All Forum Posts by: Samantha A.

@Alina Trigub  Thank you so much for your insight and the article links. This thread is really making me realize that I need to make up my mind on how I'm going to invest and start answering my own questions. Hearing your feedback, and others is such a great guide. I'll read the articles now! 

@John Fortes @Austin Hughes  Investing alongside a professional is a really desirable method. Each time I listen to the BP podcast and hear that you need two out of the three things: Capital, Hustle, and Knowledge. I've got the capital and serious hustle, but just not the hands-on knowledge. Sounds like syndication would be a good way to learn. Any suggestions on how you initially linked up with sponsors/syndicators? 

@Trevor Ewen  I totally agree with your standpoint. Leveraging my savings into larger deals sounds incredibly appealing because I totally love running my businesses. I look forward to work each day, but I also know that I'm losing value by leaving my savings in a low-yield account. 

What percentage of return is average to expect when partnering with a sponsor for syndications? I know this is a kind of vague question, but you do personally find that you have higher returns with syndications than you would with SFH or small MFH deals?

@Michael Albaum, thank you so much for this advice! I really like the idea of getting a quad to do a brrrr. I'll definitely have to do some more market research to see where I could purchase one in cash. What amount of passive income would be a realistic five-year goal? I'm a big fan of Napoleon Hill's writing and it has me questioning whether or not I'm selling myself short by not setting high enough goals. After learning the ropes on my initial property, I'm sure I'll gain a lot more insight. 

@Samuel Rogers Wow, thank you for sharing the numbers on your first deals! I'm glad you came out the other end and still have decent cash flow. You're really going to kill it with your next investment. I appreciate the advice, as I too, can be overly hopeful that other's intentions will align with my own. Turns out - many people are only rooting for themselves and you've got to nagivate carefully! I'll have to re-read all of this now and again. Do you have any plans for your next deal? I'd love to hear what you have coming up next. 

@Stephen Akindona I needed to hear this! Thank you!! I'm all about multi-family. Having a mentor/coach is my dream, but I also know that I need to provide some value on my end, too. I'm planning to attend some local meet-ups this month to start networking, which is definitely my weakest point so far. I've held back from networking, as I'm kept fairly busy with my two businesses, and I don't want to let anyone down with expectations of myself. On a positive note, I've been tweaking my pricing on both of my storefronts, and I found a sweet spot that allows me to work less, make more capital, and most importantly - have more time to focus towards REI! Thank you so much for the feedback, I'm learning so much.

Hi BP community,  

Before I write about my specific situation - I really appreciate any replies, thoughts, or comments in advance. It's a pleasure learning from everyone here. Please feel free to be as critical/constructive as possible, I down to learn. 

I'm currently seeking an investment method that suits my goals, but am really having a hard time making a decision on how to start my investment portfolio. My goal is like most others posting here, to be financially free and generating a high income (min 250k/year) within the next five years or so. I will do this via buy and hold properties, and will work my way up to large multi-family investments. Eventually, I will flip some properties but I'd like to start with buy and holds. 

I currently have around 125k to comfortably invest without draining my savings and will be keeping up with a decent savings rate each year (50k+). Here's the deal - I want to be as efficient as possible without skipping any steps that are crucial to my education in real estate. I've been studying and analyzing deals for about two years and am finally able to get pre-approval; I'm self-employed so it's taken a decent amount of tax prep to have my records looking good. 

I'm having a difficult time determining what my first investment should be. Locally, I've been running numbers and MLS deals aren't fitting my criteria. I've spoken with other investors and it seems that off-market deals are best. I can't help but think about turn-key investments (specifically Rent to Retirement), but also know that I have enough saved to contribute to a syndication deal or have a more hands-on experience. I'm ready to dive in, but I'm nervous that I'll pass up a better opportunity - such a vicious cycle.

At this point, I could buy a property in cash, do a little bit of rehab (nothing too major for my first investment), and refinance it for a lower rate than I would have gotten with a traditional loan right away. Eventually, I'd like to work my way up to the BRRRR method at the @David Greene level. I want to start off strong, and while I know it's impossible to avoid mistakes, I want to do as much as possible to mitigate any poor decisions (anything within my personal control). 

I would LOVE to start big and be a part of a syndication deal, but I want to be a partner, not the person running the show. For members who have participated in syndications, what was your experience and how did you become a part of the syndication? While being an accredited investor is one of my goals, I'm not there yet so it limits some of the investments that I'd like to be a part of.

Knowing what you know now, what would you have done if you started off in my shoes? My mind feels like it's hitting a wall. Logically, I know I should relax a little bit with this, but efficiency is incredibly important to me. 

@Matt Leber Thanks for sharing, this is great. I'm located in the Melbourne area and have been looking at similar properties. You really scored with this newer construction. Good luck! 

Hi @Priscilla Z. - I am also interested in attending the meetup! If this is still a monthly event, I would love to join, too. 

Great post, the updates are really informative. It's fantastic that this deal is working so well for you, and that your due diligence has been done so well. 

Not sure if this is still current, but I would evict the smokers & get a few new tenants in place. I don't think that a non smoker would be happy living between them, and if they didn't care - I would question the quality of the tenant. How's this going for you?

@Wendy Vaidic Thank you so much for your response, Wendy! I really appreciate the referral. 

Hello all! I am currently searching for a CPA near the Melbourne, FL area. I'm about to start my rental portfolio next year and would like to establish a relationship with a new CPA as soon as possible. I am also a small business owner with an S-Corp so it's important that I find someone who is also competent with this sort of filing. 

Thanks so much in advance!

@Darrin Gross Thank you so much for the detailed response. You're right, it's totally worth it to take my time with finding a good property. This thread is so full of useful information, and I really had no idea that I would be able to work with a commercial bank so soon. I'll start searching for some multi-family homes and send out some direct mail to the off-market ones, too. 

@Scott Schuetz Sounds great - I'll send you a message now.