All Forum Posts by: James Brand
James Brand has started 26 posts and replied 186 times.
Post: New Member from Philadelphia

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Welcome Gabrielle!
You have come to the right place! Great first step to learning and investing.
I highly recommend BP's Ultimate Beginner's Guide, it helps to form a general foundation in the industry. Couple that reading with listening to the BP Podcast and you will find yourself discussing REI in a much more professional manner very quickly. Additionally, the podcasts provide real life examples of how people got started, which can help you to form your own strategy of how you would like to get started.
Best of luck!
-James
Post: Newbie from Southwest Philadelphia

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Welcome Gabrielle!
You have come to the right place! Great first step to learning and investing.
I highly recommend BP's Ultimate Beginner's Guide, it helps to form a general foundation in the industry. Couple that reading with listening to the BP Podcast and you will find yourself discussing REI in a much more professional manner very quickly. Additionally, the podcasts provide real life examples of how people got started, which canhelp you to form your own strategy of how you would like to get started.
Philadelphia also has some very useful online tools to access public records.
Best of luck!
-James
Post: New to BP from Philadelphia

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Welcome Jason!
As @Account Closed mentioned you have come to the right place! Great first step to learning and investing.
I highly recommend BP's Ultimate Beginner's Guide, it helps to form a general foundation in the industry. Couple that reading with listening to the BP Podcast and you will find yourself discussing REI in a much more professional manner very quickly. Additionally, the podcasts provide real life examples of how people got started, which canhelp you to form your own strategy of how you would like to get started.
Philadelphia also has some very useful online tools to access public records.
Best of luck!
-James
Post: Newbie from Virginia!

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Welcome Elford!
You are already headed in the right direction by discovering this site and making your first post! Explore all that this resource has to offer: blogs, forums, podcasts, calculators, guides, and webinars. I am a local of your hometown so unfortunately can't speak to where you are looking to invest now, but poke around this site for people in your area, and attend any local REI meeting to start learning your market!
Best of luck!
-James
Post: Real Estate Investor

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Welcome to BP DiJonee!
If you have not already, start immersing yourself in all of BP's resources: podcasts, webinars, blogs, forums, and guides. I would also start learning your market, in this case it looks like Philadelphia. There are some great websites that serve investors well providing useful information. Definitely network on this site, and attend the REI meetings. There are a couple the next two Mondays. I live and work in the city, so reach out any time if you have questions or just want to talk shop.
-James
Post: Portfolio Lenders in Philadelphia....and a request

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Clever idea Drew! Might want to mention how many lenders you have on there to properly entice people...
-James
Post: First Out of state rental

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Hey Wayne,
I completely agree with @Troy Sheets and @Ali Boone. The ability to be at your investment in a couple hours is a huge advantage. As Ali mentioned, the Philly market for MFH is pretty competitive, however if you are willing to put some work in, or invest some capital to make some repairs, opportunities exist.
One thing to note, if you buy in the next few months finding renters might be difficult if you do in fact make improvements to the property (as it is vacant). However, if it is a property that has some unattractive problems and you end up closing early 2016 you may be able to have it up and running at the ideal time!
I live/work in the city so reach out any time with questions about areas and options. Philly seems to be more and more and option for NYC investors because of the proximity.
Best of luck!
-James
Hey Lorenzo,
Looks good, before pictures are usually great to compliment the finished project. 3 months is not a bad turn around time. What are the cross streets of the property?
-James
Post: Philadelphia / Philly Newbie, Flipping, Buy and Hold

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Ah yes, I know what that is like. It is particularly tough to make a case after you have already been living together in a SFH. Never hurts to ask though, also never hurts to ask the seller if they would consider seller-financing. Most cases, the owner just wants to be done with the property, but you never know.
-James
Post: Philadelphia / Philly Newbie, Flipping, Buy and Hold

- Investor
- Philadelphia, PA
- Posts 205
- Votes 52
Gabriell,
If you are planning to move to that area, a duplex that needs a little work might be a nice option. As an owner occupant you have a lot of options with financing, and you would be investing right where you live. Additionally you would get the experience of being a landlord and doing renovations on a small scale. Just something to think about.
-James