All Forum Posts by: Joe Davis

@Eric Thomson we will be near to the Astrodome/NRG before we decide where we want to be in terms of future schooling for our daughter. Currently considering Friendswood, Katy or The Woodlands to purchase our primary residency but their is no rush on that until we get to learn those areas better and which is the more appealing. Although my goal is buy & hold, if it becomes rather addictive (which I assume one can get the bug) I fully intend to run some flips, so Conroe is a very potential location to learn about. I hope to be able to do enough networking to build a decen team of hopefully reliable contractors.

Thanks @Charlie Hampton that is a fun fact! 

@Eric Thomson you sound like you have some experience in the language cross-over! I'm sure I will get plenty of odd looks along the way! My wife is from Wales and last time we were visiting Houston, one of the ladies at the till/counter had not heard of the county and thought we were "pulling her leg"! I must admit that I am already a sports fanatic, so look forward to going to plenty of games!

Are there enough doors coming to market in Conroe that would fit the "C" neighbourhood criteria? What areas of Conroe would you suggest, and maybe we can grab a coffee locally when I get there. :)

@Jonathan Twombly great advice thanks. I intend to graduate to multi-family once i wet my beak so to speak with the US system. I like the idea about population growth being a better indication. I am going to be mainly sourcing in the Houston area and wanted to know more about the areas in the near Vicinity (Conroe, Beaumont, Galveston) etc. And if the numbers seem to work, would these still be worth exploring. I was thinking that locations with smaller populations, even with a high % of recent growth are at risk of decline if they rely solely on single-industry/employers. However, I think with a population of 100k + the opportunity for employment diversification would be better (if that term fits). As the numbers I can make work at the moment are geared more towards C-Class neighbourhoods I assume this would be an important factor. We have had towns with an initial great ROI in the north of England, but when the main employers went Kaput....so did the values of property. We have a few flint/detroit type ghost towns now that originally saw a great populous influx.

Great, Thanks @Cody L. I look forward to corresponding with you in the coming months/years.

Thanks @Cody L. I have read quite a number of insightful posts on here. You are an inspiration! I would like to graduate from SFH to Multi Famiy at some point also. What areas/subdivisions have you seen success in?

Anytime you need a "mentee" you just let me know :) 

Hi BP Community!

I thought I would take the time to briefly introduce myself as I have been lurking the BP forums for some time now.

I am relocating to Houston from London, UK with my wife and daughter. I am 33 years old and worked in recycling for 13 years. However, I sold my business in October and now am looking for a new career....the rest is history as they say.

My first questions actually have to do with population & vacany levels. To test the waters I want to try to purchase with cash lower value homes in the surrounding Houston areas (all the way out to Beaumont, Galveston, Conroe) etc. In some of these towns, the vacancy rates don't seem incredibly high and the rental to owner mix seems fairly balanced.

1) What would be the minimum town population you would consider a Buy & Hold property in?

2) When analysing areas for rentals, is it better to look for those which have a more balanced rental to ownership ratio, or are you looking for a much higher % of rentals indicating a more working class area and better for reduced vacancy rates.

Thanks in advance (unless nobody answers) :)

Also, I would love a mentor in this industry - anyone in Houston who would consider it, I am sure I would have a lot to offer in the short and long term.

Cheers! (As we say in the UK)

Joe 

Hi BP Community,

I am looking for Investor friendly realtors in Channelview, and also reliable Houston contractors. I am new to BP and would also love to sit down/network with any other fellow Houstonian Investors.

Thanks!

Joe

Hi Shaun,

Good luck, I am new to BP and REI also, moving to Houston in the next few weeks! Also a newbie, but have quite a lot of experience in the business world, albeit in the UK (I have lived in London for many years, started and sold two companies).

My main goal when arriving in Houston is to find ways to source quality leads, not just through networking but trial and error via marketing. Whatever solution works best, to continually implement that and really perfect that marketing channel. We have a saying in England that "you don't ever win the lottery unless you buy a ticket"....meaning, however lowballing you think an offer is - well, it's an offer! The asking price is really irrelevant, it's what will work financially and what won't work! If they reject your offer, so what...on to the next.

Can I ask what your strategy is? Do you intend to Fix & Flip or are you looking to build passive income through rentals?

What areas are you specifically looking at, and what types of deals are you currently analysing to come to the conclusion that there aren't any suitable deals at the moment?

Lastly, you clearly have knowledge through your Real Estate License, why did you not try and keep this up to date as a valuable tool for viewings, listings and saving yourself a lot of future commissions?

Happy to grab a coffee and chat more when I get to Houston if you would like, I have a lot of confidence in marketing, and maybe we can put our brains to good use.

Alex, Can you place me on your buyer's list? Also, if you every fancy a sit down please let me know.