All Forum Posts by: Thomas Haregot

I am an engineer (19 yrs), I love my profession, and plan to pursue it, in one form or another, for the rest of my life.  Unfortunately, I am tiring of the 9-5 nature of my job and am looking to expand and diversify our family's revenue streams.  So, I do not expect real estate investing to become my full time job, but I plan to pursue it fairly vigorously.

We picked downtown Houston initially based on the proximity of two growing industries (oil & gas and medical) that were attracting young professionals (our target renters).  Houston also appears to be going through a renaissance that is attracting urban dwellers.  With oil & gas in retreat right now and Exxon-Mobil moving up to The Woodlands, we need to see where the market settles.  I think my wife and I were afraid of missing out and were trying really hard to make the numbers work.

League City is a great city for raising a family and we love it, too.  But there is a building boom going on, so it has made assessing the rental market a bit difficult.  Not only for League City, but for the nearby Clear Lake area as well.  I'm also concerned that I do not understand what is attracting the buyers/renters to the League City area.  I'm sure I'm missing something here due to my inexperience.

I appreciate and thank you all for the advice and camaraderie shown by the community.

Sure. Coincidentally, my dad used to live in Rockville, Md and later the Dupont Circle, DC area. And my brother lives in Annandale, VA. So, I have had opportunities to come up, visit, and spend summers in the area. During those visits I fell in love with the whole DC metro area. Beyond that, I have many relatives and friends who live in the area, also.

Hi All, I am one half of a husband and wife team learning the ropes of real estate investing.  We started in earnest in December of 2015 focusing on the Houston market, right now.  We are starting with a modest goal of acquiring one or two residential properties to rent per year over the next five years. We are also interested in branching out to the metro DC market, where we hope to retire in the future.  Long term, we want to build a holding of both residential and commercial properties that my wife and I can use as one revenue stream to live on and leave for our children.

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses.  @John Vo, thank you for some of the specific advice which shows you are familiar with the market we are interested. And no you did not bore.  We will continue to do our research.  It is obvious we have much to learn.

I will start by finishing my profile and making an entry in the new members forum. =)

Thanks!

Hi Folks,

Very new to the real estate investment world.  My wife and I have been looking at some property near downtown Houston for a first investment, where the market seems to be pretty hot.  The idea had been to rent the property for the first few years and move in ourselves, when we become empty nesters.  We have since abandoned the idea of moving in ourselves, so are looking to just rent and sell ten to fifteen years down the road.

The properties are in great shape and the rental market, while available appears to be low, relative to the price of the homes. I have used the tips I have read hear and listened to on the various pod casts for calculating NOI and cap rates. My best cap rate is 1.75%, with monthly cash flows less than $100 a month. In some cases it is break-even or slightly negative.

My question is whether it is prudent to invest in property assuming that it appreciate a great deal down the road ?