Young Motivated Newbie in N. Denver area seeking Mentor advice

Young Motivated Newbie in N. Denver area seeking Mentor advice

Arvada, CO · Member since 2017 · 4 posts · 1 vote

Evening BP community. I am a 28 year old who has climbed up the corporate ladder the past nine years to be in a high salary management position available in the next few months. The dilemma I face is that I look at the clock all day and wake up dreading work every morning.

Real estate and investing has attracted me since I saw my mother loose her 100+ year old house in Massachusetts to a bank foreclosure. Investors came in, bought the property for pennies on the dollar, and flipped it for hundreds of thousands. ($25,000 purchase to $200,000 sale price) Although at the time I despised the crew that bought my childhood home, it showed me many valuable lessons and paved a path to where I am today. 

I got into the off road industry because of my passion for it. That fire has since dwindled due to poor managerial decisions and typical corporate b/s. I take blame for not acknowledging what had become a comfortable place to go make money at a desk, and not a place for me to fuel my inner creativity and build relationships for a solid future for my family. Although I could stay and ride it out, financial freedom and creating my own path is the mountain I wish to climb.

Long story longer, and where I seek advice...

Currently, we own and reside in a single family home purchased before the boom here in CO, so equity is of the abundance. My thoughts for getting started are...

1.) Sell the house we live in to reap the abundance of equity we have gained and purchase another home smaller and further away from city. Find an investor and use our equity to purchase a house to flip. Do this with the investor until we can branch out and purchase homes/properties without the assistance of a second party.

2.) Find investor and take out equity loan on current home to purchase a home to flip. Build a business and reputation to branch out.

3.) Rent out current house, find a home that is livable but needs TLC. Build it up while still working W2 job full or part time. Finish building house 8-12 months and then sell. Ideally, after a few builds, reside off site, allowing for multiple investments.

4.) Professional advice.

5.) Walk dogs for a living.

Leaving thoughts...... Our current house (first time) was a short sale, as is. We loved the gain in sweat equity. 18+ hour days are expected. Can do attitudes, nail guns, hammers, Sawzalls, and Coors Light are ready to go in the garage. Potential for DIY is there. 

Appreciate all your time and any thoughts on the situation(s).

Cheers,

Zachary Blanchette

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Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y

Don't quit your day job. Seriously. You're going to need that W-2

Do you have any cash reserves? You could look at a HELOC on your primary home to use to invest. Unless you are in the RE game or have family in it, flipping is dangerous business.

If you have the reserves, then I'd look at picking up rentals. I know it's boring, but it works, especially over the long haul. Use that to replace your income. 

Keep your home, turn it into a rental, and move into a new home that needs work, fix it up a bit to rent or flip. Then repeat until you can live comfortably.

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  • Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    Don't quit your day job. Seriously. You're going to need that W-2

    Do you have any cash reserves? You could look at a HELOC on your primary home to use to invest. Unless you are in the RE game or have family in it, flipping is dangerous business.

    If you have the reserves, then I'd look at picking up rentals. I know it's boring, but it works, especially over the long haul. Use that to replace your income. 

    Keep your home, turn it into a rental, and move into a new home that needs work, fix it up a bit to rent or flip. Then repeat until you can live comfortably.

  • Investor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 885 votes
    9y

    @Zachary Blanchette Been there, done that. I was a highly skilled and successful sales rep in a fortune 200 Computer Company. Decided long, long hours, Monday morning national stock holder calls and the B.S. wasn't my lifestyle. I left corporate America about 25 years ago and never looked back. So, going forward, Decide which kind of investor you want to be (Passive, SFR, Commercial, Land, Tax Liens, HML, Multi-Family, Notes, Fix & Flip, Buy & Hold, "Subject To", apartments, duplexes, assisted living, REOs, Foreclosures, Short Sales), etc.. Decide how much money you have access to, & the zip codes, city or state you want to focus on. That will determine the next step. Outline where you want to be in five years. Put it all in writing. Start working your plan. There are plenty of people around to help you each step of the way. Drop me a line if I can help.

  • Specialist · Melrose Park, PA · Member since 2013 · 167 posts · 217 votes
    9y

    @Zachary Blanchette I hear you loud and clear, especially about the dogs, hahaaa! I'm in real estate investing to generate enough passive income to fund my own lifestyle AND give me the time and funds to be a philanthropist. I already work in dog rescue and I would love to be able to do more for dogs as well as people and the planet itself. I have no specific advice for you. I buy distressed 1st mortgages, which is lucrative and enjoyable. If you had any questions about that, I'd be happy to answer them.  Good luck!

