All Forum Posts by: Stephanie Metal

@Kenneth Garrett and @Dennis M. Thank you so much for the advice! I ultimately decided this isn't the property for me, thanks in part to looking at the crime mapping around it.

@Ryan Hall That is a great point, I did a drive by in the daytime and didn't feel I needed to go back at night! 

Hello All! I'm a new real estate investor in Central New Jersey and looking at buying my first duplex for a house hack. Currently, I have a showing booked for a house tomorrow with my realtor (who has not seen the property or location yet) but I did a drive by today to check it out.

The property is in a pretty decent location, on a not too busy road. It's very close to major highways for commuting, and within walking distance of a very cute downtown (although you'd have to cross a major highway, so not walking-friendly.) When I drove by, I saw that to the left of the house, both the direct neighbor, and the neighbor next to that were both boarded over on all windows. The properties look run down and very distressed. I wasn't able to stop as the road was too busy, but I got the feeling they hadn't been looked after in a long time.

My realtor is assuring me that since the duplex is fully rented, that these two houses will not be a problem. I'm worried as a house hack, and as a potential rental property, that this might drive away possible tenants, or be unsafe for myself or the tenants already there. This will be my first property, so there's also a lot of other unknowns!

Are there any things you would do to protect yourself (extra insurance in case of damages that I should factor in)? Questions I should ask while I tour the property? Anything you can offer would be great!

Thank you!

Hello all! I'm a new investor in the Central New Jersey area, and have been combing through the forums to try to find recommendations for real estate agents. I also looked in the real estate list of resources, but unfortunately the ones I reached out to either don't service my area, or have not replied to me in a week. 

I am in the Princeton area but looking to purchase in the surrounding towns. Does anyone have any recommendations of investor friendly agents in the area, or have an idea of where to find more people to contact?

Thank you!