All Forum Posts by: Jeff Stein
Jeff Stein has started 14 posts and replied 136 times.
Post: High utilies detective

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
How do you investigate why a building has a high utility bill?
To provide some background, I am purchasing a 14,500 sqft. office building that is mostly empty. The average electric bill $2,200/mo compared to my other office building that is larger at 20,000 sqft where I pay closer to $1,200/mo.
Is there any good way to figure out why the bill is so high? And/or ways to reduce it significantly?
This new building does have an old boiler and A/C but i cant imagine this is the only reason, but I dont know how to go about and determine it.
Post: Anyone complete any commercial refinance deals lately?

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
Local banks and credit unions have always been the best source for me.
Post: Beginner Commercial Property Financing

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
I have used two local banks and one national bank to finance my deals so far. I typically financed with 25-30% down. There terms varry from 2-5 years amortized over 15-25 years. Hope this helps. Feel free to message me if you have more questions.
Post: Tax Ramifications of a Cash out Refinance

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
Originally posted by @Christopher Edmonds:
I am about to refinance and due to an increase in the value of the property can opt for a cash-out instead of a lower rate. Will that cash be taxed as capital gains? thanks.
I need to start by saying I am not a tax professional nor do I play one on TV. Refinancing does not count as a taxable event. Even though you are receiving cash, this money is still a loan and must be repaid thus not actual income.
Post: Hi everyone! Blank slate in real estate.

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
First of all, thank you for your service, we need lots of people like you.
Welcome to the site and Real estate as a whole. I am by no means an expert and only started investing 2 years ago and can say I have really enjoyed the ups and downs.
This may just be my personality and preference, but I think setting goals is the most important thing. What is your dream for real estate?
I'm with other posters here in that listening to the podcast and being on the forums is a great way to expand your knowledge. Start posting questions that come up. I havn't been to any of the local meet ups but I keep hearing good things about them.
Post: Should i get an appraisal to help me decide whether i flip/BRRR?

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
@Tato Corcoran I think the most important thing to do is to sit back and identify your goals for real estate investing. Some questions I would consider:
Is this the location you want to own a rental? Many ancillary services such as snow removal, lawn service, electrician, etc. will only cover certain areas of the city.
Do you even want rental properties or focus on house flipping alone?
Tax consequences: If you are in a higher tax bracket, the income from the sale of a property can be significant and so can the subsequent taxes.
I know this is not an actual answer to your question, but I hope this helps.
Post: How many people are from the Milwaukee, WI area???

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
Originally posted by @Daniel Wendorf:
I was just wondering how may people are from the Milwaukee too Waukesha area. Do you like investing in this area. And what is your favorite strategy of investing for this market?
I currently invest in and around Milwaukee. My current strategy is buy and hold. I use REI as a second form of income so this keeps my taxes lower as compared to flipping houses or doing private/hard money lending.
Post: Newbie investor near Milwaukee, Wisconsin

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
@Sheree Wegenke Welcome to MKE! I think MKE and the surrounding areas are a great place to invest and grow. Flips sounds like a great strategy for you. I currently own only commercial properties, but always interested in expanding. Good luck with the real estate courses! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Post: What would you do in my shoes?

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
@Matt Nusbaum
I agree with Matt. The most important way to start is identify your goals.
When will you need to access this money you plan to invest?
When looking to find an area to invest pay attention to tax implications. For example I have a high paying W-2 income. Therefore, I avoid taxable income as much as possible ( i.e, note investing or flipping)
Post: Co-working Space Developement

- Rental Property Investor
- Milwaukee, WI
- Posts 138
- Votes 52
@Priyanshu Adathakkar
Thank you for the advice, much appreciated. We thankfully have a very large parking lot that can more than accommodate.