All Forum Posts by: Alex Quinlan

How would you recommend getting that steady stream of deals?

I might be relocating to the Raleigh-Durham area to be near Duke Hospital, and I’ve been researching the local real estate market.

I’ve uncovered a lot of promising fundamentals:

• Strong population & job growth (tech + healthcare)

• Tight rental market (low vacancies, 6%+ annual rent growth)

• Landlord-friendly laws (no rent control!)

• Solid appreciation potential (5–7%+ depending on ZIP)

I’m specifically looking in ZIP codes like 27609, 27610, and 27608, and I’m interested in house hacking ideally a duplex, triplex, or SFH with an ADU. That said, I'm not seeing a huge inventory of duplexes listed, and I’m wondering if that strategy still works well here.

My questions for the local investors:

      What are your thoughts on the current market, and is my research correct?

1. Are you seeing viable house hacks still work in today’s Raleigh/Durham market?

2. Are duplexes just not listed often, or are they not common in the area?

3. Would it make more sense to buy my first home now (even if it's a SFH), and plan to convert it into a rental later?

4. Which ZIPs have the best balance of cashflow + appreciation?

Would love to hear from anyone investing near Duke hospitals or living in the area. What strategies are working best for you in 2025?

Thanks in advance, let’s connect!

Hey Bri,

This deal sounds incredible especially getting $4,300/month in rent from a $300k purchase. I had a few questions I’m really curious about:

1. How did you find a property at that price point that could rent for that much? Was it just a great market, an off-market find, or something else?

2. You mentioned $50k cash invested was that your full down payment, or did that also include closing costs and repairs?

3. I saw you used a hard money loan instead of a conventional mortgage what was your reasoning behind that choice? Was it about speed, property condition, or something else?

4. Looking back, do you think this type of small multi-family with strong rental demand is still findable in today’s market, or was this more of a right-place-right-time situation?

How did you find a property with that many units for that low? Also if you found it on realtor.com why was it not already pounced on by very sophisticated investors even before it went on the market. 

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the balance between investing in real estate vs. the stock market and why I’m still drawn to real estate despite the extra effort and stress.

I understand the core benefits:

• Appreciation

• Rental income

• Leverage that can multiply returns

And I know the potential ROI can be significantly higher than what I'd get in the stock market. But here's the challenge…

Real estate requires a lot of work, especially for new investors:

• Finding an off-market deal (often by leveraging your network and spending hours searching)

• Running numbers only to see the deal fall through or not make sense

• Managing renovations and solving unexpected problems

• Deciding whether to self-manage or hire a property manager

• Dealing with vacancies, tenants, and ongoing maintenance

And with today’s high home values and interest rates, the risk for a new investor to get burned feels even higher.

After speaking with multiple investors, I’ve learned there’s no single “right” strategy single-family, multifamily, commercial, land, short-term rentals, etc. Each has pros and cons, and it’s hard to decide which vehicle to start with without making an expensive mistake.

On the flip side, the stock market is simple in comparison I can do research from my couch, invest in a company or ETF I believe in, and never touch it again while it grows. But my ultimate goal isn’t just to grow wealth it’s to:

• Create generational wealth for my family

• Avoid being chained to the corporate world

• Have the freedom to actually enjoy life

Which is why I still feel pulled toward real estate as a key part of a diversified portfolio alongside stocks and ETFs.

My question for the community:
For those of you who’ve been at this for a while was the extra stress, time, and risk of real estate worth it in the long run compared to a purely stock-focused approach? And how did you decide which investment vehicle to start with?

Looking forward to hearing your perspectives.

Hello Everyone!

I’m trying to get better at analyzing deals, but I’m hitting a wall and could really use your insight. I picked a property at random just to practice (this one on Zillow: 3107 Walton Ave, Cleveland, OH), but honestly, I got stuck quickly.

Here’s what I’m wrestling with:

• How do you actually practice analyzing properties if everything on-market has probably already been passed on by experienced investors? Is it even worth practicing with these, or am I wasting time?

• How do you really find accurate rent comps? Zillow’s rent estimates seem all over the place. I understand the idea of comparing bed/bath/sq ft nearby—but how do you actually find those properties on sites like Zillow, Rentometer, etc.? What tools/websites do you personally use that give reliable rent data?

• How do I know when I’ve found a true comp? What exact filters or process do you follow to determine that a rent or sale price is actually comparable?

