All Forum Posts by: Stephanie Simmons

@Sheneka Merilien

I am a real estate agent / flipper / landlord looking to make some purchases in Lakeland. Ideally would be 2-4 unit residential to buy and hold BUT of a good flip opportunity presents itself I would be interested (3/2 or larger only) and not in the super high crime areas. 

One piece of advice (although unsolicited) many wholesalers aren't great at the ARV - it tends to be really inflated or "best case/unicorn". So I'd recommend going with conservative numbers to build your reputation. Also note manpower is a issue here driving up costs of repairs (not as much in Lakeland as Tampa - but still an issue)

Congrats on taking the plunge!

@Rosa Lepore - I live in Lakeland and also have a real estate license. There aren’t a lot of multi-family but if you want I can send you some listings. Send me a message if interested. 

Depending on the lender they will usually only give 4 mortgages to a person at the same time. Commercial lending is higher rates. I’d talk to some lenders first to see what they offer before you decide either or....  also I’d take into account risk - you have a mortgage even if it isn’t rented so you will need larger cash reserves. 

@Andrew Taylor your realtor is horrible. Urg... it’s hard to find a good one that’s why I got my own license. Unfortunately I don’t have access to your state. Maybe you can find a realtor here in your state that can quickly look at the stats for you.

Joel - newer investor in Lakeland. Looking for 2 Duplexes or a 4 plex in January-March timeframe. Live in the area...  I’d love to connect 

I used a course I found on Groupon. It was $45 and it worked. I’d check there. 

@Lori Greene damn that’s brilliant!!!

@Amelia McGee. What state?

Thanks @Christian Paez!  I’ll check it out!

Have you looked at other comps/flips that are on the market?  I’ve done that before to understand what other flippers are doing and then watch how much they are selling for & how long they are on the market. I also try to do something a little nicer - like front landscaping or just slightly nicer flooring to make mine stand out.