All Forum Posts by: Aaron Poling

Which brands and styles that I use depend on the level of rental property that you are placing them in. I typically recommend finding a local appliance repair shop that you would feel comfortable working with, and purchase brands that they are certified to work on, and stick to those brands across your portfolio. That will help with maintenance and service calls as you can build a relationship with that local company.

While researching the service companies you can also ask the repairmen what appliances have the least amount of issues. No one will know more about how they run than the people working on them everyday. 

Good Luck! 

You have a couple good options since you will be living in the home. If down payment is your problem look into USDA type loans that could be 100% financing. You and your area would have to qualify for this type of loan, and it can only be a single unit but would be a great way to start buying. 

Purchasing a duplex or up to 4 units would be ideal but the best loan type for that will be fha and it will require 3.5% down and the money has to come from the buyer or a gift from someone. If you are buying something that needs fixed up you can use the 203k but you do have to live in the property for that. I have been an agent and a contractor on these types of loans. 

If you want to purchase an investment property with no money down, you would most likely need bank financing which may be 80%, and then bring an investor on to give the 20% (these %'s can change but this is to give you an idea. Finding these investors can be the problem, unless you can find the right deal and show them how they will make money on their investment. 

The best advice I can give is to listen to the Bigger Pockets Podcast, they give tons of great ideas and education on this topic. Best of Luck! Aaron