All Forum Posts by: Sarah Hartwell

@Mark Miles killer info! Thanks! Checking out that block post now. Especially love your third point. How many STRs do you have, and where?

@Courtney Trahan thank you so much! This is great feedback. Where do you think is the best place to find brokerage ratings? I don't even know where to begin when it comes to real estate as a career (as opposed to as an investor).

@Kaelyn Motzel you'll have to give me more detail on how that works and what you do.

@Brian Ellwood thank you so much! Really good points and things to consider. We drive an hour each way every time we want to go boating on the lake (we have a boat there already), so we're willing to break even or spend a bit to get a vacation rental in this case. But I need to do a LOT more investigation when it comes to some of the other items you mentioned, and really ensure I'm running numbers properly. We intended to do the management ourselves, but I see you're budgeting to outsource that. Any thoughts there?

@Paul Sandhu how do you go about asking about the future? Do you reach out to the HOA directly? That's one of our biggest concerns!

@Alice Horn awesome! I'll check that out, and thank you for sharing.

Hey BP! I'm not sure if this post is ok here, or if it needs to be posted in Marketplace...

I'm a Houston investor currently studying to get my license. Initially I started studying simply to support our investment business, but as I learn more and spend more time working with our tenants/rentals, I really think I'll enjoy being an agent as a career outside of investing.

Anyone else take this path?

Anyone in Houston open to discussing how you found the right broker, what worked for you, etc? I'd love some advice!

Hey BP! We've got 3 Buy & Hold investments in Houston, TX (though I'm definitely still a rookie). My husband and I LOVE the water, so we're strongly considering making our next investment a waterfront vacation rental, so that we can enjoy it when it isn't rented out. We figure that, as long as we make enough to cover P&I, maintenance, and taxes, we're happy. (Obviously cash flowing it entirely would be even better, but at a minimum we'd be willing to go with that.)

I don't know enough about what to look for / avoid, how to run numbers properly, etc. I am running basic numbers in airDNA (the free version), but otherwise I'm kind of clueless.

Thoughts on how to do this properly? Anyone in/around Houston and familiar with local waterfront rentals (Conroe, Livingston, Surfside, San Bernard, etc.)?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all! I'm in Houston as well and would love to connect and join a mastermind group. My husband and I will also be attending Matthew Gullo's July meetup, so hope to meet y'all there - virtually! We're primarily Buy & Hold investors; we have three properties, are making plans for the next one, and I definitely consider myself a rookie drinking from the fire hose. Recently found BP and am so excited to jump all in - looking forward to connecting!

We live in Houston and currently have three Buy & Hold properties with great tenants. We closed on them before finding BP, and running the math backward, the numbers could be better. That said, we don't regret any of them and plan to keep them long-term. Some of the research I've done, including looking at BP Insights data, shows other markets having much stronger returns and cash flow positions. But Houston is a fantastic city to live in, for all of the reasons previously listed. Just make sure you don't mind driving, and that you enjoy hot humid weather! I've lived here most of my life. The people are wonderful. The diversity is amazing. You will have no problem starting your nursing career, especially with our med center and suburban hospital centers. The food is to die for. We're improving our "things to do", developing more parks, etc. But again, if you're looking for a city with REALLY good investing potential, do more research. There are a handful of cities in the Midwest where the numbers are fantastic. You just have to decide what's really important to you, not only from an REI perspective, but from quality of life / things to do / cost of living / job market / etc. Best of luck to you, and if you ever have questions about Houston, feel free to connect directly!

My husband and I are both engineers (I'm chemical and he's mechanical). I worked as an engineer in O&G for about 8 years before jumping ship into the marketing industry, because it turns out I really like people and sales. He stuck with it and owns a small O&G company. We live in Houston, TX, so I think engineers make up a larger percentage of people in the area, but it is definitely interesting how many seem to be investing!

@Doug Crenshaw, @Patricia Steiner, @Michele Fischer, @Theresa Harris, @Joanne Eriaku - 

This is all really great advice, and we appreciate your input! Thank you! We just need to decide what we're willing to risk in this situation, financially, and then get on the phone with her to understand in more detail what the actual situation is. Including, when she does get back to work, whether or not she will be able to afford our rent (it's CAD$1450 and already below market).

Ultimately, we agree that we're likely going to have to find a new tenant, but we don't want to kick her and the boys onto the street. So we'll work with her to find new housing and get moved, if it comes to that.

Again, huge thanks to all of you! This is wonderful feedback.

Hi there! My hubs and I are Houston-based rookie investors. We have three properties here, and one in Canada. Sadly, our Canadian tenants (a family with 2 school aged boys) reached out mid-April. They were both laid off in mid-March due to COVID, and then two weeks later the husband had a sudden heart attack and passed away. They have been with us for years and are such good people. It's heartbreaking.

We worked with the tenant for May rent and deferred her payment, but stated June rent would be due. She's now reached out to tell us she can't pay June rent and is waiting for government assistance.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. We have healthy cash reserves, so we can handle non-payment for a month or two. How do we handle this professionally, but with empathy and care? We do not want to tarnish the relationship and would love to keep these tenants long-term. But, rent is obviously a requirement.

Thanks in advance!