All Forum Posts by: Mark Scarola

Hi Pili,

Welcome to the site. Wow, Westfield to Brick. But I guess that's part of living in NJ. It seems like we're always on the road driving somewhere.

I think what you've heard is good advice, particularly what @David Semer said at local groups. Not only does that give you a chance to network, but it would also educate you about what it is that investors are looking for so that you can better distinguish yourself as being investor friendly.

I'm all for eliminating debt, but at the same time that doesn't mean that you can't also start investing. If by investing you have more disposable cash at the end of the month than you do by not investing, you'll be in a position to pay off your debt faster. That said you may want to play things more conservatively in terms of what you invest in until you have that debt paid off. 

That should work. If you want to write privately to someone you would first click on their name or picture. That brings up their profile page. From there click on "Connect". You have to send a colleague request if you haven't written to a person before. 

Yes @Heera S., I organize a group that meets in Monmouth County. Send me a private message with your email address and I'll add you to the list so that you'll be informed of when the next meeting is.

Hi @Heera S.  and welcome to the site. Have you checked out to see what groups already exist before you jump into starting a new one? Is there something in particular that you're trying to find and not getting elsewhere?

Hi @Christina Caccamo,

Welcome to the site. I'm also in Monmouth County. I think you're asking some good questions. Wholesalers can be a good option, but you have to find the right one. It's an area where a lot of people try to get their start and although while many will succeed, others unfortunately will not and can give wholesalers as a whole a bit of a bad imagine.

My advice? Learn what you can for now and consider attending a meetup or more. You could meet a potential business partner, or at least learn something new. If you're sure that flipping is the route you want to go great, but if not learn what you can about some of the other niches. Keep an open mind, but don't rush into anything before you're ready.

Hi Chris, 

As you can see we have a lot of NJ people here on the site. I'm just another one. I'm in Belmar and run a REI group primarily for Monmouth and Ocean County. You're in good company. A lot of people around here seem to have a similar interest in terms looking into rental properties and not taking on too much at once.

Thank you to all who attended last night. I hope you found the meeting beneficial. We met some new people, learned a few things, and made some connections. We also heard from David Semer of HomeVestors who talked about his personal journey of getting into REI and the role that HomeVestors has played in that. We then heard from David T who presented a case study explaining how he found, personally rehabbed, and rented out a property that is now netting him a nice monthly income.

If you gave me your email address last night I'll let you know when the next meeting is scheduled. Otherwise either send me a message with your email to be added to the list or set a keyword alert for "Central Jersey Meeting" if you'd like to be notified about the next meeting.

In addition to a yet to be determined topic, we will hopefully have another case study to discuss in our next meeting. If you would be interested in presenting one of your deals (current or past) please let me know.

What about the snow?

It's Sunday night as I write this and there are threats of a snow storm early this week. It looks like the storm shouldn't be an issue since the meeting is not until Thursday, but if things should change I will post an update here on this thread. If you don't see a cancellation notice here you can assume the meeting is still on. Of course, please use discretion. We're all coming from different places.

                     **Update**

Agenda

In this meeting we'll have a two-part focus. 

Part 1 - First we'll hear from David Semer who is the local HomeVestors franchisee. He's responsible for Monmouth, Ocean, and Atlantic Counties. Most people are probably already familiar with the company and this will not be a sales pitch for their services.

Instead, David will be giving us a behind the scenes tour of sorts on HomeVestors. He'll speak with us about how and why he got involved with HomeVestors, how he works with investors today (both experienced and inexperienced), and some of the market trends he's witnessed in the last few years.

Part 2 - As we had discussed doing in previous meetings, we will have our first case study. Here one of our members will discuss a past or current deal and share with us the details, both good and bad. What was the plan? How did you find the property? What went well? What went poorly? What did you learn? What did your numbers looks like?

This is intended to be a learning experience for all. No matter how experienced or inexperienced you may be we can all learn and grow from sharing in this way. If the deal is still active we can offer suggestions or ideas. If not, we can ask questions that might benefit us in our own deals moving forward.

Date and Time

The meeting will be held on Thursday evening, January 29th from 7-9PM.

Location

The meeting will take place at 1306 State Hwy 33 in Farmingdale, NJ. If you're using GPS, the address may be under Howell.

In order to access the parking lot you'll have to be travelling on Route 33 eastbound. There's no left turn option travelling west at that precise point. As you come up the highway you'll park in the open lot immediately past the building. 

There is a white sign that reads "1306 Sherman Square" just before the building and by a smaller parking lot that we've been asked not to use (employees only). Once you park you'll walk along the path in front of the building facing the street. We'll be in the second to last door. Look for the logo below and feel free to let yourself in.

Final Thoughts

• There will be no food at this meeting, so please eat in advance of arriving. You are welcome however to bring a drink and/or snack.
• All are welcome to attend. There are no prerequisites or experience requirements.
• Please let me know if you plan to attend (if you haven't already) and if you're bringing a guest. This is just so that I can be sure we have enough chairs.