All Forum Posts by: Duane Kidman

Does SEO demand a certain website design to maximize rankings.

I have recently updated my website: http://trinityoasis.com , have written occasional blogs, linked to relevant other websites, posted on Social Media, and use in all my marketing, but it doesn't seem to climb in the rankings much.

Is my website design not suited for SEO?  Or is this a long drawn-out process.  Any inputs would be appreciated.

@William Mitchell

A lot of opinions, similar situation:

My wife accumulated a large amount of debt several years ago. This was before mortgage rates dropped. We looked at all of our options and determined she could get a loan from her 401k at the lowest interest rate. The payments were garnished in her paycheck.

Borrowing from yourself (401k) is an option. Only you know your credit score and what type of loans are available for you, and at what interest rates. Do the one that makes more sense than higher credit card debt. Them live within your means.

Good luck!

@Melanie Stephens

It was an inheritance property across the street from a rehab project we were finishing-up. The Mother moved out because adult children ran here off; they had turned to drug dealing. The house was in her name.

The kids left town to visit their Father’s side of the family for a week. She gained access, cleaned out the house, and changed the locks. She wanted to sell it before the kids returned. We were in a position to pay cash. I called my Title company and explained the situation. They could close in 4 days, just before the kids returned.

I offered her $22,000 and she agreed. I didn’t have a contract with me, so she agreed to meet me in the morning.

The next day I arrived at my property to do a few touch-ups, always keeping a watchful eye out for her car.

An hour later I saw her car in the driveway, and a gentleman left the house, got into his pickup and drove away.

I went over to the house and knocked, the door was open and she was sitting on an old paint bucket. “Your are going to hate me,” were the first words out of her mouth. “Good morning to you,” I responded. “I just sold the house for $23,000,” she said nervously. “That is too bad, I could have paid you $25,000.” She slumped.

I lost the sale because I didn’t keep a file of contracts in my vehicle. A huge lesson learned. Now I keep a filing case of all necessary paperwork to close on just about any deal in my truck.

I am not aware of any restrictions provided you meet easement and offset ordinances.  Otherwise choose a property that has sufficient land.

You should also consider whether your improvement will out-price you in the neighborhood.  Otherwise you may not get the return on investment.

Hey Melissa,

I second the motion, plenty to stay away from.  I've experienced my share of those that claim to be General Contractors and turn-out to be want-a-be handymen.  Here are my recommendations when screening a GC: 1) How long have they had their license, minimum 5 years; 2) check their work - if they only do kitchens and bathrooms (although important) they don't have the well rounded experience for a total rehab or addition; 3) make sure they are insured/bonded, this is actually to protect you - not them; 4) stage the work along with a payment schedule, don't be pressured into advanced payments except for materials; 5) identify all tile, carpet, paint, fixtures and appliances by SKU# and/or model number in advance - this keeps them from putting-in cheaper, inferior product; 6) along with item 5, avoid MDF - especially in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, exterior door and window trim; 7) lastly, after qualifying the GC, get at least 3-quotes.  Check the numbers and make sure it makes sense to you - going with the lowest bidder with bad numbers is another giant red-flag.  I hope this helps, contact me directly for questions or references.  My farm area is Tarrant County and mostly throughout the Fort Worth area.  Cheers.

Flower Mound is a great area to get into.  You can use rentometer.com as a sanity check for rental rates for your address and area.  It will provide a rental price range, newer homes on the the higher end of the spectrum, older homes on the lower end.

We do a lot of rehabs and know what buyers/renters are looking for in the area.  Send me the address or link to pictures and I'd be happy to provide my inputs on location, amenities and features.  Although it would have been better to post for input before your rehab was completed.  Cheers.

If the numbers work, nothing should hold you back.  The only hinderance I can think of is analysis paralysis.

Wholesalers provide a valuable service, at a cost. Anytime you bring-in a middle man, the price will go up. It appears that many Wholesalers are taught to use 80% for buying investors. But that only works if they are accurate with: ARV, Repair estimates, holding and closing costs. I find that many Wholesalers over estimate ARV, under estimate Repairs, and neglect holding and closing costs. As for myself, I run numbers as follows: ARV * 0.7 - Repairs. This provides 20% for profit and 10% for holding/closing costs and disposition fees. Zillow has been getting better, but ARV must be performed with MLS access, otherwise you are not using current data. Repair costs comes from experience, otherwise itemize materials and price with Home Depot, use can use homeadvisor.com for estimated labor rates.

If this lot is twice the size of other lots, and there is new construction or rehab projects going on in the area, you may want to split the lot and build two modest houses - something that matches the other houses in the area with a few more amenities and upgrades to attract renters/buyers.  You should be able to get a lower cost/sq.ft. to build two houses side-by-side from your builder.  New build range can be from $70-$100 /sq.ft.  Compare this to existing home sales cost/sq.ft. and rental rates to determine your profit margins.  Good luck.

The Stop Six area has been one of the hot areas for investors for years.  There is plenty of work to do in this area, and over time it will improve.  It does remain one of the high crime areas, and you need to consider the type of people you will be dealing with that live in this area.  Not saying they are bad, just a different mentality from an investor.  Easier area to work if you are accumulating buy-and-hold, a little more difficult for flipping unless you owner finance.