All Forum Posts by: Zach Leveling

This is a great discussion! My policy so far on my few multi-family units has been to allow pets if they pass a screening process. I charge a non refundable  $250 fee per pet up to two. My best tenant is a single Chemistry Professor who has a cat. This tenant has auto pay set up and makes me take my shoes off before I go into his unit! I have never had any issues with his cat.

I think you could be missing out if you close to many doors.

No Peter I have not contacted a agent yet. I would like to find one that can provide me with pretty accurate repair cost as we look at properties as I have not developed that skill yet. 

It will be a couple months before I have my house ready to sell. If I wasn't so bad at mudding and tapping it could have been ready by now. I always end up sanding for hours and the whole room including me looks like a flour factory. I'm pretty handy with anything else though. 

 Thank you Peter. I will definitely consider a larger unit. It does seem like the larger ones are very scarce though on the mls compared to the smaller ones, at least in my area. Also most of them I have seen are only 1 br units. That will not work for me if I'm living in it with my wife and growing family. I'm sure there out there though.

I was also wondering if anyone had any ideas on transitioning from my current home to the investment property. I need to sell my house first to buy what I'm looking for but don't know where I will stay until I find the right property. What is the best way to go about this?

Welcome to BP Thomas! 

Welcome to the site Will. Congratulations on the first purchase.  I live in your area and actually work in OFallon, IL. I am new as well and probably won't be much help but welcome anyway!

thanks everyone for your replies!

 I would be open to a larger unit building. I was just thinking it might be best to get my feet wet first with one tenant.

First I would like to thank the creators of this site and everyone else for your input and real world experience. It is so helpful and I appreciate everything. 

My name is Zach Leveling. I'm from Belleville, Il about 30 min east of STL, MO. I am 25 married, no kids. I work for Toyota as a Automotive Technician. 

I have been interested in real estate investing for a long time now, but I'm finally ready to pull the trigger. Im interested in holding and flipping to be exact. I have read almost everything I can find on the subject, but I know there is still so much more to learn.

My goals right now are:

1. Sell current home

2. Purchase a duplex and live on one side.

3. Buy a stationary home for family and rent out both sides of the duplex. 

4. Im not 100% after this, maybe start flipping

Please let me know what you think or if there is a better way to go about it. Also I forgot to mention that I would like to eventually transition to a full time investor/flipper from my current job. Thats more like my 10 year plan though!