All Forum Posts by: J. Martin

You called me out @Bill Gulley ! I've been a little bored after work on a stay-out job around the Stockton/Modesto/Lodi area, so I feel like I should at least kick in, and maybe help a couple people out at worst.. If you've never visited, it's not exactly where most Californians strive to live.. lol (search google)

Thanks @Account Closed , but it looks like I have to sign up for some sort of business package, and I cannot find the actual pricing.

@Adam Hofmann , it looked like $30/mo minimum for Evoice. Do you know anything about kall8? It would be great to have something where I can keep the number and service all year, even though I will only be using it once or twice a year, without shelling out $360/yr. Given my lease volume, that would start eliminating the benefit of using the VA.. Maybe I'm just too cheap :( lol

There were a couple questions about the meetup, so just wanted to say it is absolutely on, and everyone is welcome to attend. Here are the details, and looking forward to seeing everyone there!

What: East Bay BP Meetup - 2014!

When: Thursday, January 16th, 2014 - 6:30PM to 9ish+

Where: Rosamunde Sausage Grill (& Bar)
Swans Market Place, 911 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607

Get There: Take BART to 12th St/Civic Center Oakland Station& walk down Broadway to decreasing-numbered streets. Make a right on 9th St and walk to the first corner, at 911 Washington St. It is about a 5min walk, a block from the last EB meetup.

Parking at 459 8th St, or other garages nearby at the link below. Address above.

Besides just the tips on the site, let me add a little flavor on the full time work situation...

Work full time. Manage 6 units. Ongoing is no problem. Prospecting, negotiating contracts, inspections, organizing, and rehab can suck up a lot of time.

First, have a great team of people who can handle whatever you need, with a handyman/contracter as the centerpiece (and a good property manager too if you can't do it yourself)

I think @Michael Seeker hit it on the head with those 3 points. Keep everything accessible online (cloud storage, google docs, email account, tablet always on you, whatever..), write down things as soon as your think of it (I use OneNote on my microsoft phone, or there are plent of free apps..), and set calendar reminders as soon as the thought is in your mind.

These processes have saved me in both my 9-5 and my real estate investments! Good Call!

Hi @Uuri Koh , awesome to see this thread a year later after you made everything work out.. Having an SF condo is killer in this market (especially outside of rent control!!!!) @Amit M. can second that for sure. And thanks for the shout out @Account Closed

I'm out in the East Bay. Buying up in Richmond for the last year so I can get cash flow (4plex & 2 SFR's). But for sure not the kind of ratios you are talking about.. I haven't been able to get a level of comfort with relying 100% on someone I dont' know out of state to manage my investments, but there are many on BP who have made money out of state. There's still some decent cash flow in the Bay, but you have to go the periphery (Richmond, E Oakland, Pittsburgh/Bay Point, some of San Leandro & Hayward..)

I'm young and trying to enjoy the Bay Area like you.. Regarding your move, for sure, banana slugs territory is more interesting than Mo Hill. But honestly, I think all of that area south of San Jose will be a bedroom community eventually. It's surprising how many people want to live in Mo Hill. And northern Gilroy crops will be subdevelopments someday.. There's just too much employment, money, and expensive real estate nearby to prevent the spillover.. some people don't want the commute. Although many like you and I would rather live in SC (btw, ever been to Blackrock Desert/Playa?)

I ended up making some sacrafices to live in Richmond for my owner-occ FHA 4plex in Richmond. But worked out great, and planning on moving to downtown Oakland/ Lake Merritt in the next quarter or so.. (although like your prior predicament, don't like paying rent lol).

The East Bay is far away for our meetup now, but I think @Troy Fisher

is down in your area and a great resource and BP member.. Maybe you two can get in touch.. See you around the forums Uuri!

More than enough to get started @Parul S. ;)
Definitely tap all the great knowledge on the site. There are wonderful and super helpful people, although having posted quite a bit lately, I would rate the mechanics of the website only OK.. The @ symbol you just figured out doesn't work a lot of the time, it's hard to see all the text in the PM's you send to people, and they're making a lot of improvements on the local networking searches.. @Joshua Dorkin , hope to see these improvements in the future (hopefully the Pro dues help out..!) But great and super helpful people..

I might suggest looking into FHA loans for an owner-occupied duplex or 4plex if you're willing to be flexible where you live, given your goals.. It's a great way to utilize a little capital to go a long ways (they typically underwrite 75% of non-owner occupied rents with your income), although it may require moving to a very different area if you're in NYC (like SF Bay Area where I'm at). But I moved to a reasonably commutable distance for a year, and worked out great - even better than I thought. And made a nice perpetual cash flow in the process..

Anyway, welcome again, and good luck!

Thanks @Ed

@Ed O. undefined

!

This is the kind of pricing I was looking for.. Would potentially allow me to maintain all year for my purposes.. No 510 number for my area, but some close by.. good call! (pun intended lol)

Thanks @Engelo Rumora for the recommendation on grasshopper.com . Cheapest I've seen so far on the recommendations for what I need..

And seemingly simple to use..

Hi Nate, and welcome to BP! I’m a ‘fix and hold’ investor from the Bay Area in CA, and loving it! But you’ll find a variety of every type of investor on the site, and everyone is amazingly helpful. Some pointers for you: The "Learn" link across the top navigation bar has lots of great info, and so do BP members! You can click on the ‘vote’ button if you like someone's post or is helpful, and there are ‘awards’ to earn on your profile. And you can tag people by typing @ before you type their name, then clicking their name at the bottom of the message box. Welcome to the site, and good luck in everything!

Welcome Todd . There are a lot of super helpful people and great advice on this site! I’m a ‘fix and hold’ investor from the Bay Area in CA, and loving it! A lot of others doing flips, wholesaling, notes, everything.. A few tips..

You can tag people by typing @ before you type their name, then clicking their name when it pops up at the bottom of the message box. You can click on the ‘vote’ button if you like someone's post or is helpful, and there are ‘awards’ to earn on your profile. The "Learn" link across the top navigation bar has lots of great info, and most importantly, the BP members! Welcome to BP, and good luck on your investments!