Warner West Row Homes (Delaware County, PA)

[Lou Farese]

Hey, everybody! Long time BP Podcast listener, blog reader, forum scourer.. first time poster!

I'm pretty new to RE investing, starting out in 2018, completing 3 flips (1 working right now) along with 1 BRRRR and 3 rental properties that were essentially turnkey upon purchase. One of the flips was in South Philly (22nd & Snyder), 2 were Warner West Row Homes in Briarcliffe (hindsight being 20/20, wish I would've kept them as BRRRRs!), and the one currently working is in Broomall. 3 of my 4 rental properties are also Warner West Row Homes (2 in Westbrook Park, 1 in Briarcliffe). My primary residence is... you guessed it, yet another Warner West Row Home (Westbrook Park).

The current flip in Broomall is a next-level project for me, which I am really excited about! I have found myself increasingly "comfortable" with the Warner West Row Homes. My team and systems for those houses gets better and better with each project and, while I know that "comfortability" isn't always the greatest way to grow, I think I may have inadvertently found my niche!

The main detractor from my RE business previously was that I owned a full-service restaurant and a pizzeria. Those 2 businesses kept my mind and body occupied nearly 24/7. When COVID hit, it was a blessing in disguise and allowed me to come up for air and really think about what I want my future to look like. I was running those businesses at a clip that was unsustainable for me personally. These were 2 small "Mom & Pop" type shops, so there was still a whole lot of time and effort involved for myself, even with delegating duties, in order to keep the profit margins where they needed to be. After writing down and running through at least a dozen scenarios, I came to the conclusion that my days of working 80-100 hours/wk, on weekends, on holidays, for 4 months straight with not a single day off were over and that the best scenario for my relationship with my wife, for my physical health (sleep!), my mental health, and my future would be to sell my foodservice businesses and dedicate that time ... or maybe even only half of that time ... to my RE business. After completing the sale of my full-service restaurant in October and then the sale of my pizzeria last week on 2/3 (just finished training period with the new owner this afternoon), I am officially ready to give my full attention to my RE business.

Major bonus points to the restaurant industry for teaching me the importance of knowing EVERY. SINGLE. COST. down to the penny, how to implement efficient systems & processes, how to build & lead great teams, and for giving me experience in dealing with nearly every personality type imaginable.

If anybody on here currently owns any Warner West's, has any good contacts for investors who own any, or just wants to get together and talk about the increasingly difficult Delaware County Real Estate Investment market.. Please get in touch with me!!