All Forum Posts by: William Howley

Thanks guys, but I do not have MLS access. What would be the best way to get direct MLS access without being a real estate agent?

Are there any decent comping websites out there that you would suggest? I have yet to find anything really good. 

Hi, I am a local investor in Tampa, Florida. I was just wondering what other people are doing to do their comparables research. 

Are they relying on a real estate agent? 

Do I need MLS access to do them myself?

Is there an automatic tool or service out there that is somewhat accurate? 

Just wondering if anyone has any strategies to quickly and easily produce comps for a multitude of properties. 

Thanks.

 Do they have a website?

Does anyone know the official website for the MLS that supports South West Florida, most importantly the one that encompasses Tampa / Hillsborough? I have done a google search but it is no where to be found. They have lost the SEO battle and have been buried by IDX vendors pretending to be the actual MLS.

 Thanks Dave, this is a complete a helpful answer. I will certainly look into that. 

well there are no partners yet-  unfortunately it looks like this is the path I will have to continue down. There was another accountant (not on BP) who told me to wrap in s-corp. I believe his logic was to save money if I were to pay myself with profits or something. 

 Why should I now hold real estate in here long term? I do have the title of a property underneath this llc.

Hi, long story short I setup my small real estate co in an LLC with the elected S-corp. Which Tax form do I submit to IRS? If you know the answer please provide the link.

Anything special I should know when filing?

What would be a good place to meet, could every one make their way to Tampa? Like say a Panera Bread on Kennedy Blvd?

Hi, this is kind of an elaborate post that could potentially take advice from a large spectrum of experts, so join in the fun!

I have a small business that aggregates government real estate auction information, and provides a tool for the user to filter through this data. The site is live and people are registering, subscribing and using the site for a small monthly fee. I currently only offer service to three counties in Florida. Hopefully expand soon. 

I was thinking about... and this is where I wanted to get advice from everyone... a auction consultant service with the company since I already have the user base for it.

Service would include things such as 

• Wealth of knowledge - Help the customer pick a relevant listing to their needs.
• Title Research - Title research on the target property. (not guaranteed, but will be done through a title company).
• Price prediction - consultant will complete a diagnostic to create a target bid price for the user.
• Education - Explain the intricacies of the auction process / advice. Including government fees and taxes. Payment steps if they win etc.
• Follow Through - Help them bid on bid day, and make sure that their payment goes through so they receive the title. 

 I spoke about this to my friend who is a real estate agent and he had mentioned that this might not necessarily be legal because giving real estate advice even though they are the ones who are purchasing the property, can somehow make my company liable. 

So I was just wondering if I could get some feedback on this, such as 

do you think it is a good idea?

A service people would use?

Is it even possible from a legal standpoint?

if so, what would need to be in place for this to work? would the consultant need to be a registered real estate agent with a broker?

Company in reference is AuctionTumbler.com