All Forum Posts by: Brandon Vukelich

@Jason Chung please heed the comments/advice posted here.  I apologize if I'm making assumptions but perhaps you haven't followed Seattle much over the years and don't own property in the city. Have you ever heard of tenantsunion.org? Look that up when you have time. I owned (past tense for a reason) property in Seattle and owned a property management firm there from 2010-2014. It is getting worse and worse every year.  Yes, strong jobs, good rent growth and appreciation in Seattle but do you understand how the city council and mayor run the city and their absolute intent to protect tenants to the extreme?  I no longer wanted my property taxes, rental inspection fees, etc go to support such an anti-capitalist, anti-landlord, anti-sanity city.  I refuse to help clients purchase within the city and encourage them to consider the many other great areas within the Puget Sound.  If you're here on BP, I'm guessing your values and plans to be a real estate investor do not align with Seattle.  But there are plenty out there that still feel the investment is worth it.  I wish them well.  Sorry...this subject always strikes a nerve with me as a person born and raised in Seattle and witness to the decades of decay in its politics.  So ashamed.  Best wishes on the direction you take in your investing goals!

@Barrington Webb if you plan to treat it as a legitimate business, invest a few hundred dollars in your own purchase & sale agreement and assignment contract, written by a licensed attorney in your state. A good real estate attorney may already have something they can offer you or update as needed, without reinventing the wheel. But you generally don't want to use legal docs from other parties without having an attorney review for your protection. Please keep in mind that you are not selling candy bars or an Xbox on Craigslist or something, you are transacting in real estate that comes with a lot of liability. Don't be cheap and look for free crappy docs online. Best wishes in your journey!

Good list @Don Konipol - I would emphasize numbers 2, 5, 6, 12, 13 and 20. You really need a good handle on market valuations. For me, the most difficult was estimating rehab but my strength as a local investor/agent was knowing the ARV. Also investing in "attorney-approved" documents, specific to our state, was well worth it. Best wishes on your journey!

Tough to really comment without knowing more about your experience as well. Have you bought/sold dozens or properties or is this your first time? There is soooo much more that goes into a real estate transaction than just "listing" it. The hot market is making it appear even easier to sell a property. But getting it listed and accepting a quick offer is just the first phase of a real estate transaction. Agents have done a horrible job conveying value to the market but many of what others are posting above is true. I earn my commission through experience, market knowledge, negotiating skills, keeping the deal on track through challenges, etc. Anyone can order some pics, place a sign out front and post it online. Yet most FSBOs don't do a great job about marketing, negotiating and handling their own transaction from start to finish. They are not involved in the market on a daily basis like agents. I do know some FSBOs that have a smooth transaction and get a great deal but that is the minority. One of my best investment props I bought was from a FSBO on Zillow. I knew the market better than the seller, I had far more experience in negotiating (it was obvious), and so on. You don't want to be that seller unless you're confident in your experience and knowledge of the market and process. Best wishes on your plan!

I would contact your local fish and game to report them.  If you're a hunter/fisherman, in many states you are awarded points that can go towards tag applications, etc.  I don't know about "illegal" activities actually occurring on our property but it wouldn't surprise me in some capacity.  I'm positive that other activities or use of our property (which we would not approve) do happen such as filming a porn video.  Those guests caused the second most damage to our unit, behind a couple of traveling nurses and their three huge dogs. Absolutely trashed our bed linens, couches, love seats, etc.  Good times...but all part of doing business.

@Kam Olsen I don't publicly post anything negative or "disadvantages" about any real estate firms here on BP.  You're welcome to send me a DM and we can chat privately.  Like many of the big brands, eXp is a quality choice to consider along with KW and ReMax as well.

@Jorge Barboza Jr. you've mentioned all rather hot markets but FYI, none of those would be considered "rural" IMO.  Our office has brokers investing in Moses Lake, which I would say is more rural than those mentioned.  You're going to see crazy market pressure in Spokane, similar to Boise.  Out of the areas you listed, Kennewick may be the most affordable but rents/appreciation won't be as strong as those you have on the West side of WA or Spokane. As mentioned by others, you may want to read up on landlord-tenant laws.  WA is getting worse by the month.  Best wishes in your search!

@Jorge Barboza Jr. Boise is great but supply is super limited.  I bought an 18-unit in 2017. It has appreciated about 11% a year and I've been watching the market the last four years.  Really started going crazy a couple years ago.  I receive unsolicited offers for my property in the mail every month.  Definitely A LOT of eyes on Boise.  I can connect you with a good broker over there.  He has me on an auto-search and pings me for off market deals occasionally.  I also have a great PM, if you need a referral.  Best wishes in your search!

Even a dated home you should consider staging. My stager tells me "that she can draw the eye from some of the dated architecture and show off its features." Plus every listing is an opportunity to show your level of professionalism, competency, marketing and all around efforts to have your listing show better than all of the competition. When sellers are interviewing agents, they are doing their online recon, checking your last few listings. I don't measure the ROI on staging, I see it as a measure to help with the pictures/video, promoting myself and the way I market a property. In full disclosure, some properties are occupied with less than tidy homeowners, horrible tenants or just are so rough it doesn't make sense to put "lipstick on a pig." But those are rather rare. You could also consider virtual staging for your pics. My vendor charges $50/room. Best wishes on the listing!

If you intend get the property under contract, you typically sign the PSA with your name/biz name on it and send the mutually accepted PSA along with an assignment agreement to the end-buyer.