All Forum Posts by: John Knisely

First off, what role and relationship do you have with this agent? Are you looking to work for them as a freelance marketer? Sure you can help them market it assuming you have their permission.

I'm going to assume you plan to negotiate a lower payoff with the city tax office? That would be my first piece of advice. And do so before you land the property, with something in writing. I don't have experience with this but would imagine they'd prefer to get a property performing again from a tax perspective rather than stomp their feet for the full 16k balance. Would probably be how I played it too, win-win situation, they get money now and a tax-paying property once again, you get a better deal on your property.

@Jake Recz what class properties might you be looking for? Some of the most tax-affordable municipalities also happen to be the most expensive in terms of property values (Thornbury, Newtown, Marple, Edgmont, Chadds Ford, Radnor etc), but the good news is even as we head "up" the list of total tax rates you are still far more affordable than what I have heard NJ experiences. Brookhaven, Aston, Bethel, Parkside, Haverford are in the middle of our tax affordability spectrum and you can find some good value. I also tend to keep taxes on the forefront of my radar when searching in Delaware county because it's not hard to stumble upon a 6-7k a year property/school/muni burden in Delco too. I have been watching Aston, Brookhaven, Marple Newtown, Media and a few others. I tend to shy away from S/SE Delco.

Would be happy to chat some more with you if you'd like via message.

Another vote for "when in doubt, disclose".

Welcome @Wanda Hernandez!  You're absolutely right, Biggerpockets has great tools and resources for real estate investors, I am a huge fan. 

I also went the owner occupied triplex route on my first home purchase. It is a great way to get your feet wet in real estate investing. If you are looking to network I highly recommend checking out some of the great REIAs we have in the Philly area. So far of the ones I have been to, DIG (Diversified Investors Group) has been my favorite. They have subgroup meetings for all different types of investing niches as well as localities such as DIG Philadelphia, DIG Delaware County etc. @Joseph Scorese is the point of contact/host for quite a few of these and could answer specifics about the subgroups he is in charge of.

Hope to see you around!

Josh, $72 semiannually ($144 a year) to be an unlicensed assistant.To join TREND as an assistant, you must:

-Only access the MLS and Public Records systems to assist a broker or member. You cannot hold a real estate or appraisal license.

-Be employed by an office that belongs to TREND.

I think they're probably pretty lax about it as long as there is no abuse. Just would need to be under that family member as their assistant in the MLS system. Shouldn't be tough to do at all. Also would need the broker's blessing which again is likely a non-issue.

Details here

Hey @Niti Jamdar, shoot me a message and let's chat. If I can't directly help you I'd be happy to try and point you in the right direction.

Hey Shannon. I upgraded to Pro about a month ago mainly for unrestricted access to the analysis tools and also to show people that I am serious about this. Having the Pro icon next to your name definitely builds additional credibility (assuming you are also contributing positively to the discussions). 

I don't see the Pro membership as filtering people out. There is an exclusive Pro forum, yes,  haven't spent much time on there. I stick to the areas that I can meet and learn from others in my area and desired investing niche. It should come down to how much value you want to get out of the BP resources in your decision to upgrade.

Yes there is a cash fee to have MLS access. Some areas allow unlicensed people (such as investors) to pay for MLS access, some require you to be an "assistant" to a licensed agent, while others I would imagine restrict to only licensed agents/brokers. I can't speak for NYC but in Philadelphia area we use TREND MLS and unlicensed assistants can have MLS access for a yearly fee.

Hey Jose. In order to be licensed you would need to sign on with a broker. Passing the licensing exams is the step right before this but you are not an agent until you actually find a broker. MLS access is then typically paid for annually or biannually through the local MLS service.