Hello all,my name is Howard Green from Capital Heights,Md..My first post to the group,my goal is to acquire buy and hold properties in Baltimore,Md,as of today i have one Sub 30k property under contract that i hopefully can rent out Section 8,brand new rookie to the REI game any and all advice would be greatly appreciated,thanking you in advance.

You're on a great start Howard and all the best on the next deals 

Welcome to BP @Howard C Green

Congratulations your deal.  Sometimes those $30K properties can surprise you. I just cleaned one out today, and there was a dresser in the basement with a drawer full of gold coins.

Hi @Howard C Green and @Ned Carey , I have a SFH in the Charles Village area that I rent and have been solely focused on this neighborhood that I know well. As a new investor looking to expand, can you pls offer any suggestions on neighborhoods to invest in. I see the value of the homes you posted here are very modest (esp compared to Charles Village) and I'd be interested in understanding what other strong rental areas exist outside the well known neighborhoods in the City. What criteria do you use to identify different areas of the city, assuming these are buy and holds? Thank you, Jen

@Jennifer Guertin Charles village is a more expensive neighborhood than many landlords in Baltimore want. It Just isn't going to cash flow as well as other areas. The areas most of my landlord friends like are not going to be near as nice as Charles village.

Personally I like neighborhoods that are $120-150K. You can buy fixer uppers and have real equity once repairs are complete. You can still get decent cash flow, and you are in stable neighborhoods that have some potential to appreciate. It will be easier to get quality tenants.

In less expensive areas <$75K you lose equity, appreciation, and will have a harder time attracting great tenants.

Belair Edison or Edmondson Village would be examples of the bottom of the kind of neighborhood I like would be in. 21212, 21234 are full of areas like that I like.

Thank you @Ned Carey for sharing this. Have a great weekend! 

Hello! @Howard C Green

Welcome to BP, and congratulations on making the decision to invest in your future via real estate.

I have written a few blog posts that may help you get started here on BP, and with your investing. Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.

First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp

The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciated

The last one is a post that will help you choose an "investor friendly" real estate agent.

There are many agents out there, but it’s important to choose the right one.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52724-im-new-to-investing-how-do-i-find-an-investor-friendly-agent

I love answering questions if you have any! Good Luck :)