Focus on neighborhoods near employers or schools, and explore slightly outside Austin for more affordable options. 

The home is in a B class neighborhood, in a good school district, and walking distance to parks.

The setup for a bullish Spring real estate season is palpable.Let’s get into it.Project Update: North Nashville Duplex Construction has begun on a cozy duplex I picked up in North Nashville a couple months ago, a lovely little transitioning neighborhood just an 8-min Uber to downtown (yes “cozy” is real estate parlance for small, but it will be cozy!).

The city wants to have "Neighborhood Anchors Points" consisting of Mixed-Use and Retail/commercialVisual of all land bank properties The area I will focus in.A break down of cost to purchase all Land Bank properties on each street. 

Our short-term residential investment property loans are typically 60-80% LTV and all are personally guaranteed by the borrower(s) -- we pull credit, background and PFS on each guarantor, verify experience, verify liquidity, underwrite the property, neighborhood and zip code.

I’ve had to widen my search radius to smaller suburbs or target properties needing light cosmetic work to make the numbers work.Value-add opportunities: Adding amenities tenants love, like finished basements or upgraded kitchens, seems to justify rent premiums in this market.Navigating the competition:Be creative with financing: Seller financing or partnering with other investors has been helpful to secure deals when conventional offers didn’t cut it.Work with local agents and wholesalers: They often have their finger on the pulse of off-market opportunities, which is critical in a hot market.For those new to suburban Chicago investing, I’d say the key is finding the “sweet spot” neighborhoods—ones on the rise but not yet maxed out in price.

Are there any specific neighborhoods you are targeting? 

.* Property in a flexible market to switch the rental from an STR to LTR (if STR doesn’t work out).Questions:* What are the prospective neighborhoods or areas within and around Houston for STR investments?

If you approached them in a way that you had a solution to the eyesore in their neighborhood they would be very receptive to talk and perhaps share contact details about the home owners son if they have them.

@Allison Littman To structure the purchase creatively, you could split the $600k transaction into a $400k purchase agreement and a $200k charitable donation to the seller’s tax-exempt organization.