All Forum Posts by: Mark Rocha

@Kevin Wilson

Hello Kevin! Fellow LEO in Fresno, Ca here. First off, I want to say congrats on stumbling onto this website as well as wanting to put your hard earned money to “try” and work harder than we do in this field. My first rental income was amazing to me as it made my first income stream outside of fighting, handcuffing, chasing, responding, and taking criticism. I’m excited for you!

As far as your real estate investment career goes, I myself am going to invest out of state by the end of the year as California prices are making it difficult to accomplish my cash flow goals to keep my wife at home with our son and daughter on the way (Due October). PM me and we can connect on our goals/strategies. Best of luck to you Kevin!

@Ryan Ingram Hey Ryan! I appreciate the helping hand! I’ll PM you my number. I have tons of questions! Planning a visit to the area at the end of June. Maybe we can get on a phone call sometime and talk real estate? Again, thank you!

Hello BP!

I am a Real Estate Investor with some buy and hold properties here in Fresno, California. I’m looking for some Dayton, Ohio realtors/lenders because my brother is coming back to the states and attending Law School in Dayton Ohio. He’s returning from South Korea where he was a teacher and is planning to pay for a rental!! I can’t let that happen...I’m looking for some direction/insight into a completely different state/market that I’m used to. With boots on the ground in a new market, I’m looking to break in. Any networking connections would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

@Gabriel Rascon Visalia, nice! Not far from me at all. Well if you ever come back to visit and find yourself in Fresno, PM me and we can connect. You can catch me up on how your duplex purchase is going! Just know that things will come up with your tenant, at all times of the day. That's certain. Just be excited to learn, no matter how irritating and comical the requests get. And of course, you can always refer to your books, podcasts, and BiggerPockets for advice! 👍🏼

@Gabriel Rascon How about a slow water leak from a cracked washer valve due to over tightening during the tenants installation right when you're half way through your work shift? not made up... Completely renovated properties are susceptible to all repairs. They'll just be more than likely due to tenants mishandling and not wear&tear. Nothing about landlording is problem free. On a different note though, the month of July had me at my property twice for routine yard work and that's it. So, best of luck to you Gabriel and congrats on your first purchase!

@Jinhee Park Awesome! Congratulations Jinhee! I too did the same thing the exact same way in Fresno, CA a year ago now and couldn't be happier with the progressed I've made with my investing career. One thing I did for myself, which I highly recommend, is pay rent for the unit I lived in to myself. You can view it as savings, cash flow, or a $650 mortgage payment, doesn't matter. As long as your savings continues to build, preparing for the next purchase and keeping you ready for any unexpected repairs. Also, this wIll give you an indication of how the property will perform should you decide to move out when you fufill the FHA requirements. Best of luck to you!

Hello BP! New California REI here...

I am currently in escrow on a 4plex, hoping to close early September and begin putting my invested money to work. I have come upon a hiccup and am not sure the extent that it would affect my REI plan.

I recently received news that property I am looking to purchase had a zoning change in 03/16. The zoning of the property was changed from (R) Residential to (O) Office. The property had fire damage and was properly restored and permitted by local county inspectors, however, the zoning of the property changed with it. Now my questions are these:

1. If my offer accepted was under an FHA loan, ideas on whether my financing option is still available?

2. If I could proceed with my financing, would this rezoned property provide more, less, or no correlation between the property value?

3. Are there any legal issues to consider with a 4plex being built on an Officer zoned property lot?

4. Selling this property in the future through a 1031 Exchange, would this zoning limit my options to only other Office zoned property? Would it not allow me to roll into a different residential or commercial property?

Side Note: I have posed these similar questions to the lender/zoning authority/Title company that I am specifically using, however, I was looking for a quicker response and knew that I could count on the experienced investors here at BP. 

Any and all information/personal experience/advice is welcome and appreciated! Thank you all in advance!

Mark R.

Caleb Gerbrandt Caleb, I'm looking to do that same thing not too far from you in Fresno Ca. Is it ok to PM you and ask a few questions? Looking for as smooth a process as possible.

@G. Brian Davis Cool, thanks for the reading material Brian!

@Anmmar Alsaggaf Thank you for your recommendation of resources! I will get in touch with them both and try to attend some of these local Meet Ups.

Hello BP and first off, thank you all for what seems to be an endless amount of knowledge, analysis, and personal experiences that you all provide on the site. I can tell you that I truly appreciate the vast amount of information available here. For the past 3 months, I've focused more on self educating myself in the area of REI and I am excited to begin. I have a full time job here in Fresno CA as a local law enforcement officer and am looking to buy my first investment property. The strategy most appealing to me is the FHA Multifamily house hack but in no way am I locked in on that. Was wondering if any fellow Fresno REI know of any meetings or events here in town to attend? Really looking to meet up to learn and talk real estate for my local area.