All Forum Posts by: Anna Watkins

Just noticed that Set for Life, which I bought for College Son in both Kindle and Audible when it came out (and was NOT WhisperSynced at that time), is now WhisperSync-set.  Yippee!  

Thanks  and kudos to the Bigger Pockets publishing team for being responsive to reader feedback.

@Mindy Jensen @Scott Trench

@David Goings  - great!  I need to transport some items anyway, so will look at Tuesday instead of the weekend (for a change!).  See you there?

I have the impression that there are two REIAs in the area, and maybe one of them meets on the first Tuesday of the month?    I have one property in Columbus and would like to meet more local investors, plus I can't help but be always on the lookout for the next deal.  

I keep meaning to attend, but would be driving in from Atlanta just for the meeting, and need to be sure I've got days and times right. The first Tuesday in April is a clear date, so if there's a meeting then I could make the trip. Thanks.

@Daniel Dietz -- thanks for chiming in. I'm glad to hear from someone else who uses this great value-add in Kindle.  It's totally changed my son's reading experience too -- text-to-digital-voice just doesn't communicate meaning the same way that an actual human narrator does.  Hope BP can add it to everything soon!

@Mindy Jensen - I knew you'd be right on it. Thanks!! :-)

Marketing plus - for folks to like to read and listen, with WhisperSync you'll get more customers buying both versions, especially if bundled at 1.5 x single version price . . .

@Joshua Dorkin, @Brandon Turner, @Dave Van Horn, @Mindy Jensen,  and whoever else at BP is involved in publishing -- Amazon.com offers a fantastic service called WhisperSync that coordinates the Kindle ebook with the Audible audio edition of the same book.  It does two things -- if you have both editions, and you're listening (or reading), and then switch to the other format, WhisperSync will keep your place and start you in the right location.  

The other feature runs both text and audio at the same time -- this is super excellent for customers who might want to read, but find it difficult and appreciate hearing and reading at the same time (and we know a LOT of successful business people are dyslexic as all get out).  

I am personally invested in this feature because my son is dyslexic, and has used the Kindle/Audible simultaneous feature very successfully in high school and now in college.  I got him to read Rich Dad Poor Dad using WhisperSync, and now we are co-owners of the house he lives in at school (college house-hacking!!).  I really want him to read Set For Life, and have both the Kindle and Audible editions, but they don't sync  :-((  For me, I want to get Dave's note investing book, but if I get the bundle with both versions, I'd prefer that they sync.  Otherwise, going from one to the other (walking home from work, then armchair in the evening) is awkward and time-consuming.

Please investigate what it would take to add this feature to all Bigger Pockets books that include both audio and e-text editions!  ASAP, of course, so I can start my own note investing education.

Anybody else out there who uses (or would like to use) text/audio syncing, please chime in!  Thanks.

Mason, it all depends on the rest of your life circumstances. Are you looking for a SFR with extra rooms for roommates? Easiest to find and finance, but harder on your daily if you're not a roommate kind of guy. The competition for duplex/multi-family is fierce, but it may work for you as an owner/occupant willing to pay a bit more than an investor.

Do you have a job?  If you're looking to emulate @Scott Trench ;-), then it's also location location location -- you need to be within biking, walking or Marta distance from work, unless you work from home.  For public transport, ITP east (Belvedere-ish and out, and west are your best bets, or the south (College Park, East Point, Ft. McPherson/Perry Studios), but if your job is up northside, Marta doesn't help much w/o depending on multiple bus transfers to the train. In a lot of ways, C, C+, B, etc are in the eye of the beholder, so look for a place you (and potential compatible tenants/roommates) will be comfortable moving around in every day and forget what grade someone else might give it.

Once you have the basic requirements decided, I'd go on a real estate sales site (Zillow is my personal favorite, but also Redfin, Realtor.com etc) and just start looking around at listings in your price range to find affordable neighborhoods to target and start driving around, then drive drive drive. The perfect deal might not be on the market yet, but by familiarizing yourself with the areas, you'll know it when it hits. The blog post on "shopping for a deal" makes excellent sense -- the more you are familiar with streets and neighborhoods, and how much properties have sold for, the better position you'll be in to grab the right deal when it comes along, without agonizing or delay. It's the quickest way to gain deal knowledge without actually doing deals.

This happened to me somewhat last year with a house in the Belvedere area.  I have a standard email reply to all the (nearly 100) non-personalized responses from the listings.  When all the viewer has to do is click a button to say "I'm interested in your listing, when can I see it,"  they don't have much invested and usually don't even remember which houses they sent messages about.  My standard response re-states all the basics (rent, location, qualifications) and requests interested renters actually drive by the house before requesting an appointment.  I have a similar voice message on the phone number, and text back the drive-by request if someone leaves a message w/o having seen the property and neighborhood.  Talking on the phone to people who haven't done their basic homework can be exhausting, so I don't call until further interest has been demonstrated.

Like you, I don't rule it out, but haven't had Section 8 renters yet.  When someone asks, I say the house has not yet been approved for Section 8, but I'm willing to investigate for qualified applicants.  So far, no one has pursued it past that.   I think there is a price break somewhere that divides the tenant pools; oddly enough, try raising the rent just a bit to pull it over a line (for instance, from $795 to $825) to see if that changes the nature of interested renters.

And the phone number isn't my personal cell #, it's a Google voice number that will play a message, accept texts, and forward all texts and calls to my email.

You could look into Home Probe - http://home-probe.com/ .   It's owned by a former neighbor of mine, a very stand-up, honest and professional guy.  They've recently moved to Charleston, SC to open an office there, too. 

@Mindy Jensen - Awesome fast customer response!  :-))  Thanks.

I've not done a wholesale closing, but have done a couple of cash closings with Rahall & Associates - betterclosings.com, in the Williamsburg office park at Buford Highway & Lenox Road.  Both went smoothly.