All Forum Posts by: Robert Regis

Has anyone bought a property or house hacked with the Express purpose of just lowering your monthly mortgage payment? I live in Chicago and there isnt much, if anything that seems to cash flow positively. It seems like the best bet would be to buy a property and have some of the tenants pay as much if the mortgage as they can. I am wondering if anyone does this as their goal. With a lower mortgage payment you can still save more money, so just curious.

Looking for peoples experiences investing in multi families in the midwest. Which markets have been good for cashflow?

Hello BP! I have been perusing this website, Roofstock, where you can buy properties that are already rented out that have decent CAP rates. This seems to good to be true, what is the catch? Has anyone used this service and would they recommend it? What are the drawbacks? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

@Melissa Rios Thank you for your analysis, it was very insightful. I have heard/seen that Nashville is booming, so that makes perfect sense. I have begun to look at it appears that there are deals to be made. My question stems for Chicago: it seems as though most areas are too expensive to get a start, to the point where it doesn't seem that cash flowing is viable. What neighborhoods/areas do you look at in Chicago that are good for Cash flow and are relatively inexpensive to get started in? Looking forward to your comments.

@John Warren Do you have any insight into areas in Chicago/around Chicago that are relatively inexpensive to get in and cashflow? Would Berwyn be one of those areas? Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated. The Chicago market is much more dynamic, but it's more expensive and seems like it's in a bubble/inflated given appreciation over the past 4-5 years.

@Jason Albasha Thank you for taking the time to respond: NWI actually has the Southshore train line that cuts through several cities. It's only about an hour train ride, this isn't that much of a time constraint given this is the time you'll be spending in many suburbs in Illinois to get into the city. To your point, I haven't explored the rents in those places, but it does seem that the rents in the suburbs aren't that much drastically cheaper than the city; only slightly. NWI has much cheaper rent than both, and you get more space. NWI is actually listed on several websites as places people from the Chicago land area are moving: https://budgetblog.ctbaonline.... It's the only suburb listed on there. Renters technically do pay taxes in the form of increased rents: If taxes increase, landords increase the rent to offset the taxes. If more people move there though to avoid the taxes, wouldn't the increased demand appreciate property values? Chicago's political/tax climate is very unstable.

@Jason Albasha Thank you for taking the time to respond: NWI actually has the Southshore train line that cuts through several cities. It's only about an hour train ride, this isn't that much of a time constraint given this is the time you'll be spending in many suburbs in Illinois to get into the city. To your point, I haven't explored the rents in those places, but it does seem that the rents in the suburbs aren't that much drastically cheaper than the city; only slightly. NWI has much cheaper rent than both, and you get more space. NWI is actually listed on several websites as places people from the Chicago land area are moving: https://budgetblog.ctbaonline.... It's the only suburb listed on there. Renters technically do pay taxes in the form of increased rents: If taxes increase, landords increase the rent to offset the taxes. If more people move there though to avoid the taxes, wouldn't the increased demand appreciate property values? Chicago's political/tax climate is very unstable.

@Ranny Ma I believe parts of Hammond are B and C class neighborhoods. It depends on which parts that you go to.

Does anyone know of the appreciation potential in northwest indiana? I am from Chicago and the political climate and high tax rates seem like it would be rife with opportunity. Illinois has more people leaving the state than any other due to the high tax burden caused by the pensions. If you have a good job in Chicago, it would make sense to move to NWI due to the proximity and the south shore line. You are essentially living in a chicago suburb without the prices. I have been examining the market and it seems very stable/affordable. Does anyone have a insight into NWI, specifically Hammond? I've seen mansions that would be worth at least a million in oak park go for very cheap in parts of hammond. Is it more of a cash flow play or appreciation? Appreciation potential seems to be there.

@Derek Diamond Thank you very much for the information! I will definitely peruse centimeter.com for rents. That is very useful information. I'll definitely inquire with a local real estate agent as well.