All Forum Posts by: Will R.

http://lynncurriebuilds.com/buying-and-managing-sh...

http://www.biggerpockets.com/users/RealtyStake

Scott Sutherland seems like the best guy to talk to in Austin. I will tell you though that Austin is very difficult to get into in the areas that are good for STR. Also, we have significant regulation and tax on STR now.

Given that you are closer to Raleigh, that is probably a better starting point. 

@Will Bachino

 Betting on appreciation is risky. Put your money into something that cash flows. You will probably have to do some rehab to create cash flow in Austin but it is possible. 

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/200571-june-south-austin-tx-meeting-coffee-talk?highlight_post=1350995&page=1#p1350995

Keep in mind that the nicest weather months in Austin are October and March (coincidentally our festival months). So, October is not necessarily a bad time to be selling. Not as good as summer but not bad. 

Also, it depends on the number of bedrooms. 4+ br are for families. They move in the summer. 2br can sell any day of the year because jobs are created constantly. 

You could alternatively go for a project that will be longer or shorter. You could do a paint only flip and have it back on the market in a month or you could do a major addition and target March or April. If you are actually in the city limits, expect the city to slow you down on major projects. 

@Matt M.

 20 years is a long time. You do not need steals to retire in 20 years. Just buy some decent 2-4 unit MFs in SA and you should get there. You do not need to cashflow much today. 

If you are not seeing deals on the MLS then you can make your own deals if you want to. I would say the best way to do that in SA is to rehab. There are lots of distressed houses on the MLS and maybe even some distressed sellers. However, it seems like this is not really necessary if you are looking at a 20 year timeframe.

Anybody have any Surveyors they can recommend? I always seem to end up with B&G. They seem to be the fastest turn around but I have heard they are not always the most accurate. I have not had issues with them and I have with other surveyors. So, I am not unhappy but I am curious who other people are using. 

@Aaron Trudgett

You do not need to be an agent. You can get comps off of Redfin (although the site seems to be down right now so I cannot double check dfw). However I chose to become an agent to have more control over my transactions. I can show myself houses and submit as many offers as I want. I also get the unfiltered comments from the other agent. I find it to be worth the price but only because I do transactions over the MLS. If you are just looking for comps, there are better ways.

Interesting... Like a babysitter swap. I am not sure I would have the time but I am certainly interested. Would be nice if there were a web app like http://www.sit4sit.com/ or something to track hours. 

I am also shopping around. Let us know what you find.