All Forum Posts by: Ty Coutts

That's a great plan—house hacking a duplex, triplex, or quad with an FHA loan is a smart way to get started. Since you have access to a private lender willing to help with up to $200K for a down payment, you have flexibility. However, in Los Angeles, multi-family properties can be expensive, so you'll need to run the numbers carefully to ensure it cash flows.

A few things to consider:

• FHA Loan Limits: Check the max FHA loan limit in LA for multi-families.
• Neighborhood Selection: Look in areas with strong rental demand but potential for appreciation (e.g., Inglewood, North Hollywood, Long Beach).
• Value-Add Potential: Minor renovations to force appreciation will help when doing a cash-out refinance or 1031 exchange later.

If you have any other questions, send me a DM or email!

Hello Solomon,

A few tips I have for you would be to first; Analyze Deals Properly – Use the 1% rule (monthly rent ≥ 1% of purchase price) and calculate cap rate, cash flow, and ROI before buying. Secure Smart Financing – Consider FHA, VA, or conventional loans for small multifamily (2-4 units). Scale Strategically (if this applies to your goals) Reinvest profits, use the BRRRR method (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat), and leverage 1031 exchanges to grow your portfolio tax-efficiently.

I'm a mortgage lender at Aslan Mortgage Lending and would love to find time to talk and discuss your journey.

Sounds like you’re in a great position with multiple options. A key factor here is leveraging your equity efficiently while considering tax implications. Since your CPA isn’t a real estate specialist, it may be worth consulting a tax strategist who understands 1031 exchanges and real estate-focused wealth-building strategies.

If your goal is scalability, rather than cashing out the brokerage, you might explore a HELOC or cash-out refinance on the townhouse. This could unlock capital while keeping your investments diversified and avoiding immediate tax hits. Given today's rates, running the numbers with a lender to compare options is key.

I work with Aslan Mortgage Lending, and we often help investors structure financing to maximize both equity and future growth. Let me know if you’d like to explore creative lending options!

Hi Brandon,
Welcome to the forum, and congrats on starting your real estate investing journey! Hard money lenders (HML) typically want to ensure you have the financial stability to handle the property and loan repayment, so proof of liquidity is a common requirement. In terms of using home equity, you would either have to take out the money using a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) or you could do a cash-out refinance. We at Aslan would love to be a help with either. If you have any more questions, feel free to DM me.

Hello Arion,

If you end up following through with this and need help on a loan, feel free to send me a DM or email! I am licensed in the state of Florida.

Hello Raymond,

Shoot me a DM or email if you'd like to discuss this further, I am licensed in Florida.

Hey Krista, 

Personally, I use Excel and Google sheets to keep track of all my analytics. A popular Excel template is Vertex42 as it automatically includes spaces for property details, rental incomes, expenses, and a summarizing sheet. I suggest keeping track of these key features which range from cap rate to, cash flow, ROI, and asset comparison. Also, you can search for free real estate investment portfolio templates for Google sheets. These often include detailed income/expense tracking, asset value tracking, and performance metrics. If you have any more questions, feel free to DM me.

Hi Robert, in terms of the work that could be done easily I suggest activities such as painting, flooring if you have the proper tools, and tiling. Activities that deal with electrical or plumbing should be outsourced to avoid more expensive issues unless you have some prior experience with the simpler repairs in each. For more advanced issues in either of the prior you should find a contractor to deal with them. HVAC or any structural issues like foundation or framing should automatically be outsourced to a contractor. Some good YouTube channels to learn a bit more would be Home Repair Tutor, DIY Creators, and This Old House. If you have any more questions, feel free to DM me.

That’s a solid setup with a nice mix of lot rents and commercial space:

In terms of refinancing, here are a few things you might want to consider to optimize your deal:

1. Loan Type: Are you looking for a traditional commercial loan or an agency loan (like from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac)? With a mixed-use property like this (residential and commercial), commercial lenders could be your best option. 
2. Interest Rates and Terms: If you’re refinancing to pull cash out, it’s important to see if interest rates have shifted since you took on the initial loan. You’ll want to ensure the cash flow can handle any changes in the monthly payment. If rates have gone up, it might impact your cash flow a bit, but if your rents are stable and you’ve made improvements, it could still be worth it.
3. Appraisal: Have you had an updated appraisal done recently? With the balance owed at $450,000, it’s important to make sure the property has appreciated enough to get favorable refinancing terms. The appraised value will play a big role in how much equity you can access.

If you want to talk more about this, shoot me DM or email!

Hey Mat! 

I went into a deep analysis on this myself before I became a lender and my wife and I started house hacking. I can tell you with the utmost certainty that buying a home will almost always beat putting money into an index fund and continuing to rent. Here's the quick top reasons why:

1. You always pay $ to live somewhere so owning just allows you to capitalize some gains from this set cost 

2. Getting a tenant to pay down your loan for you is where the magic of free equity comes into play

3. Sweat equity means that you have control over if your asset gains you more $ or not which you'll never have in the market

4. Leverage - crazy to think you can turn your $9,000 into a vehicle that appreciates based at $300,000 (3% down as first time homebuyer) 

5. Tax write offs 

DM me for the math breakdown I can email you!