shoes of the renter makes the decision to hire a professional easy, I'm more likely to go see a place that looks clean and bright vs. dark, cluttered and distorted. 

I've had conversations with a few landlords that do have professional photos up on their rental ads but when complimented on seeking out a professional they answer "oh I just downloaded these from the MLS from back when I bought the place." Landlords out there probably don't realize that this is not acceptable as the photographer probably retained ownership of the images while licensing them to the agent who sold the place to you.

Welcome Rob!

I can't offer much in the way of experience, but I am around Hoboken if you ever want to grab coffee and talk real estate. 

I went to Stevens for my undergrad, lived in Hoboken for 2 more years after graduation before moving back to NYC, but have since settled in Jersey City Heights.

Hey Joe, thank you for following up. I had an appointment set with an electrician but then the tenant and the landlord both decided to take a different approach to remedy this problem, so I don't have any experience to report on. 

Welcome from a fellow NYC photographer! 

Good luck with your renovations, there are great resources on here for reno advice.

I have a Real Estate and Architectural Photography business in NYC, NJ and Westchester County, if you ever want to chat photography feel free to reach out!

Michael, if house hacking Jersey City is your goal you may want to look beyond the numbers. If your game plan is to get in with FHA financing and out in 1 year then the numbers are important.

If you have 3, 5, 7 years? The decision could look very different. 

If this is your way to get a NJ address and out of New York City and you're a high income earner, you can factor in saving on NY City income tax. 

If you have 3-5 years to force appreciation and pay down principal you can refinance when you're ready to move out with a better LTV and cut out PMI to help cash flow.

Something else you may want to consider is how will this location earn you more money with a better quality of life? If you pay a little more for location can you earn more in overtime or by performing better in your day job, or will it help you access your business markets and clients because of your house hack location?

Take this all with a grain of salt, but to me when the conversation involves house hacking in an expensive metro area like NYC/NJ the bigger picture is more important than the immediate short term cash flow. 

Good luck!

I am realizing that chasing deals in Jersey City Heights is not worth it anymore. I walked a HUD property with the agent recently there and he told me that first day offers were coming in $120k+ over asking by owner occupants. There is no reason to compete with that because us small guys and new investors will lose.

I think Union City and WNY have potential opportunity, the deals will come from underperforming, deferred maintenance properties, and I'm not sure if I'll have the reserves to handle that for a first investment.

Welcome to BP fellow RE photographer!

Thanks @Odie Ayaga!

 Thanks Kanishk! I just reached out to someone that looks promising on both of those resources, will update here if I have a good experience. 

Referrals are still welcome though!