All Forum Posts by: Robert Seed

Thank you Russ.  Very kind words.  I can say the same about you.  I've learned a ton from you and your business and you are one of the most professional investors I've worked with.  I can't say enough about you and your team.

Rob,

Good question and I think it boils down to personal preference.  I like what @Dawn Brenengensaid the most thus far, which is do both.  Regarding investing in the market, please don't just buy standard mutual funds, either do index, or what I would recommend even more is read Tony Robbins book: "Money, Master the Game" and listen to the section specifically on asset allocation by Ray Dalio.  For instance, the market is down like 7% this year +/- yet his portfolio is still even and has not lost money this year....very cool stuff.

Regarding real estate, my suggestion is do not over-leverage when you buy.  Be very conservative in projections on rentals and always plan on at least 10% vacancy.  You can do well with rentals, far better than mutual funds, but, either have enough money to hire great managers, or do it yourself and expect to work hard.  I own properties that focus on cash flow, so I try to buy properties that cost anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 per unit.  Such as mobile home parks, or low income rentals.  Where you live this can be tough, so you may need a different strategy as 

@David Faulkner suggested, which may be more active, fix and flip, or other strategy that works in your market.  Or, if you are interested in a market like mine, you can buy rental properties on the low end for around $50,000 that can rent for around $800 +/-.  But, you still have ongoing repairs, management fees, etc. to consider.  As a rule of thumb, a 50% expense ratio is conservative and a good estimate.  That being said, you should be able to get a 10% + return all day long, even paying all cash.

Good luck.  If you want help finding, analyzing and managing rental properties, please let me know.

Hello,

Thank you for letting me join this community, this is my first time logging into this site.  I have been a full-time real estate investor in Charleston, SC since 2012.  I also own Trubild, a management company in Charleston.

I love real estate investing and management and love talking shop with anyone about this industry.  I specialize in multifamily properties, such as apartments and mobile home parks, but also do a lot of single family properties as well.  We currently manage a little over 300 units and are hoping to grow that to 500 this year, with ownership in a little over a 1/3 of the properties.  I love doing deals!

I'm originally from Northern California, from a small town called Sea Ranch, about 2.5 hours North of San Francisco and moved to Charleston in 2011.  I am very blessed to be married to my beautiful bride and we have 3 amazing little boys, ages: 1, 3 and 4, who keep us very busy.

My previous profession was as a golf course architect with Kyle Phillips Golf Course Design, which I still consult with from time to time.  This was a fantastic career, but ultimately, I was drawn to real estate for the passive income it offered.

I look forward to meeting the many folks in this community and learning from everyone and contributing what I know from my experience with mobile home parks, apartments, and single family properties.  

Thank you,

Roby Seed