All Forum Posts by: Chris Dawson

Welcome @Tyler M.! You have come to the right place to learn more about REI and to find more deals. I would suggest you get a jump on networking with the local REI crowd by attending some events. Check out MAREI.org and the Winvestors Facebook Page for starters. Let me know if you need any help.

@Westen Barnes welcome to BP.  Lots for you to learn from this site and its members.

I know a few people in Cassville.  Do you know the Fletchers?  I was good friends with their daughters, Stacy and Leslie.  They are both married now and I believe they still live in Cassville or close by.

Good luck with your investing.  Let me know if I can be of any service.

@Andrew McLain I have a great GC that I can recommend to you.  Send me a PM for the details.

Winvestors and MAREI are the 2 best REI clubs in KC. Winvestors meets weekly for breakfast and MAREI meets once a month in the evenings.

@Jessica Wise I would love to connect with you while you are in town. We are a full service real estate brokerage so we can help you with your MLS search.

Send me a PM so we can set up a time to meet.

@Keith Jourdan I would definitely agree that your photos need to be updated.  You should never take photos portrait style.  They should always be taken landscape style.

If you are using a realtor and that realtor took these photos, then you need to fire your realtor!  

If you are not going to use a professional photographer, then at least use a camera with a wide angle lens.  A Go-Pro is a good, cheap choice as long as your lighting is good (no flash).  A not as good choice but still better than what you have, is to use one of those 3rd party devices that you can snap on to your cell phone to give you a wide angle lens.  After you take the photos, use a photo editing software like Photoshop to strengthen the colors and touch up where needed. 

@Massimo Salerno call Danny Davis with Arrow Renovation.  You can PM me for more info.

@Panela Leung, @Mike D'Arrigo is correct.  There has been a lot of confusion about this over the years.  The only "qualification" needed is your lender's approval of the contractors.  

Your lender is your best source for a qualified contractor that can handle all the issues and obstacles involved with a 203 loan.  If your lender doesn't have a list of contractors that they have approved, then you need to run from that lender because they have no business doing 203 or 203k loans!

@Scott Anders welcome to Bigger Pockets!  I wish you all the luck with your real estate investing.  If you ever decide to invest in the Kansas City market, let me know.

@Account Closed,

I'm curious why you are targeting Knob Noster.  Are you going after the military rental market?  Knob Noster is pretty much in existence because of the Whiteman Airforce Base.  I'm always very cautious about investing in an area that is almost entirely dependent on 1 industry.  You never know when the government will decide it no longer needs Whiteman AFB and the entire economy in Knob Noster would disappear.  

If you are an out of town investor, I would be very, very cautious. Small towns anywhere in the midwest are usually a very close knit community and outsiders will likely find it more difficult (aka more costly) to do business there. Make sure you have a good local team to guide you. I would suggest you call the local MLS board, Midwest Missouri Board of Realtors http://www.missourirealtor.org/mmbr/home and dig around as much as you can before you jump in.