All Forum Posts by: Randy Gutierrez

I'm all for a higher level of education because it definitely helps out one's career. You may not retain everything you learned but it definitely helps you to become an articulate, intelligent, and critical individual. All of these traits are important when it comes to any aspect of life but more so in business. My wife holds a decent position in one of the top 10 companies in the US and just about everyone around her holds a master's degree or similar. However, for the sole purpose of real estate investing, an MBA might be overkill, a lot of it is learned through experience. 

Great info in the previous posts

-Nitpicky ones

-Overly desperate ones

-Ones who negotiate upfront and complain about application fees

-People renting for the first time

Above all, trust your gut! If you are not getting a good vibe, trust me, a vacant unit will ALWAYS be better than a bad tenant

That $600 law has always been around, this is simply the IRS catching up to 2022 and applying it to mobile apps. As long as you are reporting your rental income you are fine.

1) Financial Freedom/Retirement

2) Put myself in a position to help others close to me

It certainly helps but definitely not needed, you'd have to be a full time contractor/handyman and constantly be rehabbing units year round to really benefit from the use of a pickup truck. There were times I wish I had something bigger like when I had to squeeze in 9ft moldings, they went all the way up to the windshield in my Grand Cherokee, but these occasions are so rare to justify the need for a pickup truck.

Nice gesture but I would advise against it, it opens up a can of worms that they can use in the future.

Center city Allentown. 4/1 $1400 3/1 $1300. 2/1 $1200 1/1 $1100

Easton/Bethlehem you can probably squeeze in another $50-$75. All figures with updated kitchen/bath/flooring/paint etc and me paying W/S/T. These figures are for your typical 100 yr old home in the Lehigh area. A detached SFH with a drive way I'd milk it as much as I can, probably an additional $50-$75 on top of that. The influx of people from NYC are not used to these "low rents" so you can use that to your advantage.

I'd start high and work down depending on engagement.

Congratulations on paying off all that debt, pretty wild! There is so much advice and information out there that it can be overwhelming. What I would say is get informed and educated but more importantly take action. I got married in Sayville by the way! Currently living in Bellmore and investor in the Lehigh area. PM me if you have any questions!

I guess to each their own, West Ward has been fine for me. Coming from NYC, I can tell you West Ward is far from what is considered dangerous here. Just pick the right tenants and you'll be fine.

@Easton Curtis

I'd save up for another 7-8 months and house hack in the state you will be moving to with an FHA loan. You can potentially acquire a 2-4 unit as previously mentioned. That makes more sense to me.