All Forum Posts by: Jeff Zimmerman

sorry to hear about your struggles Laurel, have you consulted with local manager for MTR?  I wonder if they can give you some ideas to get higher rents and make it worth it for you to keep.  We have a few good ones locally that I've sent clients to before and they've been a big help. 

Sometimes it's better to just cut your losses if you are in a situation where there doesn't' seem to be a way out and call it a great learning experience. But other times it can be saved. 
I'm curious, when you say that its losing $1000/month, is that just because of the debt or is it losing $1000/month on the NOI?

Hey Gary, I have a few people for you to call, I'll message you right now. 

good luck man!  starting out is the first step and always remember that the hardest deal you will ever do is your first one....it all gets easier after that.  Go get it! 

hi @Neetu Patil if you need the names of some good contractors feel free to message me.  I don't believe you will need a permit for working on your kitchen unless you plan to do something with plumbing and electrical, but that would be a better question for your contractor or you can call the city permit office to ask. 

Good luck! 

Hey Dalia, good question. The typical people that live out there are families, just like most of NE Clovis/Fresno. It's in the Clovis North district so there is a bit of a commute to middle and high school but the elementary school is in the middle of the neighborhood. People like that area because of its proximity to the 168 freeway, it's literally 2-3 minutes away and then you can get anywhere into Clovis or down to 180 very easily. Harland Ranch is a really desirable neighborhood but probably not quite as desirable as the other 2 areas you mentioned. For example if those other areas were a 9 out of 10, Harlan ranch would be 8-8.5 out of 10. The highlights are the fact that it has a large community pool, grass area and clubhouse. It also has Bud Rank Elementary school right in the middle of the neighborhood which is a big plus. The negatives of living in the neighborhood are it's location (it's really far east and can take a while to go west into north clovis and fresno), HOA on the entire area, and yard sizes (many homes have lots smaller than their sqft so they only have a courtyard but there are also plenty of homes with yards). Overall I would never encourage someone not to buy in Harlan Ranch as it's a great place with high rents and appreciation. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Hey David, sorry to hear that you had to go through cancer but congrats on beating it! awesome! Yeah that's basically correct, the main thing to consider is area of town and layout. Some families don't want a garage and would prefer to have an extra house/room for family, these are mostly in B or C neighborhoods. A neighborhoods likely wouldn't want an ADU IF it takes away from the yard or garage.

does that make sense?

Hey Dalia, as far as appreciation goes these areas are both great and won't have any trouble appreciating, selling or renting.  Those are 2 great areas inside 2 great school areas in Clovis unified. Both are highly desirable for purchases and rentals.  

With limited info I'd say the 3 bed in 93730 is a bit better only because the other is in a gated community. The HOA rules for rentals can be strict in gated neighborhoods and it will also cost you some extra cash. Gated communities can appreciate less depending on the type of homes that are in there, because people in Fresno and Clovis tend to prefer not living in HOA's. However 4 bed rentals are hard to find so if the rules in the HOA are friendly to rentals the 4 bed may be better.

what size is the yard and lot?  are either of the homes 2 stories?  small lots (under 6000sqft) will not do as well and 2 story homes are not as desirable as 1 story.

If it's a 2 story home make sure the primary bed is on the ground floor, if the primary is on the second floor that may be a deal breaker as most buyers don't want to climb stairs as they get older and you will eliminate a decent amount of buyers/renters if the primary is on the second floor. 

let me know if I can answer any other questions, happy to help! 

Hey Mario, thanks for sharing your story man.  I'm so sorry for the hardships you had to face growing up.  Sounds like you are on your way to great things!  Let me know if I can help with anything as you get started investing.  I'm up in Fresno, I live and invest here.  Sounds like you lived here for a while.  Good luck man! 

that's awesome, thanks for that.  Which sources did you use?  I'd love to check them out

@Benjamin P Cohen I agree with you on your thoughts. When it comes to a single family home in general you can't really control the appreciation, there are little things you can do that improve value but you are mostly dependent on the market doing it's thing.  On average homes appreciate 3%/year, that's been much higher in recent years but with everything taking longer to sell now it seems like we are going to see things return back to typical appreciation.  The advantage you may have is that instead of having to save up money again you can tap your appreciation through a heloc or refi cash out to go make other investments, but that may also take some time. 

your second idea is the most conservative and a great way to start out, that's how I started and I still really like long term because its mostly hands off once its' stable.  I'm biased to that but know others that have different philosophies (like short term) and do really well. it really all comes down to where you are most comfortable and what you'd like to invest your time into. Good luck!