All Forum Posts by: Kusum Chanrai

Hi everyone, 

Firstly thank you so much for all the ideas and input. BP clearly has a pretty amazing, generous set of members. I've learned a lot from each post. There is where I'm currently at. I'm exploring 2 main options: 

1) Partnering with an investment group who has purchased a large MF - provided I can learn through the process and participate in the upside. Many folks suggested I participate passively - I'm happy to do that on the side, but I want to be an active investor, get my hands dirty etc. I mentioned my family circumstances (i.e. the lovely twins) because I can't be traveling every week, but every month is very possible. 

2) Building a small MF (quadraplex) or set of SFRS - location (TBD): Some family members suggested McAllen as they have a good team out there, and have done well themselves. But I'm still figuring out if that's the best location for me. If anyone has experience doing this, particularly in Texas, I'd love to speak with them. 

3) The options I de-prioritized, but may look at later are: 

+ Holiday rentals: A good backup if neither of the above work out. Smaller in scale, but would be good for immediate cash flow (as I may not return to my day job) 

+ Note investing and RE international development: Fascinating subjects - and the both the hungry and curious parts of me want to jump in here. However, it's probably worth doing a deeper dive once I have more experience. 

Many folks reminded me that I needed to state my goals. Here they are: 

A) I'm after a mix of both appreciation and cash flow. I know that might seem like a "cop out" of an answer but net, I'm looking to invest so that in the about 5-7 years time, I'm significantly more wealthy than I am today. I don't "need" to see the cash flow in Year 1, but appreciation is a ton more risky - and I'm probably worse than the average person in anticipating RE cycles, hence a mix of CF and appreciation is desired. 

B) I want to play an active role in the process - in order to learn as much, as quickly as possible. 

For those of you interested, I evaluated my investment options here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-YJaii8_oq...) and used this matrix to select my target markets (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-YJaii8_oq...)

Thanks again everyone and a happy Friday. 

Hi everyone, 

I'm looking into developing SFR or a small MF - most likely in Houston, but market TBD. Can anyone recommend a good book or website or even developer blog in order to learn the basics (e.g. land evaluation, risk mitigation, builder evaluation etc)?

Thanks! 

Thanks everyone - this has been an incredibly helpful discussion for me. 

@ Karen Margrave - You're entirely correct about not posting dollar amounts. There's no way to edit or delete the post now though is there? 

Hi everyone! 

I'd love some advice. I have $2.2 m to invest on property in the US this year. We just had twins so I need to restrict my travel. I'm based in San Francisco, and so investing locally is out. I initially wanted to buy 1 or 2 MF. I had selected 2 strong cities: San Antonio and Atlanta. Given how quickly MF valuations have been growing, the competition for MF is more fierce than ever and what I have is significantly less than most institutional investors have. I'm thinking through the following options: 

1) Join a mentorship group like Brad Sumrock's - So I can pool my funds with other individuals in order to buy larger properties. 

2) Select a much less competitive market (e.g. Saint Louis potentially) so that there is less competition. The problem here is the upside is also a risk. And secondary markets like Columbus are also pretty expensive now. 

3) Invest in SFRs for now - I haven't done this as yet, because MF seemed more efficient, and I need to restrict my travel given my new twins. 

4) Something else. 

Any advice would be MOST appreciated. Thanks!! 

Thanks so much everyone. 

@ Ana - I live in Mission Bay, and couldn't agree more. Sadly - the nice condos have now really shot up in the price. But great suggestion. 

@ Michael - Super helpful response. Which "Tier 2" neighborhoods would you propose are most likely to appreciate. We were close to buying in Potrero but then backed out because of the neighborhood and the fact that it hasn't changed much at all. 

Hi All. I'm starting to look at working with Net Realty (wholesaler) in order to source deals in Dallas to rehab and sell OR rehab, refi, buy and hold. 

- My budget is about 250K for 1 house or less (not including rehab budget) 

- What would be a good area for a mix of appreciation and cash flow for a buy and hold? 

- What would be a good area for a flip in Dallas i.e high demand for SFR in that price point?

Thanks in advance for all your help! 

Hi everyone! 

My husband and I are looking to finally buy a home in SF. We've saved up and now that we've had twins - we think its time to make a purchase at $2-3MM even though this overheated market is a little terrifying. I'd love folks opinion on the following: 

1) Which areas are likely to represent the "best investment" in the next 5 years? I.E. Considering both the purchase cost of the house and appreciation rate, where would one buy for the highest ROI. We have 2 schools of thought. Buy in either:

- Established, affluent areas: Pacific Heights, Presidio, Cow Hollow, Sea Cliff OR

- Tier 2 areas that might become more affluent: Mission Bay, Potrero, Dogpatch, MAYBE "Outer Sunset" (although yes - it's probably in a lower tier than the others) 

2) Are we likely to make money if we invest in a cosmetic renovation of an older place or is the cost of labor and materials in SF likely to diminish our potential profits to a negligible amount. 

Look forward to hearing any and all opinions! 

Hi everyone! 

For the last year, my goal was to buy a multi-family property. I selected a few markets, and has 3 deals under contract - but for 1 reason or another, things didn't work out as planned. Given that multi-family investing is aggressively competitive right now, I'm re-considering my strategy - potentially investing in mobile home parks or even SFRs instead. My goal is to make as much money as I can over the next 5 years - investing about 500K/year. So my questions are the following: 

1) Is mobile home investing as competitive as Multi-family investing right now? 

2) Over a 5 year horizon, all else being equal (market, time spent etc), what is likely to provide a higher return on investment, if you combine both cash flow and appreciation? My understanding is the cash flow is slightly higher in mobile home investing, but appreciation in MF? 

Thanks All for your opinions and advice. 

Thanks so much everyone! Fred - I just sent you a colleague request and will follow up with the address shortly. Thanks!

Hello! I'm looking at buying a property in Fresno, Texas. I'm in contract and currently doing a property inspection + getting quotes for Repairs. Would anyone know: 

1) In this area, what are the most accurate sites to determine how much monthly rent I can get from the property? 

2) Home valuation tools. 

Thanks!