New member in need of some investment advice!

New member in need of some investment advice!

Member since 2019 · 25 posts · 3 votes

Hello Biggerpockets, I’m new here and a college student. I don’t know much about investing, but I’m here to ask for some advice on what my parents should do with their RE investments. They’ve invested in RE for many years but their investment decisions were made mostly based off advice from relatives and their own gut feelings. So I wanted to ask you guys what your thoughts are and get some advice from experienced people. My family lives in the Bay Area and have the following properties:

1.) 5-bedroom SFH (their current home) - comps for similar houses in area are around $2 mil, mortgage is paid off, old house and needs major work if they were to sell

2.) 2-bedroom Condo –comps are around $600k, still have $300k remaining in mortgage, currently leasing it out for $2500/month which just barely covers the mortgage payment + HOA, in pretty good condition and needs very little work to sell

3.) 3-bedroom SFH – unoccupied and worth about $1 mil+ according to comps, used to take in about $3000/month from previous tenant, needs major work before selling ($200k+)

Does anyone have any thoughts on these properties and some general advice on what they should do? Their goal is to grow their money as much as possible through rental properties. Thanks for reading my post and any suggestions are appreciated!

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Lender · Rochester, NY · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y

@Chris Mason is the expert in this location. 

Personally, I would get property # 3 renovated and rented out, as a priority, since it isn’t bringing in any money. I would consider doing the HomeStyle Renovation Loan. 

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  • Retirement Accounts Attorney · Southfield, MI · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    @Natalie Hahn

    Welcome to BP.

  • Real Estate Broker · Chicagoland Area · Member since 2017 · 48 posts · 19 votes
    7y

    Welcome to BP! Have you considered maybe using a HELOC to update the other properties or buy a multi-family? If you're willing to invest outside the Bay Area, that equity could go a long way.

  • Lender · Rochester, NY · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    @Chris Mason is the expert in this location. 

    Personally, I would get property # 3 renovated and rented out, as a priority, since it isn’t bringing in any money. I would consider doing the HomeStyle Renovation Loan. 

  • Investor · Los Altos, CA · Member since 2014 · 942 posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    @Natalie Hahn the HELOC is a great tool for them. As your parents pay it off, it will remain as available credit for them for future purchases. As @Jairo Ortega had mentioned, the can use the money from the HELOC to fix up the 3rd property and rent it out. Once it is fixed up, the could also place debt on that property and build up their war chest. I personally would not try and max out the LTV. I am not sure if your parents are retired, but if their active income is not great, having too much debt could be very dangerous for them.

    They should probably get out of that condo ASAP.  If they are actually claiming the income for that unit as a rental then they could do a 1031 exchange and differ any appreciation gains. I am not an expert in the 1031 process so please seek out the advice of a specialist.

  • Investor · New York City Fort Myers FL, Birmingham AL · Member since 2016 · 105 posts · 52 votes
    7y

    @Natalie Hahn Welcome to BP! 

    I think the first thing you should do is determine what it is your parents want. Do they want a steady income from rentals? Are they tired of dealing with properties and just want to cash out? 

    As others mentioned they have options, but the first step is to determine what they want out of their real estate investments. That will then help you decide what route to take with each property.

    Good luck!

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