All Forum Posts by: Tyrus Shivers

@Frank Cain 

Wish I could be there! How is the group growing? Are any of the properties rentals and turnkey? Or mostly rehabs? 

@Rob Boese 

Welcome to BP. It would be awesome to hear some of your stories and experience. I have started a PM company in Baltimore MD and I am acquiring units quickly. What do you feel is/was one of the toughest issues to overcome when starting out?

@Lucas Pfaff

There is a rehab analysis spreadsheet here on BP. I also believe the J. Scott has an electronic version on his website. @J Scott please confirm.

I have several forearms tattoos and also upper/arm shoulder tattoos. I usually wear a short sleeved shirt when I am out with clients seeing a property. At an open house I wear a long sleeve and slacks. Most of my clients are rehabbers who leave the site to see properties so being clean to them is brushing off the dust. 

If a person judges me from that, I really do not care as there is enough business out there. I work in a office setting full time with all types of executives and others. A large amount have tattoos. 

The kind of tattoo can upset some people. Mine are strength and honor on the outside of my arms and on inside I have Chinese characters. Then on my upper arms I have a Knights Templar in front of a castle on the left and on the right the Cross of Jerusalem.

I have dealt with many many people and no one that I know of has been offset.

@Kelsen J.

Some people do not like leaving voice-mails. There is no way you can really judge the motivation based on that. I would just call the number back and say that I am returning a missed call how can I help you. If the person does not call back at all maybe they were not motivated, but if you call them then maybe that will spark a little interest.

@Chan K.

In my experience major issues like no heat, no hot water, or other emergency situations 24-48hrs at most. I would explain that it takes time to get the materials and then someone to put it in just as you did. People expect different things when they do not have to get it done. When my heat went out in the winter I had to wait until the next day at my own residence. I have been without heat, water, hot water and I survived until the next day. So for all of my units managed I will get it done as soon as possible, but if next day service is not available then it is not available and we as owners and managers cannot always control that.

@Brandon Turner

Does your rental website host have ACH or any other type of "shopping" cart or merchant services available? Depending on your hosting site and plan they either have this or give you the ability to program it yourself. However, you still need to know if your bank allows connectivity directly from third party like that using Direct Connect or other OFX solution. The solutions exists because that is what Dwolla and others are using.

Seems like this thread is still going and people are posting a major reason to join LU is to meet other successful investors. From what I see many BP local meetups are taking place nationwide. I count myself among the people who work directly with people from BP and have been successful for it. My business have increased, I have placed more units under my management, and have wholesaled and help others wholesale to BP members.

I also invest in areas like Alabama where BP and LU are not widely known or used. So getting together with successful investors means finding the local hangout or eatery and getting your feet wet in the conversation. I would not pay 10, 15, 20K for information I can get from a local guy every day. 

@Tiesha M.

If you can get in there that would be great. It was pricing for separate guys doing the work, not under a general contractor. That price should get your flooring,painting, and patchwork done. Mechanical and electricity work depending on how much and what will increase that. I have a little breakdown that I compiled that was provided to me by a few rehabbers in Baltimore and the Counties.   There are Section 8 renters in most neighborhoods. Even the middle class ones. Proper screening will help you in most cases.

@Tiesha M.

Sounds good. The deal with auctions is you do not know what is on the inside. I went into a property recently on Woodbrook Ave (some consider Parkview) and it was decent on the outside, but on the inside all plumbing was gone, electrical cut, furnace gone, etc. So needless to say no deal. 10-15 will get you cosmetics and maybe a little more, but you do not want major items to fall under that either. Are you planning retail renting or Section 8? A 3 bed voucher can get you 1300+ depending, you can check HUD's site for numbers or call the housing office. I have not had major issues with communicating with the city or getting things done with the properties I deal with.