All Forum Posts by: Jordan Thibodeau

 Well, that's fortunate for the group that your dad can join us.  It's just unfortunate that you will be there too.  JK!!!

I have a Whisper coupon so I will be buying nachos for everyone.  

 Well Played Minh. 

Great topic.

When I started looking for my first property, I would overweight the importance of the financials as compared to the curb appeal of the property. Now, I scout the neighborhoods, check the curb appeal of the property, and then I work the numbers.

It's easy to chase that shiny white whale of a return, but many real estate dreams  are ruined chasing white whales.

I'm in, and unfortunately my old man wants to join in too. He told me he will be on his best behavior. 

@Adam Haman 

As everyone has already said:

1. Take a break from work. Take a week or two off to just think, don't take a vacation where you're running around from point A to B. You need time to decompress, think, and read.

2. You're suffering from burn out due to being too good at what you do. Start firing customers, prioritize your niche, and see i you can get some support. The top agents usually have an admin or someone to help shoulder the burden. Also, you need to start training your customers on when and how to contact you and you NEED to set boundaries. A VM with "Hello, sorry I missed your call. Being that Family time is critical to me. From XX-XX I turn off my cellphone. If it's an absolute emergency please call again and you will be able to reach me."

3. 4,500 provide you with little wiggle room for unexpected events. What if the market takes a dump and you cant rent out your properties? Kids get older, expenses increase, and the drama in your life will multiply X fold if you can't provide for your family. If you had 3 times that, I would be comfortable because you could continue investing and saving. 

4. Only retiring with rental property is a asset allocation risk. Like I said, if you reach retirement and the homes aren't producing enough for you to live on, you will be in a bad situation. I would suggest you also start saving for a 401k or a IRA (index fund) so you are at least earning a return that is not directly correlated with real estate.

5. If you did retire now, you would drive your wife bat **** crazy because you would be fiddling around the house 24/7 not knowing what to do with yourself because you are not working as much. 

6. Then you would be forced out of the house to find a job, and then low and behold you will be back in real estate, talking to me on BP as a depressed real estate guy.

You have good problems my friend, now it's time to start prioritizing. You should pick up a copy of Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less.

Blarg! I'm busy during that time. But maybe next time.

Anyways, if anyone is free at 12:30Pm, feel free to join.

@Brandon Turner How did you guys get William Shatner  to make a cameo in your video (1:43)? If this post gains more than 10 votes it's decide that this man is definitely William Shatner.

@Orion Walker I would have to agree with this man. It's so smooth it feels like one of those corporate marketing videos, which really isn't your guys' style. Because after watching that video, and then going to the podcasts, I would say, "wait a minute, this went from corporate stiff pitch to awesome down to earth funny dudes talking real estate." When I think of BP, I think of the common man's RE site...what's still good about america, which then makes the site much more approachable and RE less esoteric. 

I would have preferred a few star wipes, but other than that, excellent work, and thank you for all that you have done to to build such an amazing community.

Hi Everyone,

Tomorrow I will be up in Sacramento. I thought I would throw a hail Mary pass to see if any BP members from Sacramento would like to grab lunch tomorrow, 12:30PM at Marie Callender's (Good Cornbread) , 5622 Freeport Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95822.

Reply to this thread if you're down. I haven't reserved any spaces, so if you have a last minute change of heart, join me, and the elderly regulars at Marie callender's.

Cheers,

Jordan

HI @Tyler Haskell . Welcome to the forums.

You still can find opportunities in Sacramento but you need to mindful of the Summer busy season, which leads to emotional buying and higher prices. I would continue to search in Sacramento, but I wouldn't be discouraged if you can't find something right away. If you found something easily, odds are you: either got lucky (less of a chance) or your criteria is too low.

Stick to your criteria, stay diligent, and eventually you will find something.

Cheers,

Jordan

 Excellent. Thank you sir!

HI @Kari Reynolds welcome to BP!

Well, if the carpet is in good condition and it doesn't look horrible, I would leave it be, but if you have the money it wouldn't hurt to go with hardwood. As for the drapes, I had old school drapes from the 1950s in my duplex. I replaced them with Faux Wood Blinds from budget blinds. It added so much additional lighting to the rooms that it made the duplex feel alive and much larger. The cost for the blinds were a couple of hundred dollars, but they were worth every penny.

Best of luck with your rental!