All Forum Posts by: Steven Kopstein

@Alan Eng Welcome - fellow NY-er.  Tons of great info on here.  If you want to meet up - let me know - it's good to get to know some of the locals.

@Charmaine M.Congratulations from a fellow NY-er.  Good going on those grants!  I will mention them to some of my first time buyer clients.  Only advice - make it as nice as you can afford, and charge slightly below market rate.  This will attract "hungry" clients who see your place as a "deal".  They will treat it better and stay longer - reducing repair and vacancy costs.  One month of vacancy is way more money (usually) than just having a slightly lower rent.  You want tenants who feel privileged to be there and value the space - as compared to those who feel like they're doing you a favor by renting it and have great expectations from you.  You can raise the rent slowly over time - but keeping it occupied is key.  Lastly, you should check their credit and references of course.  I call the landlord before the current one, because their current landlord might polish the apple if they want them out of there! The previous landlord (before where they now live) has no vested interest in whether they take your place or not.

I love your attitude @Stephanie Gonzalez.  You have to jump in at some point.  The more time you can spend on BP, the more comfortable you'll feel and the better decisions you'll make.  Listen to all the podcasts, sign up for the webinar and make dates to meet local investors.

Read J Scott's book on flipping houses - it answers all of these questions.

@Edward Walkerr Spend lots of time on here - tons of great info - listen to the Podcasts - join the Webinars - set a timetable - analyze 3 properties a day.  When you feel comfortable - start making offers.  Take action or nothing happens.

I use the Bigger Pockets calculators.  They're excellent.

@Kristian Vassilev https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/37635867/69%20bennett.pdf is the Condo Analysis

@Todd Aaron Welcome to BP! One of the best things you can do (besides becoming a Pro on BP) is to connect with locals - so you've got the right idea. You can do a search by Zip Code to start building your network. Go here - https://www.biggerpockets.com/meet.

There's a wealth of information and connections here.

Make a plan - and stick to it. In other words - commit to analyze 3 properties a day until you hit 100. Then keep going and start making offers. Find solutions, not problems. Connect with more experienced people and learn from them - for the first couple of deals your education should be considered your paycheck. Anything extra is a bonus.

@Jamel Williams Where in NY?

@Jonathan Twombly I tried to find your blog - but the link didn't work.. can you share?  Is it up?