All Forum Posts by: Ryan Evans

@Jason Johnson That's not a bad idea. It would definitely keep things simple. But despite being able to make a few easy bucks, I largely want to do the project simply to have a place at the end of it that someone else is paying for.

@Leigh Ann Smith You've got an awesome piece of property there! I'll have a look into the small septic system. Definitely seems like it could be a good balance between livability and long term costs. Fortunately is already a driveway to the lot and it's very accessible. 

I hear your point about the loft. I can imagine the older crowd is a smaller part of the market, but I doubt a lot of them won't be too keen on going up and down a ladder. I'm looking at a couple layouts that have convertible living room spaces that turn into a second sleeping space. 

Have you found any major benefits or pitfalls to having the tiny houses that aren't obvious to those of us who haven't done it yet? 

Well thanks for the encouragement everyone, or mostly everyone haha. 

@Arianne L. I sadly got too wrapped up in the Aussie way and never made it there. In hindsight I would have skipped college and gone into real estate or spent more time traveling, but what can ya do? I keep reminding myself that 26 is still pretty young to get started in REI.

@Thomas S. I get quite a bit of advice from those types - people my age with a "real job" making $20 an hour, saving only $50 a month, and falsely presuming someone else will take care of them in the future. It's a scary notion of what they have ahead!

@Chris Mason Shoot, you beat me to it by 4 years! Awesome you've been able to keep growing your portfolio all the while. Seems most people use the family as an excuse, but guys like you show us that you can have it all! 

Thanks @David Zheng ! Some folks can definitely be a bit too literal at times. 

On that note, I sort of see where you're coming from @Marcus Johnson , but working for 30 years sounds like a lot of work. You might be embarrassed, but fortunately, I don't have that problem because I don't care what anyone else thinks of me.

Awesome @Patrick McGrath ! And remember, the first one is usually the hardest! Dear lord I hope that's true haha. 

@Joseph M. I've literally used that quote before when being interviewed by a client. It worked, too! 

@Joseph M. I'm definitely not regretting going out of state when I hear stuff like this. Looks like I won't be moving to LA anytime soon either! 

C'mon Seattle that's absurd. I reckon it's just a matter of time before landlords have to start paying tenants to live in their properties. In which case, I can't wait to move there! 

@Nicole Heasley Beitenman Hopefully I can utilize my single days to grab many more properties while following @David Faulkner 's advice! I should explore the sugar momma market here in the PNW haha. 

@Joe Splitrock you're right and I think a lot of people label mislabel a generational issue with the fact that young people just have different priorities. They take risks, travel, and do all the fun stuff before getting "settled down." Living in the information age means there are more ways to make money, but also more ways to lose it. And it's easy to see the middle class is dying out. I'm just doing what I can to be on the right side of it :)

@Victor S. It's going to take a lot of coffee to write that piece! It's quite the story so one of these days I'll get around to it. Or maybe I'll get inspired with enough audience requests haha. 

it involves a raccoon, an eviction, a 3-month closing, crackheads, a snowstorm, and about 5,000 lbs of garbage! 

@Julie Marquez I hear ya. It's easy (I assume) to get wrapped up in investing and let life start slipping by. My goal is 20 doors by 2020 and at that point, I could surely focus less on real estate and more on whatever I so decide every day when I wake up. No doubt that will involve more travel, but I'm doing that in the meantime anyway. 

I don't want to be a billionaire, I just want to make enough money so I don't have to think twice about adding guacamole :) 

@Account Closed Tremont and Ohio City have really turned around according to everyone I've spoken with out there. I've got a buddy who just sold his house for a hefty chunk of appreciation in that part of town (also a real estate agent). I think you can do better in terms of rental returns in the neighborhoods like OB, but you'll find better tenants in Tremont and can definitely get higher monthly rent. And a much higher demand for the place. 

I'm looking up near 185th and lakeshore blvd over on the east side. 

If you need an investor friendly agent, my agent is a rockstar and her partner is the guy I referred to above...

@Account Closed I've heard OB referred to as a good "starter neighborhood" for new investors. I think it's a fair statement. It's a blue collar working-class neighborhood. Seems like a good mix of potential issues, I mean, learning opportunities, and good returns. 

If I close another this next deal in a week I might go out there again and might do some scouting for a few BP'ers interested in the area. I'll try to remember to let you know if it happens.

@Joseph M. Cheers! The technology definitely makes it easy to make money these days. I mean, if you can't find a job you can just go drive for Uber and make $40k a year. Not ideal, but better than living with mom and dad. I wouldn't mind moving to a place with a backyard so I can get on rover.com (airbnb for dogs) and have people pay me to play with their dogs while I work from home! haha

I'm buying near the Waterloo Arts District, a good neighborhood-level example of what Cleveland is all about in my opinion. It's a bit dumpy, but slowly becoming cool! I post a lot on Cleveland so have a gander at my other posts if you're interested. So far I've been swinging the hammer on a lot of the work, but I've contracted out a bit. Looking to get less involved in the future, though. 

@Brenna Walker you might have me beat in some regard. But rather than getting a job, wouldn't a true lazy person get another investment property to pay off your first one so you don't have to get off the couch? ;)

@Matt M. I think @Joseph M. makes a point. Another first world problem of mine is so many of the single ladies in my "target market" are only focused on getting their psychology degrees and working at Starbucks. We don't have a lot in common, to say the least. Or maybe it's that I'm too humble. Either way, kids are probably a ways out. But if you know anyone, tell em to PM me haha! 

@Melanie Armstrong sounds like an okay problem to have! Sell or hold really depends on your strategy, and if you can rent the place now or not. If it's ready to rent then I say hold and you'll pay it off in a year or two. But if it's going to need some work then it might be nice to sell off-market, take the money and run. If you want to PM some specs on the property I can give some more thoughts. Sort of hard to say without more info. 

@Account Closed It would definitely be a rare case. The market went crazy in a couple of those suburbs. I have a buddy who made a good $150k in appreciation over the last few years! Do you know any other decent up-and-coming and sub $100k neighborhoods to keep an eye on? I've been looking a bit at Old Brooklyn since it's the most comparable working class neighborhood from what I've seen. Give me a shout if you're in town in September. I'll probably make a trip and we might have some overlap where I could show you what I'm working with.