Multi or single family for first time investor?

Multi or single family for first time investor?

Cameron Park, CA · Member since 2015 · 40 posts · 18 votes

Hello BP family!

I am a first timer from Nor Cal. I have talked with several turnkey providers and have settled on Norada real estate investments going forward. Originally, I was interested in sfh's to build my wealth and cashflow but, recently I have become interested in jumping into mfh's instead. I have looked at a few deals in the smaller apartment building range of 4-8 units. The cashflow is much better than the sfh's and it seems like a major shortcut to my goals. Am I foolish to buy a turnkey multi-family as my first investment? 

Thanks for your help!

Torrance

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  • Investor · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y

    @Torey Chumbley, as with a lot of questions, "it depends". (Sorry about that).

    You're already giving up the cream (to your Turnkey provider). You know that, right?

    But if the cash flow (as a percentage of your outlay) can be proven to be better with multi, then why ask? [You know that out-of-state "2% Rule" ones don't appreciate, right?]

    How realistic are the pro forma figures that you're being given? [There's the rub].

    Care to share any comparison figures you're looking at? All the best...

  • Cameron Park, CA · Member since 2015 · 40 posts · 18 votes
    8y

    @Brent Coombs, 

    Thanks for your advice! I know I am giving up the cream but, I am not an experienced investor plus I run my business full time . Maybe after I have a few under my belt,  will try my hand at finding and rehabbing myself.  

    The reason I have concerns about multi is that I am worried about the type of tenant, vacancy and repairs I might have. Are the extra headaches worth it? 

    I am looking for cashflow over appreciation at this point because I plan to retire in the next 4 years. 

    The proforma they gave me was slightly off, but Amy with Norada did a full analysis that looks much more realistic. 

    8 unit: Purchase price 525,000, 141,750 down, cap 8.9, cash on cash 14.5% , cashflow 1717.00 per month

  • Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 31k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Torey Chumbley:

    Hello BP family!

    I am a first timer from Nor Cal. I have talked with several turnkey providers and have settled on Norada real estate investments going forward. Originally, I was interested in sfh's to build my wealth and cashflow but, recently I have become interested in jumping into mfh's instead. I have looked at a few deals in the smaller apartment building range of 4-8 units. The cashflow is much better than the sfh's and it seems like a major shortcut to my goals. Am I foolish to buy a turnkey multi-family as my first investment? 

    Thanks for your help!

    Torrance

     The biggest risk factor in investing out of state is the neighborhood quality. The level of risk in one area to the next is much larger than the change in risk level from a single family home to a small apartment building like what your targeting.

    In short, make sure you are comfortable with the neighborhood and tenant base and you should be just fine.

  • Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    8y
    I personally think you should start with single family then small multi then apartments but thats just me
  • Ned J.Pro Member
    Investor · Manteca, CA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y

    I'm with Caleb....if this is your "cherry", then doing a MF out of state turnkey seems like a bad plan to me. Turnkey in itself has some big concerns for the long term....yes the paper cash flow looks nice, but when/if you ever want to sell it off, those years of "cash flow" disappear with rehab and closing costs etc etc since they often don't appreciate much if they aren't a value add deal at the start

    Then add the out of state.....

    Then add this is your first deal.....

    Then add the extra cost since its a MF vs a SFR....

    But that's just me....some people like to dive in the deep end right at the start.....and some do pretty good....

  • Rental Property Investor · Dallas, TX · Member since 2013 · 87 posts · 54 votes
    8y
    Torey Chumbley Single family is a great place to start, get your feet wet, etc. Definitely great too to not risk as much capital when starting and get proof of concept. I personally moved to larger multifamily after starting with SFH rentals because of the ability to scale and go quicker. For me, it was a little daunting knowing I’d have to build the large portfolio of houses and get to the scale needed. Additionally, being able to put more capital to work. As usual, it depends on goals, situation, etc but looking back at it, starting in SFH was good for me but I wish I moved to MFH quicker.
  • Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HAWAII (HI) · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y
    Torey Chumbley if you are a high paid professional your trajectory is high that you will likely go to private placements working a few years. That said stick with sfh for now because the exit strategy is better. I had 11 turnkey rentals that rented for more than 900 a month and it’s still a pain to sell these things. You could imagine what it’s like to sell class c duplex or quad.
  • Member since 2018 · 82 posts · 40 votes
    8y

    You are Foolish to buy TK. I don't care how reputable the company you buy from is. 

    The business model of TK works fine for the provider. For the investor-not so much. 

  • Investor · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Torey Chumbley:

    @Brent Coombs, 

    Thanks for your advice! I know I am giving up the cream but, I am not an experienced investor plus I run my business full time . Maybe after I have a few under my belt,  will try my hand at finding and rehabbing myself.  

    The reason I have concerns about multi is that I am worried about the type of tenant, vacancy and repairs I might have. Are the extra headaches worth it? 

    I am looking for cashflow over appreciation at this point because I plan to retire in the next 4 years. 

    The proforma they gave me was slightly off, but Amy with Norada did a full analysis that looks much more realistic. 

    8 unit: Purchase price 525,000, 141,750 down, cap 8.9, cash on cash 14.5% , cashflow 1717.00 per month

    "Looks much more realistic" might still be very subjective, if given by the Seller!

    When I wrote: "if the cash flow (as a percentage of your outlay) can be proven to be better with multi", I of course was asking you to already take "the type of tenant, vacancy and repairs (you) might have" into account! So far, I'm not convinced that you'd get $1,717/m net cash flow. 

    Thanks for sharing the figures you did, but, we also need to know other pro forma assumptions: (Rent per month, PITI payments, Interest rate/terms on your mortgage, vacancy allowance, repairs and cap ex allowance, and property management cost. I also like to see all those figures expressed as a percentage of its gross income per month). Thanks...

  • Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2017 · 28 posts · 3 votes
    8y

    Torey - I agree with James as he mentioned success in OOS investing depends largely on the neighborhood. I would do a little bit more research/due diligence - once you settle on a territory, you could build a "team" who's on ground locally to help you become more successful instead of utilizing the TK company. Reach out personally to people on here and Linkedin. Easy to do. I know you mentioned you run your business full time, but worth it to ensure a good ROI. Just my 2 cents.

  • Developer · Nashville, TN · Member since 2016 · 484 posts · 406 votes
    8y

    Where is this property located? Here in Indianapolis, we stopped providing (or buying for ourselves) anything bigger than a duplex. We do very well with a portfolio mix of 80% SFH's to 20% Duplexes. We found that anything 3 doors or more just came with more headaches and worse tenants. So, even though they ALWAYS look better on paper, they never work out that way in the real world.

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