All Forum Posts by: Mindi Rosser

@Pavel Bennett I’d recommend touching base with @Duc Ong who’s a great resource for investors here on the island. We were looking into something similar, as it’s quite common to come across these types of properties here.

@Marvin Bertin Would recommend reaching out to @Duc Ong to discuss. He's definitely been helpful as we've started on our journey to investing here on Oahu. 

Based on Oahu, we're looking to buy a piece of property zoned for a duplex and build on the property with the intention to live in one side and rent the other. If this model is successful, we'll repeat every few years. My husband is a journeyman carpenter and could build the house himself with minimal help (plumber, electrician.) We'd rather go this route than a more traditional fix and flip or straight-up house hack. 

Is there a calculator or analysis tool or resources you've come across for calculating costs and returns for buying raw land via a land loan, getting a construction loan, and then refinancing the house when it's finished? 

There are a good number of variables, and this is our first time going through this process. Just want to ensure we're doing our due diligence and not getting in over our heads prior to the project and be sure we have enough set aside at the start.

Aloha! We're based in Launani Valley and just getting started with investing here on the island since moving here last Spring. BiggerPockets is a fantastic resource, and there is a LOT of content and killer forums. What type of property are you looking for next?

@Paul Nicklin We live in Mililani (central Oahu), and it’s a great spot with reasonable rent at around $2k for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo, and it’s smack dab in the middle of the island. This makes it easy to get just about everywhere on the island in about an hour or less. They should think about the activities they like to do and choose an area accordingly. Happy to DM if you have more questions.

We've spent the last couple years following Set for Life and have stashed more than the 100K. We've been waiting for an opportune time to get into real estate investing and have done a good amount of education and focused on building a solid foundation. 

We are looking at our options for our first real estate investment. 

Since we live on Oahu, we'd ideally love to house hack here, but we're looking at million dollar properties being the norm for a duplex. There are some deals to be had (likely more in the next 6-9 months because the economy is tanking here), but it does not compare to the number of opportunities and returns that can more easily be found in Northwest Indiana. 

If we started in Northwest Indiana, we have the "hassle" of long distance investing. We have some trusted "boots on the ground" there already, but we expect there to be travel costs/time and other expenses to consider.

What would YOU recommend based on your experience? Open to opinions, ideas, suggestions - and questions we should be asking ourselves!

Thanks for the mention, @Mihir Bhimaraju. @Nish Ravichandran, great to be connected with you - I'm a NWI native, so if you have questions about the area, don't hesitate to ask. You might also want to connect with  of InvestNWI - I've heard his meetup group is excellent!

Hi @Zach Schnoebelen! I'm with @Mitch Coluzzi about checking out Northwest Indiana. I'm based in Griffith, IN - just 45 minutes from the heart of downtown Chicago. Taxes are low, communities/schools are good, multiple types of transportation to the City, and many people who work in Chicago live here.

Best neighborhoods for your price range: Highland, Munster, Griffith, Schererville, Crown Point (a bit further from transportation), Dyer, St. John. Stay away from Hammond, Whiting, Merrillville or Gary - unless you want to be in a B- or C/D-class property.

If you ever have questions about the area or need some boots on the ground in NWI, I'm happy to help or connect you with some great people who can!

I'm with @Phillip Denny that Rich Dad Poor Dad is a great primer. My hubby will be reading that one next. 

Some other good ones: Set for Life by @Scott Trench, 10X Rule by Grant Cardone, and Cashflow Quadrant.

@Jared Pruett Good responses from other agents above. I'd simply add that you also want to consider whether or not you want a local brokerage or a virtual brokerage. 

I've been running a marketing business remotely for several years, so I actually prefer the virtual environment. I tried joining the local Keller Williams office, but I found that there were trainings and other things I needed to "drive to the office, get dressed up for, etc." I am all about efficiency and time blocking, and this "running around" was detrimental to my productivity. Therefore, I recently switched to eXp Realty last week to accommodate my schedule.

Figure out which environment helps you do your best work.