• How do I know if the property is overpriced for the area? I understand “knowing your market,” but what does that actually look like in terms of steps? Where do you get your data from?

Also:

• Are there any solid Excel-based property analysis calculators you'd recommend for doing the math once I have the inputs?

And finally, if anyone has a few minutes, could you walk me through how you would analyze the property I linked above? Even a high-level overview of your process would be incredibly helpful—I want to see how experienced investors break it down from start to finish.

I know these are beginner-level questions, but I’m serious about learning and want to do this right. I just don’t want to waste time spinning my wheels using bad data or the wrong process.

Thanks so much in advance!

Hey everyone,

I’m a college student trying to get a head start in real estate investing. I don’t yet have a full-time W2 job or know exactly where I’ll be living after graduation, but I still want to start learning how to properly analyze deals. Especially small multifamily (duplexes/triplexes) or single family.

Right now, I’m using Zillow to browse listings and doing basic math like subtracting the mortgage from potential rent to see if there’s any cash flow. But I know there’s way more to it than that, and I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the variables.

Here are my questions:

1. What websites or tools are best for practicing deal analysis?

   • Are there calculators or platforms you recommend for beginners?

2. What metrics matter most when analyzing small multifamily properties?

   • Cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, etc.?

   • What does the "year built" tell me about a property? Why do new vs. old appliances matter?

3. How do I compare a property to similar ones ("comps") easily?

   • Most sites don’t let me filter specifically for duplexes or triplexes — any workarounds?

   • Where can I find accurate rent comps for units like these?

4. How do I tell if a neighborhood is high-growth or worth investing in?

   • What indicators or data should I be looking at?

5. If a house is one of the nicest or most expensive on the block, is that a red flag?

   • Is it better to buy the worst house in a good area rather than the best house in a weaker one?

I’d really appreciate any tips or frameworks for practicing this kind of analysis, even while I’m still in school and not quite ready to buy yet. I want to build the reps now so I’m prepared when the time comes.

Hey everyone,

I’m a senior at the University of Georgia studying Management Information Systems (MIS) at the Terry College of Business. I’ll be graduating soon and plan to work as a Solutions Consultant in IT, likely starting out with a salary of around $70–80 K. I’ve been exploring real estate content, networking on LinkedIn, and joining calls with experienced investors to figure out the most effective way to get started.

Here’s where I’m at:

• My girlfriend and I will rent at first while I get settled in my job.

• My long-term goal is to build a rental portfolio by living in homes, then turning them into rentals when I move out.

• I’m trying to decide if I should:

  • Buy a single-family home, live in it for a few years, rehab it while living there, then rent it out when I move; or

  • House hack a duplex or triplex from the start. The challenge is finding something nice enough that my girlfriend would also be comfortable living in.

Some other questions I’m wrestling with:

      Should I save for a second down payment while living in the first property and keep it as a rental when I move out?

• Where should I save for my first down payment? A money market account (for liquidity and safety), or something like ETFs if I’m not buying for 1–2 years?

• Would it help to work part-time in real estate (like an agent or assistant) to learn the ropes, or can I learn enough through self-education and BiggerPockets while working my W2 IT job?

Would love to hear how others navigated these trade-offs early on. What would you do differently if you could start over?

Thanks in advance!
– Alex Quinlan

Hey everyone,

I’m currently a college student at the University of Georgia studying Management Information Systems (MIS) at the Terry College of Business. I’ve been getting more and more interested in real estate investing and I’m trying to map out what a smart path might look like after graduation.

Here’s my situation:

• I’ll probably move in with my girlfriend after school, but I’m not sure where yet—we’ll likely be renting initially.

• My goal is to save up for a down payment over the next couple of years.

• Ideally, I’d love to house hack a small multifamily like a duplex—live in one unit, rent out the other.

• Long-term, I want to build a rental portfolio by living in properties for a few years, then turning them into rentals when I move into a new primary residence.

My big question is:

How important is cash flow when you’re just starting out? Is it okay if I buy a property that maybe just breaks even or slightly loses money each month, as long as I'm gaining experience and equity? Or would it be smarter to wait until I can afford something with solid cash flow from day one?

I’ve been doing what I can to learn by watching YouTube videos, networking on LinkedIn, and hopping on calls with experienced investors to hear their perspectives.

What else should I be doing right now to prepare?
I’d love any advice from people who were in my shoes not long ago. Is there anything you wish you knew or did differently when you were just getting started?

Thanks so much in advance!

Alex Quinlan