All Forum Posts by: Junior Maravel

@Junior Maravel,

Hey Junior and welcome to the community! You're definitely not alone - a ton of investors living in high-cost areas like L.A. are building wealth through out-of-state investing. It’s a smart move, especially with your interest in multifamily properties. I lived in LA for 4 years and sold RE there, so I know the pain!

Starting with duplexes to quadplexes is a solid strategy - more doors under one roof means better cash flow and efficiency, especially when managed well. Since you're in the medical field and likely balancing a demanding schedule, here's what I’d recommend as a starting point:

1. Target Landlord-Friendly, Affordable Markets
Markets in the Midwest and Southeast, like Alabama, Missouri, Indiana, and parts of Florida or the Carolinas, are ideal for investors starting out. You can find solid duplexes and quads in the $150K–$350K range with strong rent-to-price ratios and local property management available.

2. Turnkey or Light Rehab Multifamily
Since you're new and investing from a distance, turnkey, already rehabbed or new build multifamily properties and tenant-ready, can help you avoid the growing pains of managing renovations remotely. You can always branch into light rehabs later once you've built your team and confidence.

3. Network & Learn the Process
You’re doing the right thing by joining investor communities and learning from others who’ve done this. Ask questions about:

Building your out-of-state team (agent, PM, contractor)
Understanding financing options for 2–4 units
What to look for in market selection (population trends, job growth, etc.)

You're in a great position to start building passive income outside of California, and once you do one deal, the process becomes much more familiar.

Feel free to reach out if you want examples of out-of-state multifamily deals or a walkthrough of the numbers - happy to help however I can. 

Best of luck,

Melissa

I have to disagree, Los Angeles can be starting point. That's what I did. I house hacked twice and now invest out of state. But I never would have been able to get started had I not started locally.

The main reason is because you can use the appreciation as a vehicle to fund future properties. Keep in mind a 3% increase on a $1M property is far better than 3% appreciation on a $100K one. Of course no guarantees on appreciation but you get the idea. What is guaranteed though is loan buy down. Larger loan buy down, larger equity position.

This also includes that if you have $50K, you could buy a $1M duplex and use part of the income to qualify. You couldn't buy a $1M asset out of state with only $50K if you were buying strictly as an investment property.

With all of that said, you need to decide what your goals are in the short term and long term. You are going to get a lot of Realtors on here saying their market is the best place to invest. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but you need to do the research yourself. This is coming from someone who not only has a house hack here in LA, but also owns rentals in three other states.

This platform offers an excellent opportunity for networking and building connections.
What are your overall financial goals? Are you interested in exploring the Kansas City market?

Welcome to Bigger Pockets Junior!

Bigger Pockets is a great place to learn and connect with fellow investors.

If you’re looking to invest long distance, I definitely recommend building your core-4 team. This team consists of an Investor Focused Agent, Lender, Contractor, and PM.

Read this article on the "core 4". It explains the team that you should develop to have a strong foundation under you while investing remotely.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-team