My wife and I have been using the BP method of calculating operating costs for rentals in Houston but we were starting think that just using say 8% for maintenance, 8% for vacancy, etc is fine for a place that only commands $1000/mo in rent but really penalizes a place that commands $3000/mo in rent making it impossible to find a good deal.

Hello all,I'm a property owner and operator in Southern California.

@George TorresIf you're trying to turn the the flipping of in real estate into your full-time job or one of your main jobs, then look into the ROBS 401k (Rollover as Business Startup) as it will allow you to use all of your retirement funds tax and penalty free to finance a real estate operating company provide a you are an employee of the business and therefore you can draw a fair salary. 

Would love to get together and share ideas and strategies in this market.I'm a Realtor as well as a Flip/hold SFR since 2011 and also own and operate small MF in the area.Thank you,Carlos Gutierrez

There’s less appreciation potential unless the investor repositions the property and improves operations.

You can have all of the benefits of Trevor's viewpoint without assuming all of the risk.An LLC is litigation protection from suits not covered by insurance (any alleged intentional fraud, gross negligence, health code violation, etc.)You want an LLC to hold the assets separate from yourself or the operations of the company.

I operate my own real estate brokerage business on Long Island and I have two people who want to get into the flipping business with me.  

Although I also think it's worth examining your mindset: instead of an action giving you a result you weren't hoping for being classed a "waste of time", just think of it as an intelligent way to make sure your operating at optimal efficiency.

In this aspect your ARE operating as a real estate agent and it is ILLEGAL. 

@Tim Johnson when you're looking to tag someone in a post create the "@" symbol and then start typing the person's name and then underneath the reply box you should see their name pop up and you can click the person you intend to tag.