All Forum Posts by: Steven De Lange

Congratulations on your first investment property!

For finding tenants, consider platforms like Zillow Rental Manager and Apartments.com. For background checks, TurboTenant and MyRental offer robust screening tools. To create leases, Rocket Lawyer or LegalZoom provide customizable templates compliant with Ohio laws.

Also, check out the "Real Estate Rookie" podcast for a great episode on tenant screening, which can provide more detailed insights.

Joining local real estate groups can also offer valuable insights and networking opportunities. Best of luck with your new venture!

Hi there!

Welcome to BiggerPockets! It's great to hear about your journey in managing your rental portfolio alongside your wife. Doubling your units this year sounds like an exciting goal.

As an investor and agent based in Myrtle Beach, I'm keen on exploring potential partnerships and offering assistance where possible. Please feel free to reach out, and let's discuss how we can collaborate and support each other's endeavors in the real estate market.

Looking forward to connecting further!

Best regards,

Steven de Lange

Hi Scott,

Jumping into real estate with that multi-family property is a great start! Now, thinking about your next steps, you will need to figure out what's driving you. Is it the freedom that comes with income from properties, building a lasting legacy, or growing your wealth?

Consider how you want to expand. Quick and aggressive, or slow and steady? Are you into the hands-on management, or prefer to oversee from a distance?

Also, think about your exit plan. How and when might you want to step back or sell?

Aligning your actions with your core motivations is crucial. What's your vision for the future in your real estate journey?

Hope this helps!

Hey Spencer!

Navigating connections on BP is all about making a great first impression and engaging genuinely. Completing your profile with clear details about your interests and expertise is a solid start. Being an active participant in the forums by sharing insights, answering questions, and initiating discussions can really help you stand out.

Personalizing your messages when reaching out directly shows you've taken an interest in someone's work or portfolio, which can lead to more meaningful interactions. Focusing your efforts on specific forums related to your interests helps in making relevant connections.

Offering value before asking for anything in return can set a strong foundation for future relationships. Also, attending BP meetups, whether in-person or virtually, can be invaluable for networking.

Remember, everyone's time is precious, so being concise and respectful in your communications is key. Building a network takes patience and persistence, but with consistent, positive engagement, you'll find your community here.

Hope this helps, and I'm looking forward to seeing you on the forums!

Hi Alba, 

I am sorry you are going through this! I found this step by step process on how to evict a tenant in Fulton county: 

https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-c...

The link also provides you with some email addresses of people working for the county, specifically on evictions. 

Let me know if you have any questions, or if I can help! 

Hi Mo, 

If you narrowed down your market to a few markets and are pre-approved and ready to buy, but haven't decided on the exact market yet because you want to get a better feel for it, I would recommend starting to build your team. Teams are essential for local investing, but even more so for long distance investing. I would start by finding an investor-friendly agent, which you can find in Bigger Pockets. They can connect with you and be your boots on the ground offering you a chance to see properties with video showings and talk to you more about the market. Another way to get a good idea of what's out there is by reaching out to property management companies in those markets. They will have a great idea of what rents are and times on market, etc.

Hope this helps!

Great post Ashley! 

I would push this even further. As real estate investors, we have to be willing to adjust our strategy and adapt to the market. It's a reasonable assumption that most investors are looking for cash flow, so it may be harder to find, especially with these interest rates. But, that doesn't mean we still can't find a deal. But the 'deal' part may need to be defined differently. Perhaps it is not a deal with great cash flow, but you are breaking even and you know that the property you are buying is going to appreciate because the market is on fire, and with that type of growth, rents will go up in the future. 

These rates and this market put a lot of people back on the fence, and it doesn't have to. But, you can also use that to your advantage. To your point, we can't wait for an unknown that may or may not be coming (i.e. the bottom of the market). We have to adapt and take calculated risk. 

Looking forward to seeing what others say. 

Hi Justin, 

Good points! I would add the following: 

- Real estate is a long term game. When analyzing a property, don't get caught up in how it does in the first year, but what potential it can have in the future, especially with what you are willing to put into it. 

- Real estate appreciates. To your point, if appreciation is important to you, search for those fast growing markets. 

- Choose your market based on your goals. If your goal is appreciation, it might be harder to buy into that market. If it's cash flow, appreciation might not be as impressive, but it may be a more affordable market to get started. And those may be two different markets. If it's both you are looking for, you need to be ready with capital and willing to dig deep and work hard to develop partnerships and find investors. 

- Patience is the name of the game, but don't let analysis paralysis hold you back from taking a step forward. 

Looking forward to see what other people say!

Hi Sam! 

Great question, and I'm sure this will get a lot of different responses, which will be great. 

My wife and I look at a few different things: 

- Location 

- City growth (are people moving there, is a big company settling there)

- Costs of the property vs. the rental income 

- Appreciation vs. cash flow (which is sometimes dependent on the city)

I'm curious to hear what others have to say!

Hi Joe! 

Welcome to the community, and congratulations on taking your first steps into real estate investing! BP is a great community, and there are tons of knowledgable folks on here to help you with any questions you might have. 

Feel free to connect with me, or to message me if I can help answer any questions you have. 

My wife and I started two years ago, and we went through many ups and downs and lessons learned, so we are happy to help those starting out. It takes a strong support system!

Good luck!