To me, thats semi-retired!!!

Yeah, I think charging for an estimate is BS.I am sure you can find free estimates though.I am interested in this thread however as I am also semi-lost on how to estimate costs for repairs, upgrades, etc.

Safety, seek less risk"I hear this a lot.You want safety but yet want a bunch on cash on cash return.The more return you want the more riskier things become.For instance a fully performing multifamily building in good shape in my area you might land a 7.5 cap,semi-performing 10 to 11 cap going in,totally vacant apartment building high teens or more in cap returns.So again the more risk the greater the reward.REITS are not fool proof either.Many of them have lost money in the last few cycles.Would you be happy with an annual 7% return being in something safer with a tax write off with annual inflation being at 3%??

I think I understand your question better now.One thing to keep in mind, is that pre-approval is semi-meaningless at the end of the day because the bank is very thorough, and rechecks everything before closing.

I just returned from my semi annual mastermind weekend meeting here in California that's been around for almost 8 years.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Ben Grise. I'm a part time poker player who has had a lot of success on the tournament circuit. I've final tabled a WSOP (World Series of Poker) Event, a WSOP Circuit event, and have been...

 im a big listener to the podcast of recent and just had some questions. i posted on the bp forum before and didnt get a ton of help like i was looking for so i figured i would see if you could lead me in the right direction. im 24 and a small business owner, im in the middle of buying my first property (to live in) and rent out 1-2 rooms. i would like to hit the real estate strong and be semi retired before 35.

Recently we have been floating the idea of purchasing a multi family home as a sole investment and using the VA loan on a foreclosure as our primary residence, as we would like to plant some semi-permanent roots in the area for my wife's occupation.

I've said this before and I'll say it again...looking at a deal from such a measurable perspective such as # of units, cap rate, city, amount of work etc is too rigid a way to evaluate a deal.  

The best advice I can give you right now: spend the money upfront on an attorney to write a semi-template for your specific needs that you can use over and over again.