All Forum Posts by: Arman Ahmed

@Melina Robinson

Hey Melina, both markets have their strengths! Columbus offers steady appreciation potential, a growing job market, and generally stable rental demand. You can often find solid cash flow in some neighborhoods, especially with multi-family or value-add deals. Little Rock tends to have more affordable entry prices and strong cash flow, but as you mentioned, insurance costs can be a factor to watch closely. Also, it’s good to dig into local property management quality and tenant demand in both places. Balancing appreciation and cash flow is smart—sometimes leaning a bit more on cash flow early can help build your reserves for growth later. Keep researching and reach out if you want some insights from local investors!

@Andrew Fletcher

Hey Andrew, great to see your dedication and mindset — discipline from the military and solid research are huge assets. Getting started while still in school is impressive! For down payment challenges, many new investors explore partnerships, seller financing, or FHA loans as creative options to get in the game earlier. Keep networking and learning — hands-on experience will teach you a lot once you take that first step. Stay consistent, and you'll get there!

@Mario Madero

Hey Mario, welcome to the journey! Renovating a multi-family is a great way to build wealth and learn fast. Connecting with local investor groups or forums is definitely helpful. Keep soaking up knowledge and don’t hesitate to ask questions — everyone started somewhere! Wishing you success with your renovations and portfolio growth.

@Garrett Prenger

Hey Garrett,

For off-market deals in West Central Ohio, a few solid strategies are: driving for dollars (scouting neighborhoods for distressed or vacant homes), building relationships with local wholesalers and agents who specialize in investor deals, and tapping into probate and tax delinquent lists.

Also, networking with contractors and property managers can sometimes lead to early heads-up on potential flips before they hit the market.

Staying consistent with these approaches usually uncovers the best off-market opportunities.

@Gabriella Zettelmeyer

Hey Gabriella,

Blanket loans can be a great way to leverage multiple properties under one loan, but they're not super common for smaller portfolios with lower-valued rentals. Most lenders, especially those tied to Fannie/Freddie, will underwrite based on DSCR and property values, so it can be challenging with $100k properties.

Some local banks or credit unions might offer more flexible HELOC or blanket options with DSCR underwriting, but it usually requires a strong relationship and solid financials.

If you’re not looking to pay on the money monthly until you find a deal, consider talking to lenders about interest-only HELOCs or construction loans that fit your strategy.

Hope that helps

@William Montalto

For a first buy, especially using BRRRR, sometimes the stability and lower headache factor are worth a slightly lower COC return. Turnkey can give you breathing room to learn the ropes, build your contractor network, and get familiar with managing rentals before taking on heavier rehabs. A 6–7% COC in a stable, high-demand area can still be a solid long-term play—especially if there's potential for appreciation or rent growth.

@Josh Thomas

That’s a strange situation — CMHA usually only claws back payments if there’s a paperwork or inspection issue they believe was mishandled. I’d start by requesting a written explanation from CMHA directly (email + certified mail so it’s on record). If you still can’t get answers, you might need to loop in the tenant and see if they can contact their case manager or housing specialist. Sometimes going through the tenant gets you a faster response.

@Justin S.

Nice work on those builds — that’s a strong cost-to-rent ratio. Whether to refi higher depends on your goals and risk tolerance. Pulling more cash now can help you scale faster, but it also raises your monthly payments and lowers cash flow. Since you already have room to build 4 more, you might run side-by-side projections for both scenarios (max cash-out vs. minimal loan) to see which gets you to your semi-retire target faster without stressing your reserves.

@Marcus Rubright

Sounds like a fun first investment, Marcus! Seasonality definitely plays a role, but you can still make it work by adjusting pricing and targeting longer stays in the off-season. Just be sure to run conservative estimates using lower occupancy in winter and don’t forget to budget for cleaning, management, and platform fees.

Also worth checking:

• HOA rules on short-term rentals

• Local STR ordinances

• Historical comps (AirDNA or PriceLabs can help)

It’s great that you’d also personally enjoy the place — that’s a bonus!

@Harold Soto

Nice work, Harold — you’re making great progress across multiple markets!

BRRRR is solid, but you're right about the capital challenge. A few other ways investors scale without 20% down:

• Private money from friends/family or local networks

• Seller financing — especially from tired landlords

• Partnerships — you bring the deal, they bring the capital

• DSCR or portfolio loans once you’ve got some rental history

Creative financing can really open up options. Sounds like you’re building smart — just keep that momentum going!