All Forum Posts by: Anna Watkins

@Aly W.  - thanks!     Right now I only have one unit, so it's pretty easy to test it out without too much at stake.  I might try one service with tenants in the new unit (closing soon) and another with the current folks (they are pretty cool so far -- knock wood, I've had great tenants the past 3 years, after my share of nightmared.  crossing fingers this couple stays cool). 25¢ (Dwolla) compared to $3 is tempting, but excellent service might well be worth it.

@Aaron Montague  - How long have you used Dwolla?  Do you have to have a business account to use it?

I'd like to use Intuit's Payment Network, but I don't have an EIN as I'm not setting up my LLC until next year (I've only had one unit til now). Apparently I have to be an official registered "business" to accept payments through IPN. Bummer.

@Alex O.  and @Michael Seeker - do you have Chase checking accounts?  What are the fees like?  I've used credit unions exclusively for the past 20 years, so am out of the "commercial bank" loop.

SparkRent looks perfect, but I can't find much to reassure me that it's reliable or trustworthy.  Sites like RentShare -- do they have any landlord control or inititation?  Or do you just say, hey tenants, use this and figure it out??

Thanks!

@Andy 

@Andy Luick -- I have a thing for the 2/1.  It's the kind of rental I started out in when I moved to Atlanta, and that I'd live in now if there were no kids.  My attachment to real estate is partly business (that part is growing) and partly so I get to own lots of houses I like even if I can't live in them all :-)  I'm interested in the house-sharing concept, though. Can you point me to a BP or other source so I can learn more?  Thanks!

@Frankie Woods  and @Dave Visaya -- Thanks for the welcome.  Now if there were only more time in the day to learn more and buy houses!

@Paul Timmins -- Thanks. That's definitely a strategy I will look into

Welcome, Shanda.  Where are you right now and what areas are you looking in?

@Paul Timmins  -- what student areas in Atlanta have you identified?  There's Ga. Tech and Ga. State, which are both intown and expensive.  Are you also talking about private colleges (Oglethorpe, Agnes Scott), or further out like Kennesaw State, Georgia Perimeter or Clayton State?  I'm pondering investments further away from my own neighborhood (SE inside perimeter) and would love your insight.

Thanks!

Anna

@Elizabeth Colgrove --  Your goals sound really similar to mine. Thanks for saying hi and I will check out your blog.  I don't have a personal one (and unless you're into Young Adult literature and high school research, my professional one probably won't interest :-)

Folks -- any tips on getting the @tag to work?  Sometimes the name pops up and sometimes it doesn't.

@Rick Baggenstoss  Will do -- we lost both parents in the last 5 years, and we're selling the house on the domain.  Really really hard, but does a little old retired lady really need 5 br in 3000 sq ft?  So the plan is to turn that $$ into more rental houses!!!  Thanks for the greeting!

Hi all.  I'm new to the site, but have had a single-family rental purchased about 13 years ago in the SE area inside the Perimeter.  Probably not the best business decision ever -  it's worth significantly less than I paid and only has cash flow since a recent refi. But, it's almost always been rented and has mostly paid for itself.   It was always meant to be a long-term investment anyway, so I'm not going to beat myself up about that.  I'm 100% a buy-and-hold person.

Now that my kids are headed to college in 2 or 3 years, I'm getting serious about investing for income, and thinking of it as a business more than a little side thing. Closing on SFH #2 (I have a thing for little 2/1 postwar starter homes) in December, and dreaming ahead to adding to my retirement empire. Planning to establish an LLC for my properties in 2015.

I found Bigger Pockets through Paula Pant's Afford Anything blog (thanks Paula!), and my head is exploding!  I'm listening to tons of podcasts, taking notes, and thanking my lucky stars that all the dumb things I've done, and smart things I haven't done with my first rental property, haven't fatally bitten me!

My area of interest has been the SE Decatur area, zip 30032, because it's close to where I live and now because it's got slow but steady upward growth.  Y'all are making me wonder about looking further away ( @Rick Baggenstoss :-).  I'm also looking for possible rental investments in or near my hometown in Tennessee (possible retirement location).

I'm really looking forward to networking, and LEARNING from other landlords and investors in the area, especially other women investors/landlords.  I've got the November 20 meetup in my planner, but doubt I can make a lunch meeting in Norcross.  

You may have noticed, I tend to talk a lot.  Thanks for listening!  

Welcome to Atlanta. I am new to the site too, but have had one SFH rental for 12 years and am closing on a second in December. Buy and hold is the plan for me, too, but with 2 teenagers, owner-occupancy isn't a decent option right now.

Keep us up to date on where you end up  buying that first investment!