  • Arvada, CO · Member since 2017 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    9y
    Thanks for the advise and time @Matt M. Cash reserves are at a minimal currently. Maybe 10k to play with. HELOC has been main plan paired with possibly a seasoned investor, or just somebody with money and no time which seems to be the people I surround myself with. I like your approach with renting our current out and buy another fixer upper. Will most likely follow that route reluctantly keeping w2 gig. Until we get a few investments under our belts. @Ken Min I respect your opinions and appreciate your input. Coming from a similar background what was your approach to getting out of the industry. I will vigorously work on understanding the abbreviations used to describe investor types. I really enjoy doing the work and getting my hands in there and thought maybe we could help more on the first property to gain steam. After a few of them I would like to take a step back and invest in projects that excite me and purchase properties I can update and long term rent. Keep my hands cleaner after a few but hard work would be expected out of the gate. Thank you again for your time. AND HAPPY FRIDAY!!!! Unless you work weekends like me.
  • Arvada, CO · Member since 2017 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    9y
    Thanks!! @Gail Greenberg. And thanks for what you do for all of us!!! I will look into first time mortgages and see where that takes me. Distressed homes is really were I would like to end up. Even if it isn't as much income to start off as full rebuilds, it sounds more approachable and manageable to start. Thanks again!!
  • Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    Work on those reserves and speak with a lender like @Jared Bouzek. Layout your gameplan and have him tell you what to do to qualify for a new loan. Get your ducks in a row and execute. 

    It doesn't have to be distressed. I've been showing a client homes with unfinished basements. He is going to move out of his current home, keep it as a rental, and work on the new home while living there. Look at the value add over time. 

    If you want to check out one of my current flips, feel free to reach out. 

  • Denver, CO · Member since 2017 · 265 posts · 234 votes
    9y

    @Zachary Blanchette ,

    ....don't wait for a "mentor"....many on BP, less equipped than you, are diving in and succeeding. You already have #1 under your belt.....go get #2 !!!!

    I prefer the BRRRR method. Maybe with little down payment, you should consider househacking a duplex/triplex/quadplex (5% down, if owner occupied).

    You remind me of real life success stories here on BP. Did you see what

    @Joshua D. , @William Collins and @Austin Fruechting did in 5, 2.5 years and 7 years, respectively, buy using the BRRRR method? Austin was featured recently on BP podcast #239:

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/biggerpoc...

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/223/topics/459415-500k-net-worth-in-5-years-im-30-today?page=1

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/429980-officially-financially-free-at-32----exciting-day

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/223/topics/445367-full-time-employee-multiple-brrrr-side-hustle-2875-to-goal

    or @Abraham Anderson did here:

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/223/topics/47...

    good luck

  • Lender · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 404 posts · 227 votes
    9y

    @Matt M. Thanks for the tag.

    @Zachary Blanchette I'm happy to answer any financing questions you have. It sounds like you have a number of routes you could go if you access the equity in your current home. Let me know how I can help.

  • Arvada, CO · Member since 2017 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    9y

    I apologize about the long response times for a newb.

    @Matt M. First priority will be to gain reserve, design, and get a plan on paper. Then I would like to reach out to @Jared Bouzek and see if I am headed in the direction . Thank you both very much for the warm welcome and great advice. I'd like to take you up on that offer and come see a flip in the process and feel it out first hand. 

    @Steve K. Your encouragement is motivational in itself, and your preferred method sounds enticing. Like you said, things are already in play so why slow down. Also, I appreciate how you connected multiple success stories with my story and went to the extent of providing the links! I feel I already owe you a cold one. I follow the BRRRR method and agree with the down payment. I would consider a multi-family, however, once purchased, how does one go about renovations with renters? Long question longer, how do you gain equity without the ability for renovations on your multi-family? I apologize if that sounds a bit naive, but if you have any links with information regarding this I would love to dig deeper.

    Thank you all, again, for this input. Coming from off road industry forums to this is like a pillow top landing. All of your input is very appreciated and will not go forgotten.

  • Denver, CO · Member since 2017 · 265 posts · 234 votes
    9y

    , it indeed is a challenge to try and do a BRRRR on a quadplex. I was able to finance mine with all 4 units vacant for 4 months of major rehab. Then I got the tenants in and (after seasoning) did the cashout refi.

    If you're aiming to househack and live in one, rent 3, it's a challenge depending upon your financing ability. If you inherit 3 tenants, you can rehab the one you occupy (I believe you need to be occupying it within 60 days of closing. Perhaps you could rehab one at a time, as the tenants turn over. If you're aiming for the BRRRR method, you could have all 4 rehabbed in a year(?) and then refi??

    Denver has gotten very competitive lately. I was beat out last month on a quad that received 25 cash offers in the first 24 hours.....no one was allowed to even tour the inside before submitting bids! Not likely the Seller will give you 40 days needed for FHA financing contingencies when they have cash offers. It may take a cash/Hard Money Lender to get it.

     
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