All Forum Posts by: Eric Dowling

@Dutch Marc I know of one on this site, Logan A. I cant tag him since I'm not his colleague yet, but just search his name or hopefully he sees this since he posts quite a bit.

Andrew Karpman I agree, you do need to account for capex beyond the HOA fee. As far as the number I just use the 10% in my spreadsheet when evaluating properties. In condos it's about the same as SFH. Roofs, HVAC, etc all need to be accounted for. Everything that breaks or needs fixed is the HOA and you are apart of that.

Andrew Karpman I would keep the standard in my calculations. You will inevitably end up with a special assessment by the HOA, and if you planned for it it won't hurt as much.

David B. I think you will always be able to find a reason to not invest in real estate. Be it high prices, high interest rates, low appreciation, China, or whatever. If you can find a property now that you can add value to and/or will cash flow then I say buy it now. Whether it is fear the market will turn or hope to buy at the bottom, don't let these stop you from investing. These thing should be considered on a macro level, but you will still come out ahead even when the market corrects itself if you are smart and don't over leverage yourself.

Geoffrey Tan it sounds to me like you have everything figured out! You are on the right track for sure. You just need to make a decision and go with it. There are so many things to do with the money. We all invest differently, so everyone will have a different answer for you. As for getting $2k cash flow off your fist purchase/purchases... With 1.2m in the right area you could do that.

@Wei-Der Huang 

@Russell Brazil said it perfectly. 

Find a great agent to work with that you trust. if you are looking in different areas tell them and then may refer you to another agent in that area. This is a win-win as you can work with multiple agents but keep your #1 agent happy because he will get a referral fee. 

@Wei-Der Huang it depends on the agent. Some specialize in just one area while some specialize in a few. I for example specialize in the Los Angeles area, and also Palm Springs, but I will refer clients to other areas that are closer like Ventura because I don't know the area.

As I listing agent, I have to say listening to advise to just go with the listing agent is bad advise. It's like giving the advise to represent yourself in court because it is "cheaper". It's not, and you will not get a better deal.

Heather Tigranyan welcome to BP! You have come to the right place. What kind of investment properties are you looking to get into?

Welcome to BP Dutch Marc ! I too do the Airbnb thing, but in Palm Springs. You are right it is tough to find cash flowing properties here in LA, but they are out there. A lot of people, including myself, end up investing in the surrounding areas an hour or two from LA. Don't hesitate to reach out!

Online is fine. I did it online but I can't remember which one. All they did was give me the books and a test on each book. That was it. I found podcasts of lectures to listen to in the car, then just studied my *** off before the state exam.