Diary of a Rental Property

Diary of a Rental Property

Sharad M.Pro Member
Carlsbad, CA · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

Hello all,

After reading @J Scott very inspiring Diary of a New Construction, I thought it would be a good idea to start a Diary of a Rental Property to document the process I go through in my area to get a property move in ready and then get it rented.

@Joshua D. I hope I have this in the correct forum, if not, can you please move it to where it belongs?

I hope this post will keep me accountable and I hope to receive some feedback on where I can improve my processes.

I will try to update this as often as I can with as much detail as possible. Here we go.

Below are some details of the property:

Asking Price - $29,900

Initial Offer - $25,000

There were multiple offers on this one and I went with my highest and best at $30,000 and the offer was accepted.

This is a 2 bed/1 bath with basement.

It last sold for $82,500 back in Oct 2005.

Expected monthly rent - $745-$845

When I purchased the property, the utilities had been shut off for more than 90 days and in my area the utility company requires a city inspection before the utilities can be turned on.

I had the city inspection this week and everything was fine and the gas and electric is scheduled to be turned on this Friday, Feb 21, 2014. I will have to schedule with the water department separately once gas and electric has been turned on. My maintenance guy is on call this Friday to meet the utility company at the house, because the utility company can show up anytime between 8 AM-4 PM with 15-20 minutes call ahead.

I will post inside pictures with rehab estimate tomorrow or Friday.

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Smyrna, GA · Member since 2014 · 5 posts · 1 vote
12y

@Sharad M. 

 This unit looks awesome. How did you settle on your specific market in Indiana (what factors did you use to determine that it was a good market)? Also, how do you differentiate between good neighborhoods and war zones?

Thanks! I'm a big fan of your remodels.

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  • Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    12y

    vinyl allure,H-depot, Cherry? Love that stuff! It's my go - to flooring.

  • Sharad M.Pro Member
    OP
    Carlsbad, CA · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    @James Wise Yep, that's the flooring. I love it too. Came out looking really nice for this house.

  • Sharad M.Pro Member
    OP
    Carlsbad, CA · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    Update: I had an application on this one even before I was finished, but I had to decline their application because they had a prior eviction. I got another one yesterday that we approved them and we received a deposit today. The place will be rented for $850 and we received a non-refundable deposit of $850 today with tenant moving in March 31. We rented it towards the higher end of our range.

    Total money spent was

    Siding for the garage - $3,000

    Paint - $1,600

    Flooring - $1,000

    Misc plumbing - $280

    Total - $5,880

    Total investment - $36,000

    Gross return - 28% per year

    Net return - 14% per year

    Finished pictures..

  • Sugar Land, TX · Member since 2014 · 6 posts · 1 vote
    12y
    Sharad M. Great job! Getting this fixed and rented for top $$ in about a month is fantastic. Couple quick questions if you don't mind: Are you paying cash for these properties and the rehab cost? If so, do you finance them later into a portfolio loan to pull your cash out and increase returns? Also, are you just using the 50% rule to calculate your net return? If so, how accurate has that rule been for your other properties over the years? Would you say it is accurate, overestimates expenses, or underestimates expenses? Thanks for the feedback.
  • Sharad M.Pro Member
    OP
    Carlsbad, CA · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @Dusty Corning:
    Sharad M.
    Great job! Getting this fixed and rented for top $ in about a month is fantastic.

    Couple quick questions if you don't mind:

    Are you paying cash for these properties and the rehab cost? If so, do you finance them later into a portfolio loan to pull your cash out and increase returns?

    Also, are you just using the 50% rule to calculate your net return? If so, how accurate has that rule been for your other properties over the years? Would you say it is accurate, overestimates expenses, or underestimates expenses?

    Thanks for the feedback.

    Dusty, thank you for your kind words. I am buying these properties all cash including rehab cost. No cash out refinance on these later on either.

    I use 50% rule to be conservative. In the long term, the number will be close to accurate including CapEx, but I don't think it will be over 50% for expenses, because for my SFHs, tenants are responsible for all utilities, snow removal and lawn maintenance.

  • Smyrna, GA · Member since 2014 · 5 posts · 1 vote
    12y

    @Sharad M. 

     This unit looks awesome. How did you settle on your specific market in Indiana (what factors did you use to determine that it was a good market)? Also, how do you differentiate between good neighborhoods and war zones?

    Thanks! I'm a big fan of your remodels.

  • Dawn AnastasiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    12y

    This was a nice rehab and it was helpful to see before/after pictures.

  • Englewood, CO · Member since 2014 · 20 posts · 3 votes
    12y

    I'm trying to figure your monthly income after expenses. I figured based on your highest renovation cost you would've invested $48k.

    I figured ~$250/mo net income plus an additional $275 if you don't have a mortgage? (using the 50% rule.)

  • Sharad M.Pro Member
    OP
    Carlsbad, CA · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    @Aaron Lee 

    Thank you for your kind words!

    I live in downtown Chicago and the market that I invest in is about 30 minutes from my house and rate of return is pretty good in Indiana and it is landlord friendly market compared to Chicago market, so those were my primary reasons.

    I am mainly investing in B areas with some properties in C areas, but I am mainly investing in B area.

    @Dawn Anastasi Thank you! This one was a pretty straightforward rehab and turned out nice.

    @Mike Hodukavich The total investment came out to about $36,000 and the place is rented out for $850 since April and the tenants pay for all utilities. There has not been any expenses to me since tenants moved in. When I bought the place, it already had new roof, windows, siding and furnace, so I don't anticipate any major expenses in next couple of years.

    There is no mortgage, so the cash flow based on 50% is $425 for ROI of 14%.

  • Investor · Valparaiso, IN · Member since 2014 · 175 posts · 43 votes
    12y

    Man that really turned out awesome!  Great work!

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