All Forum Posts by: Dan Mason

Look around your target areas for houses in disrepair. Go to the allegheny county land portal and look up who owns the property. Send them a letter. 

Welcome to BP! My wife is a Pharmacist as well and just got her realtor's license. We found BP last year and are working on our second flip.

I am a full time student finishing up a PhD in pharmacology and my wife is a pharmacist. We are located in Pittsburgh and just finished our first minor rehab and are working to get that rented. Also just closed on a house on our street that has been vacant for 8 years so this summer we will have our hands full with our first big flip.

Maybe consider holding for a few more years.  The back part of Mt. Wash is getting better for sure but it is a higher crime area and not really comparable to the Duquesne Heights part of Mt. Wash

You can use the allegheny county land portal to see who is not paying their property taxes

I think the trulia crime map is a good resource for determining rental prospects in Pittsburgh.  The housing stock and quality can vary greatly from one street to another and even in some "bad" neighborhoods, there are good areas.  One example would be the parts of Wilkinsburg near Regent Square and Edgewood.

I've had good luck with short term rentals in Brookline so I would say don't limit yourself to Southside.  I've found a lot of short term travelers prefer a quieter, more suburban feel while still being close to the city. Also, a lot of short term renters have a car and so having off street parking is more important to some than proximity to amenities.

Hi Debra, also a Newbie in Pittsburgh.  One resource that I have found useful is the allegheny county land portal. You can use it to see who has not been paying their property taxes.  

Vacancy really depends on your ratings and how you structure your rates.  I have not had any vacancy the last 2 months because the same people have booked both rooms for the entire duration. If I decrease the discount for booking longer stays my vacancy will go up but I'll have more short stays which pay more.  My small room with a twin bed goes for 650 per month and the large room with a queen bed goes for 850 per month all utilities and internet included.  

The way I understand it, you can opt for AirBnB to include the tax in the price of the rental and withhold that amount from your payments or you can just claim the income and pay the 7% at tax time. I didn't opt in last year but I think I will this year to simplify things.