All Forum Posts by: Ryan Johnston

Hey BP Community,

I've been a member on here for a little while and I'm finally able to get things moving on the investment side of things in my life. I'm graduating college in May, start a job in Chicago in May, which means I'll finally have the capital I need to begin my investment portfolio. I'm now looking for a mentor, but this could be a situation that could benefit the both of us. I'm looking for someone who knows the money side of things. 

What I can offer: I'm graduating as an architect with a minor in sustainability which means I have tons of knowledge of buildings, construction, and even some MEP skills. I've been doing construction since I was 12 years old (thanks to my carpenter of a dad) and I know the ins and the outs of a building. I have the tech and the know-how to make floor plans. I've even done some floor plans for interior build-outs. I work for a multi-billion-dollar general contractor in Chicago which means I have access to structural engineers, building estimators, subcontractors, and basically everything else you need to build something. I bring a lot of value to the table and now I'm just looking for someone to show me the ropes of financing, accounting, and possibly property management.

I'd love to start flipping houses with someone or a group of people so that I can get the capital I need to get into the buy-and-hold game. If there is anyone in the area of Hobart, Valparaiso, Crown Point, Merrillville, or even Chicago willing to let me "piggyback" on one of there deals I could offer some value in the construction part of things. 

Hope this message reaches you well,

Kindest Regards,

Ryan

Hey guys so I took to this idea and I started a consulting business. I'm starting to network with local real estate agents and investors. I haven't done anything like this - just trying to take a shot in the dark. I found a nice listing with a bigger company on Zillow with a typical crummy floor plan and I pitched them my idea. I'm still working on getting a response, but the fact of the matter is, it's up an running. I'd love some feedback from someone. Other than cold-calling and cold-emails I'm not really sure how to get my name out there. Any ideas?? I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Ryan

I am an architect and also biased like Jarod. I use a program called Revit, but that's out of price range for most of the "do-it-yourselfers" ($2,000/year). Yes you could draw it out by hand, but like everyone has already said, that is very time consuming. What I am wondering is what is the break-even point to where it becomes worth it to outsource the floor plan work for say $100? If it takes you 2 hours to draw it up, and then do 2 renditions of the plan, when does it make more sense to outsource to a consultant? Please tag me in the response, I'm curious what you guys would think about that.

@John Lindemann

Have you had any success in trying out the 3D Renderings? Did you ever make a walkthrough of it? I would love to see it if you do have it!

@Chris Viglietta @Joe Cantanzriti

Hey guys,

I know this post might be a little stale, but I came up with the exact same idea! I'm an architecture student right now and I will get into real estate as soon as I graduate. I can create some pretty good renderings of floor plans like you guys are talking about as well as Virtual Reality Renderings. 

I'm not sure there's a market for this in my area (being that I'm in a college town), but I'm curious to see how it's working out for you guys?? How much should you charge for these things? Let's get in touch, maybe a quick phone call or just back and forth messaging

@Ray Dipasupil

You 3D print your models for all of your units?? I know that 3D printing is really cool, but its not the cheapest way of doing things and it's not like you can show possible tenants the 3D printed model or show the model on Zillow and other sites. I guess I get the nostalgia of having your units 3D printed on a shelf for your own use. 

I guess the question I'm asking is why do you do that? 

It is really cool though! Looks like a Makerbot with plastic filament? This is something I could see myself doing just because it's fun

Has anyone used 3D floor plans for showing their units? I was wondering because I've seen a few listings around Chicago that have these really helpful 3D Floor Plan Renderings (see image below). Since you only have to do it once per unit you own, is it worth it? How much should/would you pay for it? Does it make your units become rented faster or maybe even for a higher price? Any insight to this would be helpful!