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All Forum Posts by: Robert Leonard

Robert Leonard has started 46 posts and replied 1361 times.

Post: Refinancing a hard money loan

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914
Kevin Raye buy & hold is ultimately where you want to be, but there's a right time for each strategy. Right now, ~$70k of Income and some debt reduction will go far to help your creditworthiness. Credit used wisely is a key to long term growth in REI. Unless a good portion of what looks like equity, (because you didn't break down where the rest of the funding for the property came from) is debt to someone else - it looks like your best option is to sell and keep moving forward.

Post: Advice on selling a rental in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914

Hello @Jason May. What kind of repairs/remodeling does the property need?  Where is it posted if you have people viewing it now?

Post: Looking to get stared

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914

Hello and welcome to BP @Justin Henry!  Look up meetup.com/bplakecharles

Post: How to connect with out of state investors

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914

Look up @Braden Smith , here on BP.   I bet he can help you.  That's his neck of the woods!

Post: How Rigid is the 1% Rule

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914

This is a rule of thumb (ROT).  Not a real rule to live by.  ROT are useful for quick analysis.  This one is totally out of place when used during acquistion, IMO.  A lot of people use it for acquisition, so I'm not picking on you Aric, but I refer to them as retail investors.   These comments are also specific to our market in south LA - I understand there are different market conditions that dictate the relevance and best use of these ROT elsewhere.

I belive it is best applied as an exit rule that relates to return on equity.  When you have a property that appreciates to the point that the rent is 1% or less than the value of the property, it's time to sell and reinvest where you get a better return.  That is a generalization.  It would make sense to consider a lot of other factors when deciding when to sell a property, but that's what a ROT is good for.  To tell you when you need to run some numbers and decide whether or not to stay the course or make a correction.

Post: Recommendations on where to get pre-approved in Baton Rouge

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914

If I were you @Aric Van Iterson, I would look at www.hudhomestore.com and www.homepath.com and look for REOs that you have an advantage to buy before other investors, because you are going to live in it. The owner occupant only buying period gives you that advantage. Wells Fargo has a similar program for only O/O before others can buy their REOs. Yes, some will need more work than you can move right into or qualify for FHA financing, but there are a lot of them that only need paint and flooring and will qualify for FHA financing. You can buy like an investor and do your house hack all at once!

Post: Is up front agent fees normal

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914

Hello and welcome to BP @Jessica Kegler No, that's not normal.  Agents get paid at the closing table when the deal closes.  Where did that idea or question come up?

Post: Newbie in Houma, Louisiana

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914

I'm a member of the Baton Rouge REIA/The RING, it is very well organized. I am coorganizer of the Lafayette Real Estate Investors' meetup group you can find at meetup.com/bpacadiana Down in Houma, you are about in the middle of all of those. There are investors from your neck of the woods who I see at the BR and Lafayette meetings.

Post: Partnership structure to help father retire

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914
Joshua W Sommerfeld these are good questions. I'll address #4 first, this area is what can blow the whole idea up. Whatever the relationship is between you and the step side of the family, this type of arrangement can be very contentious! If you pursue it, it's definitely one for the attorneys. People do all kind of partnership arrangements, but if you want to keep things simple, make all arrangements easy to exit. I would only partner in a role, never in ownership. I would act as the lender and make a spread on the financing. Or finance one for him, one for me, with him earning project management fees or property management fees as appropriate. No legal or financial advice here, just what I would do in a similar situation.

Post: Landlord selling what are my rights

Robert LeonardPosted
  • Investor
  • Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA
  • Posts 1,468
  • Votes 914
Andrew Smith If the mean old landlord had such nefarious intent as suggested, did he even have to tell you he plans to sell the place? Is this the only place you can rent in town? Is it somehow reasonable to you that a tenant should be able to "bar" an owner from selling their property?