All Forum Posts by: Christopher Blanco

PM me as well. I have a great commercial lender I can put you in touch with.

Build your network and bring something to the table. That's my advice. 

Wholesaling is not an entry level gig....

@James P.

"I have a rough idea and it seems sound enough to plan on buying the house."  should never be uttered by a real estate investor. My mentor once told me a phrase, and it changed the way I look at deals. He said, "We are in the business of talking ourselves OUT of deals, not into them."  You cannot go into a potential deal and just "see what happens". You have to know what happens and be ready to control the surprises. I would tread very carefully here or you could be in for a very expensive education.

I would hire an accountant before you organize into an LLC. Also I don't believe you can get an FHA loan in the name of an LLC.

@Brandon Markos what do you bring to the table? Can you find deals? Are you a tradesman? Do you have knowledge? Do you have time on your hands? All of these things can be used instead of money. You need to find out what you possess then market that ability to those who need it. I am doing my first two flips (ARV's around $170 each) with no money of my own. I am doing this by leveraging a network i have built over the last 6 months. You can't do this business alone.

So with $20.000 here is what I would do:

• Write a business plan
• Invest a small portion into establishing a real business. Unless you want this to be a hobby, don't do it in your own name. Establishing a business and writing a business plan gives you credibility.
• Write a business plan
• Invest a small portion into your education, be it books, seminars, meetups etc
• Start networking....friends, family, coworkers etc. All of them are potential investors. Go to REIA meetings, ask questions and follow up with people you meet
• Research, understand and seek out funding sources. Know how to present your deals to guarantee funding.  My two flips that I have right now have a total 3 different lenders. Yes the money is expensive, but I counted for that in my evaluation.

Good luck!

@Ryanne Hodson I have used Bolero on my MIL's house when we rehabbed it. Its a great door color!  I hate white doors! ;) 

Yes. I would go rust or something like that for the door, maybe black for the shudders. 

What about something like this?

Main House: SW Hardware

Tudor Background: SW Extra White

Tudor Trim: SW Dover White

@David D Painter, thanks! Its a great "bones" house. It was built in 1977, looks like no one touched the decor in 40 years

@Jeff B. So you would just paint the Tudor trim into the house and use a contrasting color on shudders?

I have a house under contract in a suburb of Cleveland. The only problem, I am having trouble deciding what to do to the exterior. I don't have a huge budget for the exterior, right now I just have budgeted for painting and windows.  Should I remove the "Tudor" looking trim and just paint it all one color? Should I just bite the bullet and have it sided? Any creative thoughts? 

What can I do to dress this exterior up without killing the budget?