Jay Decima ("Fixer Jay")
Anyone try the strategy outlined in his books?
He goes after ugly older houses in lower middle neigbhorhoods (not war zones). Preferably multiple sfhs on large lots. Uglier the better. More deadbeat tenants the better. Fixes them up and holds them for cash flow. When he does sell, he offers owner financing.
He operates in Northern Calif, Redding I think.
TC
It's your usual rehab strategy -- buy low, fix and sell after awhile. It works but some of the stuff in his books is BS.
Hi tcul, Lee G,
I have know Fixer Jay for 20+ years. I bought most of my 85 cash flow houses, using his techniques. I bought most of them over a 3 year period, not starting with a boat load of money. Another friend, Don has bought 39 homes the same way. One thing to realize is Jay, Don and I are not buying typical fixers one at a time.. We buy groups of older homes on a single parcel. Most are run down and the sellers know they can't be bank financed and will carry the financing themselves. Your investing goes a lot faster when you buy in groups. Jay just introduced his free Financial Freedom Series on his web site, [LINK REMOVED] (you will also get his weekly blog, that he has posted for the last 4 years). Note, When we all sell, we are happy to carry back the financing. We are able to get a high price and keep the monthly payments so the seller gets his profit. Plus, we only pay taxes on the monthly payments and not the principal. Because these loans are usually interest only, we receive monthly payments and at the end of the loan term are still owed the full face amount of the loan. It is pretty simple stuff, but who else teaches this this? Take care, Dan By the way, with our type of buying, WE force up the value, we do not cross out fingers and wait for market appreciation. Also, because our 5 cash flow houses, using his techniques. I bought most of them over a 3 year period, not starting with a boat load of money. Another friend, Do
Good ad Dan. I read a few chapters of the book at but it down. This was my second year in RE. There is nothing there that you cant learn here for free.
Also, these homes on same tax key are not found in all areas of the country.
Attention Lee G up in Utah,,,,
I know Jay Decima and have studied his teachings
Hes a very nice guy,,,transparent,,,unpretencious,,,,and in a word,,,
He has done very well for himself,,,
We dontcha give Ol Jay a phone call sometime,,,?
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised,,,,
You might want to visit Redding California for a few days after the phone call,,,,
Best
Dave Doyle
Monrovia Calif
David Doyle, this thread is several years old so I was just curious what made you bring it back up? Also, what is up with the 31 commas in your post above?
If you are going to posy about a guru and leave a review, perhaps you could be more specific. Please understand there are a lot of real estate "gurus" out there selling garbage, so just saying, "he is a very nice guy" and "he has done very well for himself" doesn't tell us anything about his books or programs.
What I'm trying to convey James,is that Jay Decima is one of the few teachers that will show the properties he bought ,one at a time in chronological order,purchase price,how he financed them [usually seller financing] how he rehabbed them,how he rented them up,and more importantly how he manages them for positive cash flow.
He owns many properties in Redding Calif.
He also has a great reputation in the eyes of many conservative reviewers including John "Jack" Reed.
What do the seminars and other teachings teach that one can't learn from books or sites like biggerpockets? The issue I have is that these gurus seem to target REI newbies in order to extract large sums of cash from their bank accounts.
His site mentions "Jay began teaching others about his money-making strategies at seminars and at his popular HOUSE FIXER CAMPS in Redding California. Students actually visit Jay’s properties to see for themselves what kind of properties earn the biggest profits and why. "
It looks like his holdings are mostly in Redding. Is this an area that still cashflows? I'm sure prices were probably much lower decades ago when he was buying his properties. From a search in the area it looks like many of the homes there under 100k seem to be mobile homes.
It looks like he recommends a buy and hold mentality versus flipping so this is definitely important.
I'm just wondering if it makes any sense to show people an area that might not cash flow to the expectations of the top buy and hold investors on this board for example. Any house can be rented...but not every rented house is a positive cash flow investment.
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I'll summarize where I think Jay's approach makes sense:
FixerJay's target market is the lower (but not lowest) end of the rental market and he excels in demonstrating what to do and not to do in order to profitably work this market.
Jay has several books and home study courses that are representative of the market he prefers. His preferred strategy is to acquire clustered houses from a seller who has mismanaged the group and willing to accept paper that allows the buyer to still see positive cash flow.
I first met Jay when my friend Mike Cantu insisted we travel together to Redding, CA and take Jay's 3-day, hands on, property rehab course. Lots of fun. I got to see lots practical approaches that I would not see in a textbook or read in a discussion forum.
Jay's target market is the section 8 tenant. He knows how to keep his properties in good order yet do so profitably. I'm not new to real estate, however I appreciated seeing his approach, methods, strategies and tactics first hand.
Jay's made his money in real estate, not training. That's an important distinction to understand when checking out educators. Also, he ain't no spring chicken and well into his seventies and, although sharp as a tack, he won't be teaching forever.
It may be true that you can learn much from books, CD's and free forums. Personally, I enjoy seeing things and meeting people in person and see for myself if it's real. There are plenty of people on this and other forums who are very opposed to spending money on education that they believe can be obtained without the personal interface. I see this as operating in a vacuum however just because it's not my style does mean they're wrong or that I'm right.
I just remember what the difference between ground school and building flying hours was like when I got my pilot's license.
Well said Rick,,,,well said,,,
DD
I have heard Jay talk at our REIAs a few times and have met him. I have spoken with him personally over the phone and he is very open and caring. I only had a couple questions when I called him and he spent over 45 minutes giving me free advice on strategies to use with my current holdings and how they would fit in with my goals. He gave me some excellent things to think about which allowed me to view my situation in different ways - truly priceless info that I could not get off of a forum. His main strategy is seller financing and going after properties that seller financing is almost a must on. It's unique to Jay, and I know several people who have attended his trainings and implemented them. I had signed up to go, but he had to cancel. They mailed me a check with a note that offered a free upgrade to one of the more intensive trainings. Unfortunately I could not make it so I just cashed my check. In my mind, this alone puts Jay head over heals above any other "guru." Keep in mind the guy is nearly 80! Some of those books were written quite a long time ago before BiggerPockets existed.