All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

I'm looking for rental property around Lancaster and Palmdale. I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations for a good Realtor with experience working with real estate investment. I'd really appreciate any recommendations.

I'm basically wondering--in general--if there's a general preference in terms of real estate investing towards investing in an SFR in an A area or a multi-family (duplex or triplex) in a B or C area? Is there a rule of thumb?

I know there are a lot of conditions unique to every situation. The cost per door would be lower with a multi-family, but the SFR in a nice area might attract a longer-occupancy tenant. The multifamily in the B or C area would likely attract a more risky tenant than the SFR who might damage the unit more than an A tenant. Therefore, the overall turnover costs with the SFR might be lower, right?

Obviously, there are many other conditions, but I'd love to see if you have any general rules of thumb. 

I know it's been a while since this thread has seen a lot of action, but are there any other recommendations for property management in Bakersfield? 

@Andrew Jones Do you still recommend Portfolio Properties? Is there a particular person there you recommend? 

@Mel Jeffrey Do you still recommend Daniel Mena? Would you be able to PM me his contact info (or post it here)? 

I'd really appreciate any other recommendations, as well. I'm researching possibilities, since I'm planning buying rental property there.

Thanks! 

@Evelyn Roper That sounds doable. So it sounds like for initial valuation--for instance, to see if it's even worth it to go look at a house--you do something like the 50% rule, and then when you're ready to purchase you do your due diligence and find more accurate values (what you should expect to see once you own the property). Thanks for the info.

@Nigel Meacham Thanks for the recommendation. Have you worked with him? Have you bought properties with him? 

I'm trying to do some calculations using the calculators (in particular, the BP Wholesaling calculator for rental properties). I'm wondering, though, how to find the estimates for the expense calculations. I'd like to find some good numbers for sewage, water, garbage, and homeowner's insurance. What do you do to calculate (or look up) average values for an area? Do you find it varies in different parts of town? High water usage should lead to high sewage cost, but then...what do I put in the calculator? 

Do most people simply use the 50% rule and call it a day? Is that conservative enough? 

Is there a set of tables you know of (or even created yourself) to figure out the average cost of utilities in your area? At the end of the day, though, do you find that your calculations come close to reality?

I'm looking for a good real estate agent in Bakersfield with experience dealing with investment properties. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I've been reading and soaking up as much information as I can on the various channels for business growth, particularly through the BP podcasts, the forums, and Brandon Turner's Book on Rental Property Investing. Maybe my question will be a bit obvious, but I feel the need to ask it anyway. 

Wholesaling property requires a lot of networking, marketing, lead generation, etc. Would you say that this is something that would require more of a full-time commitment? Does anybody do this part-time, and is it possible?

I'm interested in getting into real estate investing, but actually don't want to quit my full-time job (I like it for the most part). Obviously, I'm investigating all of my options (of which there are many!). Perhaps some people have made it work on a part-time basis, but I'm curious if you'd think that's possible overall for most people.

I was wondering if there is a way to search the public records to find a list of properties with tax liens (federal, state, and/or county) attached. For instance, when someone defaults on a federal tax debt, the IRS may file a lien on the defaulted amount. These liens are public records, but how do you view them? Are there lists I would have to buy?

Is there a particular database I could search? I've tried looking at the web page for the LA County Tax Assessor, but came up with little to no usable info (unless I wanted to pay my tax). 

My thought--and I'm sure many have thought of the same thing already--is that people with large tax liens would likely be more likely to sell their homes in a shorter amount of time. 

Do you have any previous forum posts or directions you could provide?