All Forum Posts by: Stephen Morales

Hi Camee, 

I would definitely steer clear from any overpriced courses and DYOR. A lot of those courses are priced much higher than they should be and most of the time they don't follow through with their availability. I have helped dozens of investors for FREE over the past few years and all of the ones that paid $10-40k on courses ended up finding much more valuable information for free whether it was online or through local networking. 

That kind of money can easily be put towards your own marketing efforts and business. Now I'm assuming since you posted on Multi-Family forum you are looking at analyzing CRE Multi-Family deals and UW them as well and in turn present them to PE firms or acquisition managers. Is that correct?

Hey Jared, 

I would suggest picking up properties with value-add opportunities. Nothing is better than finding a property that you can purchase with a comfortable amount of equity while being able to add more through improvements. 

Are you trying to find an off market opportunity? 

BTW congrats on taking the next steps towards your real estate investing goals!

Hi Priscilla

I am a Jacksonville, FL local and have been in the space for 10 years now. Here is what I can tell you: 

If you are looking at remote investing then Jacksonville, FL, presents a great opportunity for you. Unlike other major Florida cities, Jacksonville offers a range of distressed properties under $200,000, making it an attractive option for cash buyers looking to maximize returns through renovation and refinancing.

The city's strong rental demand is driven by a growing population, a robust healthcare, logistics, and tech sector, and a significant military presence, including Naval Station Mayport and NAS Jacksonville. These factors contribute to high occupancy rates and a steady tenant pool.

Additionally, Jacksonville is undergoing continued revitalization, with neighborhoods such as Murray Hill, Arlington, and parts of the Westside experiencing increased investor interest. Major downtown redevelopment projects (which includes the new $1.4B Jaguars stadium) and infrastructure improvements further enhance the city's long-term investment potential.

Florida’s investor-friendly policies make Jacksonville even more attractive. The absence of a state income tax and landlord-friendly regulations create a favorable environment for rental property owners. 

Hope this helps!

@Hunter Hanlon Taylor Most property data base sites have them. Check out PrimeTracers, it's free sign up and access to 160M+ properties in the US. You also get 25 free lead credits to skip trace contacts. There are other sites out there as well such as propstream or property radar but they have subscription paywalls. 

Here are some examples of what may help you hit your target: 

Location - Counties: Ashtabula, Lake, Cuyahoga, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa, Sandusky
focus on lake front areas, tourist hubs and navigate the in app map to look for properties near attractions like Cedar Point. 

Filter based on property type: Single Family Homes and maybe Duplexes

Owner Type: Absentee owners, Out-of-state owners. +10 years of ownership, higher equity 50% or more.

You can then skip trace the owners to get the Seller's contact information and reach out to them. 

Feel free to message me if you need anything else and good luck with your search!

Hi Gregory,

Speaking from personal experience, cold calling remains the most cost-effective way to generate deals IMO.

With SMS, you risk fines of $500-$1,500 per occurrence because it's illegal to text without opt-in. Mailers take 2-3 months and require a $2K-$3K+ monthly budget before results really start rolling in. With PPL, you’re at the lead providers mercy to issue refunds for duplicates or cold leads that never should have been sent in the first place and they cost a few hundred bucks a pop. And with PPC, you’re competing against companies spending $50K-$75K per month on ads.

You can also go the organic SEO route, but that takes time to build up and you'll probably end up paying someone to do that for you anyways.

At the end of the day, cold calling is tried and true. Pulling a targeted list of 10,000+ records per month and hiring VAs to make calls is a proven way to land deals or listings consistently. You're working the numbers without breaking the bank. There people that buy a triple line dialer get a 10k list and get 1-2 deals per month for $600 bucks or $2k with a VA.

It costs a fraction of what other methods do—and I’d argue it’s just as fast, if not faster, in producing results.

Best of luck!

Hey Hunter,

Have you looked into building list and doing your own off market lead gen? 

Hey Cameron,

Other than posting here I would also check out the Atlanta FB group and attending the local REIA events. You can also use list providers to pull a list of active cash buyers in your market to reach out to. I normally set a minimum amount of properties in their portfolio (3-5) then a Million + valuation on the portfolio with activity in the last 12 months to increase the chances of them being active investors.

There are many list provider that provide what you're looking for. Now if you're looking to send mailers directly some do and some Don't. At PrimeTracers we provide free list with mailing address info but we do not provide direct mail services, where as where Mike was saying some of the providers out there like Propstream can do that for you. 

Hey Brent, 

It normally is a tax advantage if you have two houses on one lot. 

When it comes to resale and financing though it may be trickier since some lenders prefer properties that have their own separate parcels and a traditional buyer may see it as a downside when you go to sell. 

You may need a specialized insurance policy since it's technically one property but two structures. 

If you plan to rent one or both properties, separate utilities and addresses may end up being a hassle if they're not already in place. 

You gotta also keep in mind Pittsburgh's zoning laws which I am not familiar with. Might want to give them a call any additional questions you may have about use or modifications. 

Hey Anthony, 

You should link up with some wholesalers who can bring you off-market deals so you’re not stuck doing all the hunting yourself in addition to direct mail.

Since you're busy, that's an easy way to get access to solid opportunities without the extra work. If you're leaning toward appreciation, Jersey could be a good play, but if cash flow is more your thing, grabbing some SFH or smaller multifamily properties in the Midwest or here in the SE with cash could work well too. Either way, wholesalers can help make your life easier while you keep crushing it at your job.

If you want to invest in an acquisition team you can do that as well and have VAs do the work for you!