Ben Leybovich, Author at The BiggerPockets Blog

Archive of Ben Leybovich

Ben Leybovich has been investing in multifamily residential real estate since 2006. His area of expertise is creative finance. Ben is a licensed Realtor with YOUCUM Realty in Lima, Ohio. He is also the author of Cash Flow Freedom University and creator of a cash flow analysis software CFFU Cash Flow Analyzer.

Ben has written 14 articles for The BiggerPockets Blog.

General Real Estate

Tenant or a Professional Bum – Do You Know How to Tell?

by Ben Leybovich May 21, 2013

A go-to favorite in the Leybovich household is a romantic comedy Hitch starring Will Smith, Kevin James, and Eva Mendes. In one of the scenes early in the film Hitch, played by Will Smith, is shooting pool with a buddy at one of New York City’s high-class up-town bars. Hitch takes a shot, which rattles [...]

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Real Estate

Why Hiring a Mentor Might Not Be the Stupidest Thing You Could Do

by Ben Leybovich May 14, 2013

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a well-written and quite compelling article by a fellow BP-er Ned Carey entitled How Do I Find a Mentor in which, having sighted a lot of the cons, he eloquently states the case against hiring a paid mentor. The overriding point Ned makes in his article is that because [...]

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Financing Real Estate

How I Bought a 10-plex with 1.5% Down – Case Study

by Ben Leybovich May 7, 2013

I’ve discussed the concept of Expandability in several of my past articles. I also discussed in BiggerPockets Podcast 14. Just to recap: Expandability – any tool, technique, term, or approach implementation of which allows an investor to either improve upon the investment returns on a given investment or portfolio of investments, or to facilitate a [...]

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General Real Estate

How I Decide What I Buy

by Ben Leybovich May 1, 2013

A few days ago, I had a telephone conversation with a colleague and a fellow BP-er. Among other topics, the conversation veered into a discussion of the basis upon which investors make decisions relative to what they buy and what they pass on. Upon explaining to him my perspective, which took exactly 1 sentence, he [...]

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Investor Psychology

Why I Don’t Look For Real Estate Deals

by Ben Leybovich April 23, 2013

I’ve seen a number of threads on the BiggerPockets Forums which indicate a certain level of frustration with the fact that the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is “too competitive”, and in today’s market it can be quite difficult to get offers excepted on MLS-listed property. I would concur – it can be very difficult indeed, [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Why Forced Appreciation Makes Multi Family Investing Better, Hands Down.

by Ben Leybovich April 16, 2013

In an earlier article entitled Which Is Better – Single or Multi-Unit Real Estate? I explored some of the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing single family residences verses multi-unit properties as the basis for building a cash flow investment portfolio. I am going to now build onto this conversation by exploring the subject of Forced [...]

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Real Estate Investing

The Dirty Truth About Turn-Key Real Estate Investments

by Ben Leybovich April 9, 2013

People seem to be talking a lot now days about “turn-key” real estate investments. In concept this sounds really good – easy. You buy a house that has already been fixed-up, has a tenant already in it, and in most cases ongoing management can be part of the deal. So, all you do is sit [...]

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Real Estate Investing

I am 37 Years Old and I Love My Blanket!

by Ben Leybovich April 2, 2013

It all started about three weeks ago when my son Aaron took ill with the flu. Within days it was my wife Patrisha’s turn, followed promptly by Isabella, Aaron’s twin sister. It has been fun indeed around the Leybovich household… So here I am, at 1:30 in the afternoon on a cold, I might even [...]

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General Real Estate

Should I Bother with College?

by Ben Leybovich March 26, 2013

There have been a number of conversations on BiggerPockets.com relative to the validity of college education in today’s economic environment, and how this type of education can help or hinder one’s chances as a real estate investor. The question posed by some of the younger visitors on BP is: Should I go to college, or [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Which Is Better – Single or Multi-Unit Real Estate?

by Ben Leybovich March 19, 2013

Relative to real estate, the term Fundamental Investor can be applied to those of us who hold property long-term for the present cash flow and future appreciation. Our ability to hang on to real property long-term is a function of the property generating income in excess of holding costs, which is most often accomplished through [...]

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Flipping Houses & Rehabbing

So – You Think You Want to Flip?

by Ben Leybovich March 12, 2013

I never cease to be amazed that so many new investors gravitate to fix and flipping single family housing as their strategy of choice. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why this is – allure of quick money is strong indeed; and it looks so easy on TV. My experience, however, has been that flipping [...]

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Financing Real Estate

To Leverage or Not to Leverage – This is the Question…

by Ben Leybovich March 5, 2013

There is always a lot of discussion within the real estate circles on the subject of high leverage; specifically the issue of how high is too high. Let me come right out and tell you that I am biased in this matter – I specialize in creative finance and one of my objectives in each [...]

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General Real Estate

The Real Secret in Real Estate Investing Is …

by Ben Leybovich February 26, 2013

BiggerPockets.com exists as a ground-floor resource center, a “how to” relative to all things real estate investing and, in the opinion of this author, BiggerPockets proves its’ worth every day of the week. Amazingly enough, not only does BP attract beginners who browse for hours, days, and weeks never running out of stuff to learn, [...]

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Real Estate

“It’s Not My Fault They Keep Trashing My Unit” – Actually It Is…

by Ben Leybovich February 19, 2013

Real estate has been creating fortunes for as long as there has been dirt. We all know this and that is why we are here. Although there are seemingly endless flavors of real estate investing, I belong to the camp of investors who believe that true wealth and financial freedom in real estate is created [...]

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