All Forum Posts by: Teddy Smith

I explain that if I lower my commission, that will force the buyer side commission down also. 

"Mr. Seller, if all the other homes in the area have a 3% buyer-side commission and yours has a 2.5%, don't you think that will effect the likelihood that an agent will show the property?"

I'd be curious about this too. Seems like it'd be a good idea if you had a vacant lot with decent road frontage.

Another idea I had the other day was buying a parking garage. One of those weird investment classes you never hear people talk about.

Safety deposit box. I've also got a couple shares of GLD. Even if it's not backed by true gold, seems to go up when volatility happens.

I've got some gold kumgerdeons (spell?), but that's it. My hedge is BUD stock. Not a huge gold fan....

Surfing. I used to say that "real-estate is my hobby", but I've come to realize that not getting away from your job is unhealthy.

Self managing is apart of the entrepreneurial spirit. Fixing broken things keeps me sane but drives me insane at the same time.

From what I hear about Raleigh, it sounds like mad house.

Overall, you can't time markets, OP. Ever since 2008 happened, everybody is in fear of the next "big one", but it may not ever happen for a very long time (or it could happen as I type this!)

1. If you plan on using the property as a long term investment

2. If you have the funds to survive a re-roofing, AC replacement, eviction, etc/

There's really no bad time to buy real-estate in the long run. Unless you are highly leveraged, don't worry about market timing. Doing that will keep you up at night. The point of real-estate is to set you free, not create more stress.

There's no such thing as an investment that's "better". More dependent on your individual needs and wants.

I'll work with you, but I need you to sign a buyer agency, working with RE agents pamphlet, and get a pre-approval from a lender (I've got some good ones).

My work e-mail is in my profile. I can set you up with a portal and everything can be handled thru e-mail.

I've got a couple pocket listings if you're interested, OP. If you can get my a proof of funds/pre-approval, I'll work with you. I can usually find an investor that wants to sell in any area.

The location of self-storage crucial. I worked in self-storage from the age of 16-23 (my family owned a 400-unit facility in a small town).

Nearly half of our business came from the location. You can utilize SEO, Facebook Marketing, social media, but nothing beats a good location. Only around %30 of the business came from Google and/or the phonebook.

I've seen many people who inherited property out in the middle of nowhere develop storage on it and have the business flop and/or stagnate.

Under 100K is going to be a hard swing, OP.

But Belmont and Sunset Park are some good blue collar areas to work to invest in where there is the possibility of finding good houses in that price range. You may have to search off market though.

Be careful about investing in downtown in that price range not unless you go into the with the mindset of being a slum lord. You could go the condo investing route, but I typically advise not to unless you stay around ~120K.

Overall, if you upped the price a bit above 120K you'll have alot more to work with, but under 100K is possible with time, patience, and perseverance.