All Forum Posts by: Dionte Graves

Congrats on escaping "analysis paralysis" There's a ton of information available and the more you read the more you realize you don' know.  I agree with getting a good knowledge base, but the real education comes in DOING, As I've found myself. Much success to you and keep us posted!

Nice House! Those 100 yr old homes in that area have plenty of unique features, as many of them were built to house families who worked for standard oil(Rockefeller Company), or a few other historic companies. I remember the Van Swergin brothers and their Tudor style homes build in that area! Needless to say Im excited to see what the finished product will look like!! Keep us posted! 

Hey Fernando! 

You sound similar to myself and a lot of other investors around our age! Have a degree some debt and a job that our degree has little to do with. This is where you have to do some reflection within yourself and find your motivations to either transition into real estate or climb the corporate ladder and play that game.  If I were your Id ask myself how can I transition into real estate, sustain myself financially yet progress steadily to where you want to be in real estate. Ask yourself can you learn an accounting software and offer book keeping services part time while holding your job, to Real Estate investors in your area?  This way you'll be learning what the best or worst investors are doing... Or what other small head aches can you solve for investors with technology that your degree may warrant your credible to do? I don't know if this helps or makes any sense but just a couple suggestions... 

Hey Eric welcome! 

Find a strategy, learn what you can about it, ask questions, and youll be getting started in no time! 

Great job on the rehab! This kitchen is clean, the transitions from the hardwoods to the tiles in the kitchen is smooth, trim work nice, staging nice! Good job!! Are you willing to share your sources for your materials and costs. I just like the numbers! and sorry if someone already asked this! 

Hey everyone, I'm currently running a business as an Estimate and repair contractor on Foreclosed properties in the Northeast Ohio region. I started back in 2010 landscaping and snowplowing as a vendor to various banks and have progressed to where I am now... 

On average we see roughly 5-10 jobs per week ranging from Flood damage repairs, Vandalism repairs, Theft, Waterproofing, Mold removal/treatment, Demolition, Flooring, Windows doors etc. I work side by side with my guys and I wanted to share a few photos of the properties we encounter. Couple things to note, we see the WORST of the WORST, from completely flooded basements, to mold infested homes, to homes with all hvac, electrical, and plumbing stripped, you name it I've probably seen it. Also we are not remodeling these homes we are simply repairing the items the banks need in order to put the home on the market with minimal violations. (usually the bare minimum) I posted this in the rehabbing thread since this business has helped me a TON in learning how to estimate repairs, material costs, how labor intensive certain projects can be, I've built a long list of contractors and tradesmen, I've learned from the people I surround myself with, pulling permits, dealing with city inspectors, budgeting, etc. All of these bits of wisdom help me with choosing my own buy and hold investments here in the greater Cleveland area.

So here's some pics, forgive me for the sporadic random job pics I'm sure there's some way to be more efficient in uploading pics, Ill be sure to add more soon, Hit me with any questions, I'll share what I know! 

Excellent tips, Ive run into out of state investors who have run into this same problem. A lot of it is common sense due diligence, dont allow one person to run the show, have two or three parties reporting to you. The good ole checks and balances system... Good post! 

Anything to keep the petty thieves away I like this tool! Thanks for sharing! 

Sorry to hear this process was so long! Keep us updated on the projects progress!

I love Real Estate and the many aspects of it. However there seems to be a level of disconnection between different the different sectors of RE...

For example Commercial properties are mainly listed (at least on a national level)on loopnet.com which is the first company to list commercial properties in an online database. ( that I know of)

What other technology based solutions can be provided to Real Estate, particularly for private investors?

What is the most annoying, time wasting, costly headache or issue you encounter in your day to day business as a private lender?

I'm looking to brainstorm potential solutions to these problems.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!