All Forum Posts by: Rob Brautigam

I did the 60 hour course at NREI in Cromwell. The two instructors there are great and it was way better than a boring college lecture. 

Congrats @Dan Leyden, I'm in the same boat and will be looking for an investor friendly brokerage in Fairfield County as well. Curious to see what kinds of replies you get here...

If the property owner is not residing at the property, their current mailing address is typically listed on the property card. Towns want their taxes and without a doubt will find a way if their mail is getting returned too. Go take a ride down to the town clerk / tax assessor, it might benefit your to talk to them in person at first to see what resources are available both at the town hall and online. 

I'm just browsing properties and up comes this 3700sqft "duplex" with a description of: "Legal 2 family with total of 5 units. Long Term stable tenants. Very clean and well maintained property"

How would you guys approach this? Is this even something the listing broker should really be stating?

My 3-unit (fully occupied: 2 bed, 2 bed, 1 bed) averages approximately 10,000 cubic feet per year at $27.98 per thousand cubic feet (plus a meter charge of $50/year).

In all, I pay approximately $300 per year in Water and another $300 per year in Sewer, which is just estimated off of water usage. Grand total of $600/year for Water+Sewer combined.

Check out your city's Water & Sewer Department website for billing information.

Ha, it's kind of tough to not appear as the owner, as the tenants probably saw you a couple times while you were still looking at the property, they saw you conveniently move into a unit as the for sale sign was being taken down, their rent money goes to you....etc, etc, etc.

I am dealing with the same situation right now on my first deal. I think the best you can do is come off as professional as possible and really lay down the rules from the get-go. Run your rental as a business, because that's what it is. If you don't treat it like a business, you'll let your tenants waste your time and money.

You could potentially give them the "It's a partnership," "I'm part-owner," "Let me discuss that with my partner," "I'm just managing the property" spiel, but I find it's easiest to just be completely honest about your ownership.

Does the previous owner's lease you inherited during the purchase specifically say no smoking? Did the tenant sign any no smoking or no marijuana addenda during their lease signing? I would assess a smoke/odor removal fee deducted from the security deposit.

Hi @Renata McCulloch, I'd recommend you meet up with a local real estate agent who would definitely be able to give you closer details on the desired location and schools, and would be able to pull some comps from similar recently sold properties in the area. 

Also try posting in your local forum...here is a link to the Tacoma, Washington BP Real Estate forums. Good luck!

@Pearl He, could you give a little more information on your prospective investment? Type of property, approximate purchase price range, cash that you'll be willing to put as a down payment.

Will this be a one-time investment, or do you plan on keeping/saving up more money for deal #2?

These details will help us help you.

Welcome to the site @Samira F. Be sure to check out all of the free resources, in addition to the Forums. I recommend the podcasts and the free books/guides (both under the Learn tab on the website). Start with @Brandon Turner's Ultimate Guide to REI book. Good luck!