All Forum Posts by: Louis Leone

Yes,  will be there.  

Thanks Darren and Matt. 

@Ron Leoncini 

Welcome to the site.

@Karma Senge 

Thanks for sharing.  Appreciate it.

@Account Closed 

Hi Martin,

Welcome to the site.  Another great way is go to meetings or meetups around businesses and start-ups (you are starting a new business).  You will meet some successful people who may be open to investing and hearing about opportunities.

I'm not sure what you have been doing the last 5 years, but many of your colleagues regardless of industry will listen to you if they know and trust you.  They will be your low hanging fruit (besides friends and family) for initial investments.

Lastly, speak to realtors, property managers and real estate lawyers in the community and start to get to know them.  They will be a great source for potential referrals and/or business.  

Make it a point to get to know at least 3 to 5 new people each day and reach out to at least 3 to 5 past acquaintances each day as well.  Your network will grow quickly.

Good luck.

I'm sure some folks on the forum will answer your question that are from the area, but barring that, I would take a look at the listings in your area that are similar to what you're looking for (use Zillow or Trulia) and call up the agents with the most listings.  They are usually on top of the market and will get you the information you need.

@Jeff Arndt

I'd have to agree with the other posters.  I would strictly focus on the job at hand.  Unless the conversation turns social and real estate comes up, I would steer away from it.  Even if it did come up, I would downplay it.

@Scott Dixon 

Really great post.  I'm actually looking at this right now in an attempt to assign market cycles/phases at the local level across the US by property type.

There are a lot of indicators in the mix right now and historical data is pretty spotty for a lot of them.  Glad to share what we find as we get further along.

@Pratik Desai 

@Jay Hinrichs and @Joel Owens both hit it on the head in their comments.

As an agent, you get a lot of e-mails and requests and you need to assess who sounds real and who doesn't.  The more detailed and the more of a track record you can convey in your e-mail, the more serious you will be perceived and the more likely you will get an agent to call you back.  

This is especially true of top producers who usually have better access to deals. Sometimes getting a response from an agent who does very little business is worse than getting no response at all.

Glad you received a response.

@Rick Grimes 

Hi Rick,

Welcome to Bigger Pockets.  I would have to agree with the other comments that $100K wouldn't really cut it in those areas.  In addition, decent cash flow is hard to come by in those markets.  In the long run, you're really counting on appreciation which makes it more risky.

Your best bet is to possibly invest alongside other investors who are involved with experienced rehabbers in the area.  I think @Roger Doe 's advice is on point.

There are actually a lot of variables to look at (especially at the local level).  What type of property are you focusing on.  

For example, if you're looking at rentals, you want to be sure (besides population and employment that you mentioned) that the demographics (think millennials), supply (and pipeline), affordability, industry diversity, path of progress and access to lifestyle are clearly present.  For sales, demographics that include Gen X and/or Boomers are more important (among other indicators).