All Forum Posts by: Steve Balinski

Legal fees like $2K for loan documents can seem high, especially on smaller loans like $30K or $50K, but they're an important investment to protect your capital and reduce risk. For smaller loans, these fixed costs can eat into your returns, so many lenders either look for scaled legal options, use trusted standard docs, or focus on larger loans to make it worthwhile. It's all about balancing protection with deal size to ensure your ROI makes sense—if the fee feels steep, consider shopping around or increasing loan amounts to improve profitability or as another member mentioned, have it be a pass-through fee to your borrower.

@Steve Balinski have you looked into the kenosha landlord association?

@Steve Balinski While it might cash flow, it negatively affects your returns. What is the minimum return you're targeting? Have you run a proforma on this?

@Steve Balinski For what it's worth, a Section 8 tenant would pay $1,460 a month for a 2 BR unit in that zip code. Also, 30% down seems a little high - most lenders I work with would look at 20% to 25%, assuming no rehab.

Several red flags, the first one is asking price - anything under 300k in 2025 in the Milwaukee area is either distressed or in a bad area or both. As far as optimistic until you get an inspection, you need to have a good idea about your total rehab budget before you make an offer. Inspection should only confirm what you and your agent had already found, at least the big stuff. 

Most duplxes require 25k per unit and up to 50k for roof, siding, windows if necessary. You can't do anything with 2-3k in a bathroom. It's either under 1k or over 6k - there is concrete with chicken wire under the penny tile. Renting the garage will maybe get you $50 per bay. I just refinanced a commercial loan at 6.25% as a 10/10yrs.

The size will limut rents. Square footage is more important than number of (tiny) bedrooms. I bought my first duplex in 2009 and made that mistake to buy the smaller of the two a 2/1 with 1600 sqft total, could have bought a 2400 sqft for just a little more. Was never able to get rents up, even after full rehab. Better to buy a property with more square footage, the financial model works better, as the tiny one has the same expenses, but lower rents - for example: water heater costs the same regardless if your rent is 800 or 1600.

 @Steve Balinski what's the zip code for the duplex?

@Steve Balinski as your finding there is a big difference between perception of how things are, and the reality of how they actually are. 

When dealing with R.E. Agents in general, yes, most often there sphere of commanding knowledge is limited to "A" city or the immediate circle there of. And as move from that center, knowledge insight drops rapidly. Buuttttt there all the happy to help you sell/buy wherever and there in lies the crux of things, how honest and upfront are they going to be about there level of knowledge and insight in that area. 

Look, the general agent, there whole thing is to help people buy & sell properties, so can you blame them for putting foot forward to achieve this end. 

The problem is what your describing in wanting is a very specialized, and with that rare and unique kind of agent. One who is specialized for investment real estate. 

With PMC's, often there a closer match because at least they live FT in the sphere of property monetization. PMC's generally know this 100X better than 99% of the agents in those areas. 

Ah but where PMC's fall short.... PMC's are often so in-the-now focused and centric that they fall short on the analysis side of things, predicting and projecting out accurately not just what areas and assets are good today but for the next coming years. Or better yet, what area is a rising star. 

And then the obvious area of how to best navigate and negotiate a buy. Many PMC's have f-all for service on this side of things. 

So your looking for an agent with all the knowledge and power of a best in class PMC AND best in class buy/sell agent...... That is a mighty rare and special "tool" my friend. I know, because I just so happen to be that exact person and service. 

Now let's jump to compensation and time. 

No, I do not and will not give it away for free on the hopeum of a transaction eventually coming that covers all those costs. I have no way of knowing if your just a perpetual tire kicker looking to suck hours a day just to talkie-talk, or action centric and were actually getting something done. 

And remember how rare and unique I am, what I do, at the level of precision, knowledge and success record I do it. I am in high demand. If I gave it away for free, I'd need 120 hours in each day.     

Each analysis takes time, time costs $. My time is limited. The demand for my time seems to be unlimited. 

So in the end doesn't it jump-out as more fair and transparent that one like myself, the ultra rare and specialized "Special Forces of R.E. Agents" has a compensation for that time? You know exactly what your going to get and what it's gonna cost. You can budget for this, it's reasonable, just like when scheduling to sit down with any high-powered rock-star attorney to review a situation and get similar action centric analysis. 

And you can take that knowledge and use it any which way you want from there. 

Although I can assure you, if your going to keep searching for such fantastic service from a "free" whoever..... well get ready to search without end because as the age old adage goes; You Get What You Pay For......