All Forum Posts by: Robert Ellis

Just recently started on here and I am trying to figure out how to do investing in real estate (flip/hold) my main goal.  I am not completely  ignorant to what I would have to do.  Truthfully scared to make a financial mistake. 

Hi Shawn, 

Some investors look to areas out of state for a higher return on thier money.  Investing from out of state is challenging but if set up correctly, it can be a great way to reach areas that can give you a better return. First thing to consider is the team: lender, agent, property manager, attorney etc... Build a local team that is familiar not only with the area but also with the type of property you are purchasing - location, unit count/mix, rents etc...These folks will be your boots on the ground. If you can come to the city to visit that helps but often, as a majority of properties are "curb offers only", buyers will come out for inspections after the offer is made and then go home and complete the rest of deal form there. It's critical as an out of state investor to build a team that you trust to advise you. Good luck with everything!

Hi all!! My name is Lisa and I currently reside in Columbus, Ohio.

I grew up watching my parents investing in RE and becoming longtime landlords and I witnessed many positive and negative experiences they went through with various tenants. I can honestly say the negative experiences turned me away from trying to follow my parents’ footsteps but I have returned full circle and have decided to think outside the box and put the negative memories behind me (not forgotten though). I currently have 1 property under my belt and hoping to build from that. 

I ended up on bigger pockets when searching for an online community of like minded individuals whose passion is real estate investing (so glad I found this site). 

I am interested in learning a little of everything about real estate investing and my goal is to build a bountiful portfolio that will generate a comfortable life for me and my family as I know this is attainable if I put in the work.

Hi BP fellows, I'm currently studying the rental areas in Columbus OH. Anyone knows anything about Bexley and Whitehall? Looks like these areas still have some cheaper inventory for good returns. We do expect a 1.5% rent/value ratio, and plan to get 10-20 doors (both SFH and multi unit) this year. Any recommendations on other areas? Thanks!

Hello Everyone, 

My name is Zachariah (Zach) Adkins. I joined BiggerPockets a while ago, but I never engaged with the forum. Perhaps it was because I didn't want to ask a dumb question, or maybe I just thought that I would never be able to get started. Either way, it's definitely time to engage. 

A little about myself, I'm 32 years old and I have a wonderful bride and three young children. I'm currently an over the road truck driver and that's not what I thought I'd be doing when I got out of the Navy. After a 10 year Navy career I decided to get out to be able to spend more time with family. That's not exactly easy to do when I'm driving a semi all over this beautiful country during the week. It's a respectable job with good pay and good benefits, but I spend way too much time away from home. I also have plenty of time to think, and listen to the BiggerPockets Podcast while soaking up as much knowledge as possible so it's time I do what needs to be done to change my circumstances. 

The first house we bought was a short sale. We paid 190k for it and lived in it for a little over three years. I updated the flooring and painted all the walls throughout the house. The baseboards were chewed up from animals so I replaced all of the wood trim throughout the house. There must have been four different types of door knobs on the doors and none of the lighting in the house matched. All the lighting fixtures and ceiling fans were changed and the door knobs were replaced so that everything looked pleasing to the eye. I also replaced all of the outlets and light switches throughout the house. The only work that I didn't do myself was the exterior paint work. We're not exactly sure how much was spent on renovations. It was done over about a two year period and we didn't keep good records. I've estimated it to be around 15K, and that also includes putting in a new HVAC system. We ended up selling the house for 247,500. It was on the market for less that 24 hours and we had two full price offers. That was a good feeling, and that's also where the seed was planted in me to get started in real estate. 

I learned a lot with that first house. I have a lot more to learn and I'm thankful for BiggerPockets and the community it provides to assist in my learning process. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to meeting you fine folks here at BiggerPockets. 

- Zach

I saw a similar discussion for 2017, so wanted to start one for 2018. What are some decent markets out there for good cashflow properties? 

Thanks

-Harsh 

Hello fellow friends and investors.

My wife and I are Ohio natives that have been living in Dillon, CO for the past 5 years. We will be relocating back to Ohio come May 1, 2018 and are looking for a place to rent temporarily. We are working on obtaining financing for a potential deal but it will need to be rehabbed if all goes well. My guess is we would need 3-6 months so we can make this a smooth transition. We have 1st, last, and security deposit. 

We do have a dog and 2 cats. I understand the hesitation of animals but can guarantee through the lease that if there is any destruction or smell we will cover the cost. They are 7-8 years old and do not bother anything. I can also provide pictures of our current home (as we are renting it) to show you the condition of our animals and our home. 

We are relocating to be closer to family and to start an organic farm.

Cheers,

JB

Looking into investment properties in Ohio and wondering if I anyone can help direct me into more desirable areas and possibly areas to avoid.  Looking at single family homes to rent out.  

Thanks in advance,

--Adam

Started a few months ago, we purchased 2 rental properties in Pittsburgh and found tenants pretty quickly. There are also 6 SFH in Columbus Ohio scheduled to close within a couple of weeks, another two duplex in Pittsburgh under contract! I'd love to network with anyone who's currently investing in Columbus and Pittsburgh.

Hello everyone!  My name is Daniel Parrella.  I've been listening to the podcasts for about 6 months, and I'm finally taking the time to create a profile and truly get plugged into the community.

I'm from the Cleveland, OH area, but have been living in Indianapolis, IN for the past 5 years.  I have a partner in Cleveland, OH and one in Columbus, OH as well.  We plan to begin our investing in Cleveland, but are open to exploring elsewhere.

About 6 months ago, my father, brother and I were having breakfast and I started kicking around the idea of splitting a vacation home.  We could take family vacations whenever we wanted, and Airbnb it for the rest of the year to maybe even make a few bucks!  Genius right???  Well as I began to research this idea a little more, I stumbled across the bigger pockets podcast and I instantly realized how much bigger our goals could be than one vacation home.  

Since finding the podcast, we have done a lot of research, incorporated, gotten agents and lender on board, and we're finally starting to make some offers on properties in the Cleveland, OH area.  A lot of our small, but forward progress has been made possible by utilizing the resources available here.  We have very limited experience, so we're eager to get into the forums and start learning from all of you!

I currently work in law enforcement, and my partners have their own respective careers as well, so our goal isn't to instantly generate income.  Rather, based on our limited experience, our goal is to generate long term wealth and income replacement with a buy and hold strategy, scaling as fast as we can along the way.  We plan to play a lot of this by ear as we don't know where we will end up as we learn.  We realize that right now we are the needy, new people, but we appreciate how awesome this community is and want to build into it more as we become more able.

Thanks so much for the read, and I look forward to the connections!  

Hello Everyone,

I need help in selling my Columbus, OH Single Family property using Seller Financing. 

Please reach out in case anyone can help. 

Thanks!