Open to making new connections

Member since 2026 · 3 posts · 1 vote

Hi, My name is Art,

I been in RE Investing for a few years now. Have had ups and downs of course! Looking to make new connections and very open to collaboration. Please send me a message if you would like to talk shop weather you are in the Airbnb or New Deveolpment business. Would love to hear success stories but most importantly your biggest lessons. Open to smart conversations and possiable JV opportunites. Looking to change gears this year. Lets connect!

1 Reply

146 views

Most Popular Reply

Igor Ganapolsky

Englewood, NJ · Member since 2018 · 464 posts · 86 votes

hey art, good to meet you. i'm in florida and buy mostly at tax deed auctions so my world is a little different from airbnb or new dev, but the lessons translate pretty well.

biggest lesson for me was learning to underwrite the mess, not the listing. at a tax sale you're buying whatever's left after the previous owner walked away - could be a clean house, could be a gutted shell with a tenant still living in it and three unrecorded liens. the numbers only work if you've actually looked at all of that before you bid. i learned that the hard way early on by bidding on something that looked cheap on paper and then finding out it had way more tangled up than i expected.

the other thing is that connections matter more than most people think. my best deals haven't come from finding properties - they've come from knowing the right title company, the right contractor, or another investor who's done the same thing and can tell you what to watch out for. houston is a big market with a lot of tax sale activity so you're in a good spot for that.

always happy to connect with other investors. feel free to shoot me a message if you want to talk florida tax deeds or just compare notes on what's working in different markets.

1 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

9 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

Kerry Noble JrPro Member
Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2d
Good morning! im definitely open to connecting. JV has been a great tool for me.
1 Reply
Igor Ganapolsky
Englewood, NJ · Member since 2018 · 464 posts · 86 votes
2d
hey art, good to meet you. i'm in florida and buy mostly at tax deed auctions so my world is a little different from airbnb or new dev, but the lessons translate pretty well.

biggest lesson for me was learning to underwrite the mess, not the listing. at a tax sale you're buying whatever's left after the previous owner walked away - could be a clean house, could be a gutted shell with a tenant still living in it and three unrecorded liens. the numbers only work if you've actually looked at all of that before you bid. i learned that the hard way early on by bidding on something that looked cheap on paper and then finding out it had way more tangled up than i expected.

the other thing is that connections matter more than most people think. my best deals haven't come from finding properties - they've come from knowing the right title company, the right contractor, or another investor who's done the same thing and can tell you what to watch out for. houston is a big market with a lot of tax sale activity so you're in a good spot for that.

always happy to connect with other investors. feel free to shoot me a message if you want to talk florida tax deeds or just compare notes on what's working in different markets.
1 Reply
- Art Rivas
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 3 posts · 1 vote
  2d
  Hello Igor, thanks for your feeback. Apprciate your insight. I did fond the idea of persuing auction homes however I was not educated yet in the legal clutter on a home before bidding. I agree, it takes R&D and knowing the right network to facilitate the deal. Happy to connect.
  0 Reply
Stuart UdisPro Member
Attorney · Philadelphia · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
2d
@Art Rivas Welcome! Honestly, the best partners whether it be passive or active are individuals who have been in the trenches and experienced the realities of owning and operating real estate. Those successes and failures become the lessons that are instrumental in crystalizing strong business plans and development strategies. Consider your experience an asset moving forward.
[email protected]
1 Reply
Michael K GallagherBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus OH · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2d
welcome to BP. these forums are a powerful place. I'm interested to hear more about your development experience and lessons!
[email protected]614-362-2231
0 Reply
Brad SeidBusiness Member
Lender · Licensed in 28 States · Member since 2026 · 127 posts · 33 votes
1d
@Art Rivas Hey Art, great to connect! Sounds like you've got some solid experience under your belt. If financing or lending is something you're exploring for your next deal or JV, I'd be happy to connect and see how I can help. Let's chat!
[email protected]248-408-3855
West Capital Lending5122 Reviews
Website View Page
0 Reply
Michael Eskenasy
Investor · Pacific Northwest · Member since 2026 · 536 posts · 298 votes
1d
Art — biggest lesson: never let a claim quietly turn into a fact.
Seller says the STR does $180K? Show me the reservation history.
Agent says STRs are allowed? Show me the actual rule and permit status.
Developer says utilities are at the site? Which utilities, where, and at what cost to connect?
Contractor says $300K build? What’s excluded?
JV partner says they'll bring capital? Is it committed or conversational?
That one habit changes everything.
We keep the source attached to the claim, separate what’s verified from what’s assumed, and make the missing evidence visible before we underwrite around it.
Then you can actually stress the deal instead of stress-testing somebody’s sales pitch.
That’s become a pretty big part of how we look at property work.
A surprising number of “bad deals” are really just unverified sentences that made it all the way into the spreadsheet.
0 Reply
Diana Khan
Attorney · 10451 Mill Run Cir #755 Owings Mills, MD 21117 · Member since 2024 · 339 posts · 124 votes
1d
Quote from @Art Rivas:
Hi, My name is Art,
I been in RE Investing for a few years now. Have had ups and downs of course! Looking to make new connections and very open to collaboration. Please send me a message if you would like to talk shop weather you are in the Airbnb or New Deveolpment business. Would love to hear success stories but most importantly your biggest lessons. Open to smart conversations and possiable JV opportunites. Looking to change gears this year. Lets connect!
Welcome to BP, @Art Rivas! One of the biggest lessons I’ve seen with investors is that a good deal and a good partner are two separate things. I’ve worked with people who were excited about a project together, but they had never really talked through who was putting in the money, who was making decisions, what each person was responsible for, or what would happen if someone wanted out.
Especially if you start looking at JVs or development projects, I would get those conversations out of everyone’s head and into writing early. It usually makes the relationship much easier because everyone knows what they agreed to before money and deadlines are involved.
I’d be glad to stay connected, @Art Rivas. I enjoy meeting investors who are open about both the wins and the lessons because those are usually the best conversations.
0 Reply
Dmitriy Fomichenko
Solo 401k Expert · Anaheim Hills, CA · Member since 2012 · 18k+ posts · 6k+ votes
14h
Hello @Art Rivas , It's great to have you here!
Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/users
Good luck on your journey!
0 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.