All Forum Posts by: Claire Mannino

Thanks for the information. It is a nice house in a GREAT neighborhood that will definitely need some work put into it. The electrical is the main thing that I am concerned with. It has partial knob and tube wiring. Nothing has been remodeled or updated since the 70's. I would be buying to hold. 

Thanks Daniel!

I've been looking for properties with a realtor for a while now. A few days ago a good friend of mine decided she is ready to sell her house. We discussed it and both decided we are serious about her selling me her house. Neither of us are really interested in involving realtors if we don't have to. We figure we could both save some money, her by not having to pay a realtor the 6% and me because she could sell it to me at a more reasonable price because she will be saving around 15,000 by not using a sellers agent. 

I am very confident that we can find a price that feels fair to both of us, but neither of us really know all of the steps necessary to close the deal. 

Can anyone help lay out the steps involved? I will be working with a mortgage lender, so I'm sure he will be able to help, but I am also not opposed to hiring a real estate lawyer or someone else to assist. 

Thanks y'all!  

Thanks everyone! House hacking sounds like where it's at! 

Thanks Rubelyn! I'll check out the webinar. 

Hi! 

My name is Claire and I am a 31-year-old single mom living in lovely Bellingham Washington. I work in the mental health field and have finally reached a point where I feel comfortable entering into the real estate world. My goal in real estate is to educate myself around terms, strategies, etc., that will help me eventually own several income properties that will create enough income in the future to allow me to retire. I know that I don't know a lot and I don't want to dive in without feeling knowledgeable and supported. I would love to meet and learn from others with more experience and knowledge in the field. 

Bellingham is unique in that many more people rent than own, likely due to the transitional nature of the town. Students come and go often and those who do stay generally have a rough time finding jobs that pay a living wage. I have managed to save around $20,000, after living with parents to save money, and have been pre-approved to buy a single family home or multi-unit up to 4 units. I want to make a smart decision with my first property and I don't know where to start. 

Anyway, that is where I'm at right now. I hope to meet and connect with many of y'all!