All Forum Posts by: Mike Mefferd

I just closed on my first rental property in Ypsilanti yesterday. It was a long process, looking at well over 50 properties before we found the right one. I had an outstanding realtor (Dakota Cooley) that helped me through this, answered all of my questions, and was there every step of the way. He was very easy to get in touch with, and was able to schedule quick viewings of potential properties to make sure we were one of the first to see new sites when they hit the market.

If anyone is looking for an investment friendly realtor, who really cares about helping his clients, I would strongly recommend Dakota Cooley. He is a member of the Bigger Pockets community. I believe that good hard work should be recognized, so I wanted to post this in case there are other potential investors in the area that are looking to build their team with great people.

Happy Investing!!!

I know Joe Villanueva, who is an active member on the forums, is the co-founder of A2reic. They meet 4 times a month and people seem to enjoy it. I am getting ready to go to my first meeting with them this month. Their website is www.a2reic.com if you want to check them out.

Networking now and learning the business will be very beneficial to you as you move forward.

Thanks Neil an Frank for the responses. This helps and is certainly appreciated.

I am looking at purchasing my first investment property and I just want to understand all of my options. If I own an investment property worth 50k free and clear and has a tenant in place, would I be able to approach a bank about a home equity loan on this property in the future? Or is this as difficult as finding a bank to lend you the money for a conventional mortgage?

Welcome to the site!!! Check out the forums, blogs and podcasts. They offer a wealth of information.

I work for a Convenience store chain and I am responsible for identifying potential commercial property throughout Michigan where we can build new stores. We have a fairly strict requirement on the amount of land we need and the demographics.

Does anyone have any good recommendations on how to get in touch with people connected to these types of deals in Michigan?

Thanks for the kind welcome everyone!!

Hello all and Happy New Year to everyone. My name is Mike Mefferd and I am a new member to the Bigger Pockets community and also to the Ann Arbor area. I have spent the last 6 months or so reading all the great blogs and listening to the podcasts and I have finally decided to move forward with my real estate investing aspirations.

I currently have a full time job and I am looking at building a buy & hold portfolio on the side, focusing on the Ypsilanti and surrounding markets, as well as Toledo, OH where I am originally from. Eventually, I hope to build a porfolio large enough to allow me to transition to real estate investing full time. I am really looking forward to actively participating in the forums and getting to know all of the great people that make this site what it is.