All Forum Posts by: Bradley Buxton

@Sam Heller

I get that the Central Coast is pricey, as I used to live in SLO, but there’s still strong demand—even for bungalows. Have you looked into house hacking a duplex in your area? Is there any opportunity for value add with another room or bathroom?

Once your W-2 is solid, you could house hack the next place and rent your current home for another 2 years. That gives time for appreciation before selling and rolling that equity into another market.

Out-of-state investing can work, but it adds time and energy demands. If you go that route, pick a market you can reach in a day—Vegas, AZ, Reno. This is a long game, and it sounds like you're off to a smart start with your primary.

@Teresa Madrid

1. Buy where you would want to live

2. Buy where your lifestyle can accommodate visiting the properties and build your team

3. Buy in near where you live

3.1 Reno, NV is in a landlord friendly state, low property taxes, fair weather, close to CA. 

@Justin Mumm

You'll need to get a survey done. Then contact the Washoe county assessors office. They are very helpful. They can walk you through the steps for a lot line adjustment and splitting the lots. Depending on the future zoning and what your plans are for the lot there may be other steps.  Zoning multifamily or mixed use might give you more options for development. 

@Mick Harvey

I have the data and tools for the multifamily market in the Reno Northern NV area. It's what I do. I'll send you a PM. 

If you're weighing the risk of your down payment, appreciation should be a top consideration—especially if you plan to hold the property long-term.

I completely agree with @Eric Gerakos—strong appreciation markets tend to offer more protection for your down payment over a 10-year hold. Cash flow is great, but it can disappear quickly with vacancies, repairs, or market shifts. In low-appreciation markets, you risk being upside-down for years, and if life forces a sale, that’s a tough spot to be in.

Also, don’t overlook the time and energy required for long-distance investing. Even with a great team, you’ll need to visit the property, build trust, and manage relationships. That takes more time than most people expect—and your risk increases if you can't be hands-on when needed.

Think long-term protection first, especially if you're new to the game or investing out of state.

@Kwanza P.

Many agents don't want to put in the work or do not know what numbers to run. There are many investors that have a dream of investing in a market with little to no money down and get 1% cashflow and agent don't want to spend time with people that will not be able to buy. It's up to the agent to qualify a lead and if they are ready to purchase in a market. Here in Reno Tahoe we have a system to run numbers and sort and filter the top cashflow potential properties. We do call to confirm the numbers on tenant occupied properties and use hyper local data to calculate rents in vacant or owner occupied. Keep interviewing people until you find the right person as you would if you're running a business (because you are). 

@Tanya McDonald

You're right—working with investors really is a numbers game. But most agents miss the mark by focusing on what they want instead of what the investor actually needs.

Think about it: investors care about returns, portfolio fit, time, energy, and capital. If you can understand where they are in life, how they like to communicate, how much money they want to deploy, and what kinds of projects fire them up—you’ll instantly stand out.

Most agents in my area (Reno / Tahoe Nevada) just list properties. I offer full-market data, exit-focused strategies, and custom portfolio insights. No one else around here is doing that. It’s not about selling—it’s about solving their problem to make their dream work.

If you're an agent working with investors, ask yourself: what are other agents not doing—and how can I do it better?

@Samuel Peters

The 1% rule is just one piece of the puzzle. It's a bit like a land line, do they work yes, but we all still own cell phones.   There are other market factors that have drastically changed in the last 5 years that make the rules of yore less important. Smart investing means looking beyond surface metrics to understand the full picture—strategy, capital, time, risk, and long-term goals all matter.

Markets that don’t meet the 1% rule (like parts of CA or even emerging metros in NV) can still outperform due to appreciation, economic growth, and equity upside. A great deal on paper can fall apart fast if local fundamentals shift.

There's no one-size-fits-all. Choose an approach that aligns with your goals—and one you can sustain with the time, energy, and resources you actually have.

Start taking with other investors, realtors, contractors to get an idea of the market. As many have said here before investing in where you know and a place where you would live is generally a good market. 

@Raj Singh

Properties from that age can have lead paint and asbestos. Not necessarily deal breakers but something to be aware of. I recommend to clients to get an insurance assessment to better calculate expenses. Most insurance agents will give you a free quote.  They will look at electrical (panels and wiring) and the water pipes. Galvanized pipes are a red flag. Flood insurance might be worth looking into. Fire insurance would be less of an issue than up here where I'm at in Tahoe. General inspections usually indicate and other damage or issues. In Sacramento flood and water damage would be more common to look for than foundation issues found in hillier terrain. 

@Priya Sudhir

Is that a syndication? There are many threads on BP on how to vet a syndication to make sure you get your return. Calculate their offered returns vs your goals, time, energy, and compare that to alternatives such as stock, DST, direct real estate investment.