All Forum Posts by: Nicole Heasley Beitenman

This group was established to help real estate investors and other real estate professionals in the Mahoning Valley grow their business through networking. We meet on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at Buffalo Wild Wings in the party room (ask the hostess if you can't find us). While you are welcome to bring your deals and services, there will be no sales pitches by the organizers. Our only aim is to help build connections within the Youngstown real estate community.

We welcome current and aspiring real estate investors, contractors, agents, lenders, and anyone else who could benefit from connecting with like-minded individuals.

There is no structure or agenda--simply come in, grab a drink, and a grab a seat next to some one new. Bring your questions, your deals, your business cards, your contractor recommendations, your needs, your best practices, your experience, your lack of experience--whatever you have (or don't have!). Find a partner, a mentor, or just a new friend. Share, learn, and grow.

Neighbors have ALWAYS been our biggest headache at every property we've ever owned. Everyone complains about tenant issues, but we've found neighbors to be a way bigger source of pain. And they aren't section 8. At least if we had Section 8 rentals next to us, they'd be subject to inspections. We have to keep the zoning department on speed dial because the landlords around us don't want to register their properties as rentals to avoid inspections. In fact, I'd be hesitant to buy in a location that didn't have an active zoning department. 

When you say "the revenue on Furnished Finder," are you referring to what other operators are actually listing their properties for or the amount FF is suggesting you charge in their landlord resources?

We were using KeyCheck to collect rent, but I'm just not gelling with it. We're going to give RentRedi a try. 

Go to your local REI meetup. That's the best way to make contacts. In our experience, running one MTR has not been very time consuming. Even with a time consuming job, you may be able to operate without a PM if you find a top-notch cleaner and landscaper. But if you find someone you really gel with and it helps you sleep better at night, they'll be worth the money.

I was also going to suggest the state-specific leases from BP. We also commonly share leases with folks we meet at the REI meetup we run each month. It's a great practice to share leases and learn from other landlords.

I can't second this enough. We tried going cheap with our first MTR and it was a huge regret. We recently furnished our second MTR and got a solid deal by hitting up Ashley Furniture during their President's Day sale. I posted more info here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/925/topics/1176568-we-s...

Though our 1 BR performs great, I like the idea of 2 BRs better. Nurses do sometimes travel with their spouse or partner. If the nurse has worked a night shift and needs to sleep during the day, the other person still has working space. 

I'd make the trip to attend an in-person meetup. That's typically the best place to find resources in any given market. 

Between FF, Zillow, and AirBnb, we really haven't had to do much legwork to keep our property booked. We're also on VRBO, but I've yet to get a single lead from them. If those 4 channels all hit a lull at once, my next stop would be FB Marketplace. Only then would I worry about reaching out to hospitals directly.