All Forum Posts by: Wes S.

I'm just starting out with two rentals, so a Google docs spreadsheet works for now. The bonus is I use a similar speeadsheet to estimate cash flow, ROI, etc., then copy that into a workbook I use to track expenses and review how accurate my projection was.

Scaling up, it sounds like QuickBooks is the way to go. Are there some articles, books, or online courses someone could recommend about basic real estate accounting? Or is that best left to a CPA?

@Julie Marquez thanks, I'll certainly reach out about our Whidbey area in a new discussion.

@Matt Motil @Lori Valene @Brandon Potter Thanks for the great welcome! I just bought a single family home that is now rented and stable. I'm waiting until next year to start actively searching again.

@Lane Kawaoka Sounds like a lot of people advocate for the mid-west -- follow the cash flow! So were you in Seattle proper or in one of the nearby regions. The prices in the city are...intimidating! So I haven't looked within about ten miles of there in a while.

@Robert Freeborn That's what I'm beginning to realize -- those multifamily properties are crazy expensive. Like you said, someone living in the area to find those great deals is what I'm missing right now.

And yes, Oak Harbor's future seems pretty bright! It certainly gave us peace of mind to invest there.

Hello BiggerPockets! I've been learning from you for 6 months: blogs, books, podcasts, and forums. Thanks for the great content! I'm new to systematic and purposeful real estate investing, so I'm open-minded and am eager to learn.

My name is Wes Stange. My wife and I own two single-family rentals up in Whidbey Island, Washington (near Island and Skagit counties), near the Navy base. We had another from 2007 that was a doozy of an education, but we sold it last year (I'll post about that adventure sometime). Now, we're interested in building our network in the area north of Seattle and exploring single-family and small multifamily properties.

But here's the twist:  We don't live in the U.S. I work internationally most of the time, and the rest of the time I'm in the other Washington (D.C.) when we happen to be in the country. It seems like the barriers to real estate investing from 6,000 miles away are mostly in my head and not that different from cross-country investors -- but I'd love to hear your suggestions on how to get over that geographic jump!

So what do I bring to the table? Well, if you're interested in Western Washington State investing, I do know some about the area, especially near the many military bases (where I worked for about 6 years). I really like spreadsheets -- learning a new formula is kinda my jam, so I'd be happy to brainstorm on efficient analysis. And on the personal side, I'm a dad, an amateur brewer, and can give you some ideas on your next vacation.

@Christine Stone Congrats on the triplex! Of the services you are wondering about, I can make a couple of recommendations. Please let me know afterwards if you have any negative interactions -- I'm always looking to learn more about my team.

For gardening, we use Heather's Home and Garden.  They don't have a website, but you can search for them and find it pretty quickly.

For pest control, we had a great experience with All Island Pest Control. There were some rats in a crawlspace they got rid of.

Tim G Handyman did a great job fixing a fence problem and was able to keep the costs down.

Broadview Appliances checked out some appliances and did some repairs -- it was good work, but more expensive than I would've liked. Still, contractor work can be 2 out of the 3: good, fast, and cheap.

Would you be interested in sharing some details of your triplex experience? What agent, where it is? I'm interested in getting into multifamily in the area as well, so anything you'd care to share would be excellent.

@Julie Marquez I invest in the area, but don't live locally. Keep me updated on events though!