All Forum Posts by: Zachary Paul

@Patrick Martone - hope all is well. I just sent you a message with my info as well. Feel free to reach out and let me know how I can help. 

Quick Tip on PA Real Estate versus NY - In PA Buyers & Sellers do not typically have attorneys negotiate or handle closing (even though they can be used); most transactions are handled solely between the Real Estate Agents and Title/Closing Companies. 

Best of Luck!

The Philadelphia Realty Transfer Tax is 4.1%.

3.1% (City) + 1% (Commonwealth) = 4.1% (Total)

The tax rate is based on the sale price or assessed value of the property, plus any assumed debt. If no sales price exists, the tax is calculated using a formula based on the property value determined by the Office of Property Assessment (OPA).

@Dan Barth - if I was to do it all over again, I would either House Hack or find a reasonable Duplex/Triplex and do FHA financing (3.5%).

Tough thing is that there are very few reasonable duplexes in the Philadelphia region under $500k. I'm a real estate agent in the area...if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to let me know. I have done some flipping/rehabbing as well as have a few single family rental properties as well.

Best of Luck!

Zach Paul 

@Ruby Froom - just sent you a message with my info. Let me know if I can be of any assistance...have lots of Philly Condo experience. 

Best of Luck!

Zach Paul

@Joe S. - I think Manayunk (19127) is a great location to purchase in...as you probably know they have many solid Duplexes and Triplexes that can consistently yield quality rent. 

Ultimately when it comes to your question, it all varies on your comfort level. For myself as an investor, when I buy my Buy&Hold properties I prefer to have them be turn-key ready and needing very little work. I probably pay a premium for this, however, I know that I will be able to get rent right away with no dead months. 

I'm a real estate agent in the area - if you have any questions or concerns, let me know how I can be of assistance. 

Best of Luck!

Zach Paul 

@Ann S.

I work with many different types of investors: Buy & Hold, Rehab & Sell, BRRR, etc. and have personal experience with single family and multifamily investing.

Consider these following neighborhoods...but at the same time, there are a lot of macro economic factors that could derail their status...also my biggest advice is to always plan conservatively on your ARV and Comps:

- Port Richmond

- Kensington

- Mantua

- Fishtown (almost saturated, hard to find deals)

Fringe Up + Coming Neighborhoods:

- South South Philly

- Strawberry Mansion

- Norristown (suburb)

Again I would stress it is so important to look at every property on a case by case basis...you make the majority of your money with your purchase price and reverse engineering the after repair value.

As a real estate agent in the region with a lot of investing experience, feel free to reach out with questions.

Best of Luck!

Zach Paul

@Abdul King - I just sent you an email with my information. 

I work with many different types of investors: Buy & Hold, Rehab & Sell, BRRR, etc. and have personal experience with single family and multifamily investing.

Let me know what kind of criteria you are looking for...a lot of time what is considered as a "good" deal to one investor to another can vary greatly. 

Best of luck!

Zach Paul

When it comes to Brokers it honestly depends on your personality and what you expect out of your brokerage and office manager. 

I have been with different brokerages, however, I have found most success with Berkshire Hathaway for a couple of reasons. For me, BH has the top market share in the Philadelphia suburbs based on volume and sales and to me that gets me a lot of notice w/ my marketing...I eventually am the one closing the deal, but the brand gets me to the door. 

Also Berkshire Hathaway has offices all around the Philadelphia region and offices in South Jersey. Many of the agents in my office work the Main Line and work in Margate or Ocean City down at the shore in the Summer. Let me know if you have any questions...happy to help. 

Best of Luck!

Consider these following neighborhoods...but at the same time, there are a lot of macro economic factors that could derail their status...also my biggest advice is to always plan conservatively on your ARV and Comps:

- Port Richmond 

- Kensington 

- Mantua 

- Fishtown (almost saturated, hard to find deals)

Fringe Up + Coming Neighborhoods:

- South South Philly

- Strawberry Mansion

- Norristown (suburb)

Again I would stress it is so important to look at every property on a case by case basis...you make the majority of your money with your purchase price and reverse engineering the after repair value. 

As a real estate agent in the region with a lot of investing experience, feel free to reach out with questions.

Best of Luck!

@Miladin Knezevic - As an active real estate agent in the Philadelphia market I can tell you that there has been a lot of new development and activity in our market which has been positive for investors. 

To say which specific area in our market is "good" or "bad" is really subjective because some investors may want a 25% ROI while others opt for a property that would yield a high A+ quality tenant...so on and so on.

What I can tell you is that there are few opportunities that exist in Center City and South Philly under $200k. A lot of Investors are either paying higher purchase prices or looking to North and Deep West Philly for opportunities. 

Best of Luck!