All Forum Posts by: Laura Sulak

@Ashley Burnley Thanks for the congrats! Best of luck to you in your investing journey, too! 

@Andrea Sharp Thank you for the kind words! Just keep going, and you'll get there. If you ever feel stuck, try looking at things from a totally different angle. It sometimes helps break open the box we've put ourselves in. Best of luck to you! 

@Matt Vander Werff Thanks for the congrats. I've known the property owners for years now, and I knew they were thinking of selling. I wanted to buy it four years ago, but my life just didn't have room for it at the time. I decided to try again last fall, and they were ready to sell. They had a buyer a few months before I contacted them, but the deal fell through. We were able to negotiate without a realtor. We also have a contract on a triplex, set to close hopefully by the end of this month. So, in my case, my connections to my community helped me on this deal. 

I've lived in the historic area of Temple for 19 years now, renovating two and flipping two houses for personal use, so I've built a lot of relationships. Plus, I see potential in almost every house, so that helps. 

Best of luck on your upcoming closing! 

@Armando Payano Thank you for the congrats! It means a lot to have the support of the BP community.

@William F. I've heard that's a great book. It's on my list, and it's great to hear that others have gone through something similar. Thanks for the encouragement! 

I just closed on my very first rental property! It's an occupied duplex in the historic district of Temple. This is a big deal for me, you guys. This is the first step in a radically new direction from where I've been, mainly focusing on my children and family for the last 27 years. 

I just had to tell someone! 

Hi, @Nicholas Ameluxen. I'm a beginning investor in Temple, and the market here is good. I just bought my first duplex in the historic area of Temple, with a couple more acquisitions in the works. You basically have your pick of what level of rental/tenant/neighborhood you'd like - we have it all here. Pay more for a property, but have better tenants and fewer headaches. Pay less for a property and have higher cash flow, but expect to put in more time and capital.

The school are ok, but they're not bad. The medical community is robust and growing. We also have strong city government and a surprisingly large manufacturing/business base. All of these contribute to a rental housing shortage for A to B class tenants.

I'm new to making money in real estate, but not new to real estate at all. I've lived here 19 years, so I know my neighbors and my town. I think it's a great place to invest. PM me if you'd like to meet sometime when you're in the area. 

@Tony Gunter, sounds like we're in the same boat. Thanks for the quick look at the difference!

@Jason Hartley, thank you for the detailed reply. I haven't heard of Rentec Direct, but I will be looking that up tonight. Unsolicited recommendations certainly carry a lot of weight, so thanks for your opinion!

@Andrew Daniel, it's good to know that Cozy has great customer service. Thanks for your input! 

Hi, everyone! What are your thoughts on Cozy or TurboTenant?. I will own five units from two properties by mid-August. I want to manage them online as much as possible. Both of these free management tools look promising, and I don't need something like Buildium or Appfolio yet.

I've done some reading in the forums on both Cozy and TurboTenant, and there doesn't seem to be just one better choice. 

What are your thoughts? Do you think one has an advantage over the other?

Thanks in advance for your input!

Sounds like we have very similar models, and there are a few properties around here that fit that description. If you're ever in the area and want to meet for coffee, message me. Out of curiosity, have you found a meet-up in your area for like-minded investors? I would like to eventually invest there, hot property values and all. I'm curious to meet others in Austin, without (at least at this time) having to go all the way into Austin proper.

Welcome to BP! Waving hello from not far away in Temple.

I'm fairly new here, too, but it's been nothing but a welcoming environment full of helpful folks and nearly unlimited real estate investment resources.

Do you mind expanding on what your business model is? Someone might have just what you're looking for. 

@Account Closed Where is the property you mentioned located in Austin? I'm in Temple, not far away, and I would like to eventually move into the Austin market, sooner if I can find the right deal.