All Forum Posts by: Tom Walther

Hey Joe,

I live in Portland and am starting to make REI moves. I also work full time, but have been spending a lot of my "free" time marketing and talking to sellers.

I will probably be coming across sellers that would be better off with an agent and could potentially send them your way. Let me know if you're interested in networking, and or meeting up.

@Brandon; Well I figure I should get to know Washington law too because I live right across the river. I just need to spend the time to learn what works and what doesn't work so I can create my strategy according to where I'm doing deals. So are subject to and loan option types of deals legal in Washington? So far the guy I talked to told me there are some laws against these creative financing strategies in Oregon, especially subject to where the seller carries the loan and I would pay the bank and take ownership of the property. Ultimately I'm interested in implementing multiple strategies to learn which ones work the best.

@Jeff S.; Yes I agree about your point regarding democracy. I will make an effort to go to meetings to network with actual investors. The lawyer I'm referring to gives presentations every month to the NWREI association and I was made aware of his firm through a REI trade show. And no I did not pay him, and perhaps that set the context of the conversation. I do appreciate that he took 20 minutes out of his day to talk me through some of this stuff, though.
The reason why I contacted him in the first place was to ask him about some contract templates that I have access to that other investors throughout the states are using.

Thanks for the responses. I'm hoping more people will chime in. And no I'm not seeking legitimate legal advice, but rather personal examples of how other investors have dealt with learning local laws regarding real estate.

I'm not sure if I referenced the correct ORS law chapter. Will follow up when I retrieve my notes.

i noticed this is an older thread. How are things going for you Oregon REI's? Still at it? I'd like to start networking a little bit more. Any events going on or meet ups?

Hey all,

I have read through a few threads, the most recent one from about a year ago, about Investors in Oregon State. I live in the Portland area and have started to take action towards creating a career real estate investing.

I spoke with a local real estate lawyer today, and he was a bit discouraging regarding creative real estate investing strategies in Oregon. In so many words he described that this state is basically the most unfriendly state for investors when it comes to the law. He referred me to ORS chapter 696 regarding the legality of certain types of real estate transactions. I have been reading through the legal jargon and have mainly interpreted information regarding being licensed to conduct business in real estate.

Anyway, I would like to pick the brains of you savvy Oregon investors, because I'm the type to not get discouraged by limitations, but rather to find solutions to make things work. I am particularly interested in what types of creative investing people in this state are doing. I would also like to start networking and making contacts in the Portland community.

Any other information regarding Oregon state law in the context of REI would be great too. I am open to all types of investing strategies.

Thanks,

Tom

Thanks Bill, you have been very helpful.

Thanks for the input, that all makes sense. Here's a follow up question:

I will probably be buying a specific wardrobe for my real estate dealings, so should I keep receipts and include them as a business expense when doing my taxes?

Hello,

I must admit that I have been much of a non conformist most of my life, and I have not really followed the path of prim proper or clean cut. The past few years I have been dressing and grooming better in order to maintain a level of appearance that meets the criteria for the work that I do as a representative of the companies I have worked for. This is all fine and good, but yet a compromise that I have made to fit the role that I have agreed to play.

One of the biggest parts of why I have chosen this path is so that I can live the way that I chose to live, and to not conform to other people's standards. Then again, I would not want to hinder my success solely because of the way I present myself. I don't mean that I'm going to not shower and never change my cloths and name my business "Dirty Hippy Real Estate", I just don't want to really buy fancy clothes that I don't need and that would make me feel phony. Not because people who wear nice cloths are phony, but because it's just not me.

I've heard the saying that you need to "look the part" if you want to be something. Like the people who dress like managers because they are striving to be managers. This is a whole different ball game though from what I can assume. I know that people choose to do business with other people that they like and trust, and it is my most fundamental intention to be genuine and honest about who I am and who they are dealing with. So it seems to go against the grain to present myself differently than who I am.

I guess this all comes down to whether or not I should go buy some dress shirts and some ties, or if I should just go with a more casual look as is more suited to who I really am? Does it make sense to show up in a fancy car and wear expensive clothes when making deals, or does that make ordinary people feel hesitant to do business with you since it looks like you're making a killing? It really comes down to psychology when you really think about it.

Any thoughts, comments, jokes?

Thanks!

Hello all,

I am new to real estate investing and feel as though I have finally found a way to utilize my skills and personality to become independent and make a living on my own. I enjoy working with people and would like to focus on serving the community and providing win win situations for myself, sellers and buyers.

I am excited and humbled by the fact that there are so many individuals out there that are ready and willing to share their experience and advice with folks like myself that are new to real estate investing. I hope to some day be the person giving the advice to new entrepreneurs, with an emphasis on doing good business and integrity.

I work in the Home Performance industry as a contractor, we upgrade homes utilizing building science and focus on health, safety, building durability, energy efficiency and comfort. My goal is to provide the touch of loving care to existing homes, and make them great habitable places for fellow human beings, and it wouldn't hurt to make a buck or two while I'm at it.

Thanks for having me Bigger Pockets, I am looking forward to this new journey!