All Forum Posts by: Chris Collins

Being out of the US, I'd recommend @Reed Goossens book "Investing in the the US"  He has great experience with international investors.  direct link: https://amzn.to/2tQkz7u  I'd also recommend his podcast for that matter.  

Hope that helps you on your way!  (Also, the books mentioned above are also all great books. I'd vouch for those in a heartbeat as well).

First of all, looks like you are looking at some solid metrics, so kudos for that!  q: I see you have family/friends in the area, but are you in the greater cincinnati area?  (If so I'd suggest checking out Joe Fairless's meet up and get to know the people there).     Also, I'd start calling property managers, and perhaps lenders.  I've had a few properties under contract in Cincy, and am currently looking. So if you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out for an opinion.  Best of luck!

I always send people to this link from @David Thompson  (plus all his other incredible blogs)

https://www.thompsoninvesting.com/single-post/2017/02/03/Vetting-an-Apartment-Deal-Sponsor-%E2%80%93-10-Tips-from-an-Insider

Welcome @Joshua Tucker ! And congrats on discovering real estate investing.  Don't worry, you WILL have that nagging regret of not starting sooner, just know that EVERYONE has that! So start now, study every waking minute that you can, and move forward! Proud of you for jumping in. Now go get 'em!

@Chris Morgan dangit, just looked through all my docs, and for some reason, THAT is the phone call log I can't find!! I basically looked up the city's website, found different numbers about development, and called around, asking about incentives.  Mainly one multifamily property I was looking at advertised that the city was offering incentives to help fund upper floor apartments, with bottom floor commercial... I ended up on the phone for a while with a nice guy at the city there, with about $40k of available funding for my project.  That's the best I can give ya, try calling numbers on the city site and see where you end up :)

@Malcolm Chelliah I'd recommend networking with Tim Black over at Napali Capital.  www.napalicap.com Tell him Chris Collins sent ya and he may even send you his book for FREE!  ;)    Best of luck!

@Ethan PorterWhat area(s) are you targetting? 'small multifamily' means you'll want someone willing to be off-site, which means you need someone 'close enough' to the property to make it worth their while.  

@Chris Morgan Have you walked Covington?  Last time I walked the neighborhood, I saw a dude with his shirt off yelling at his 'girl' with a plank of wood in one hand. And when I started walking his way, and another guy on the sidewalk the same, he started shouting out 'are we gonna make something of it?' As the woman walked inside shouting at him.  Just one example of the hit/miss areas of Covington.  And this was only about a block from the Mainstrasse Pub (the 'nice part' that's 'all hipster now').  And what @Josh House said is correct, every small multifamily property I've ran the numbers on there needed some solid remodel $$.  That being said, the city of Covington is very helpful and willing to fund some of that given certain specifics are met. So that's always a great avenue.  Overall, I'd say Covington is 'hit or miss' and you just need to be diligent and walk the area that you're looking at specifically.  It gets pretty dicey just a couple blocks past the 'main areas.'  Hope that's helpful!  I'd go with @Jake Walroth's advice about Bellevue.   Newport would be great, but overpriced at this point I'd say.  Good luck out there!

Also consider, where do you WANT to visit from time to time? No point in investing in Alaska if you have no interest in nature or the cold, know what I'm saying? If you visit Atlanta and hate the vibe there, then don't invest there.  Just something for thought.

Sign up for Marcus/Millichap and they have reports of the top metros in the US every year and a breakdown of the analytics.

@Taylor L. has a great q here... 

@Calvin Beeke are you looking for conferences that benefit PASSIVE investors?  And you're looking to meet deal sponsors/syndicators in order to invest down the line?

Or are you a more ACTIVE investor?  If so, what part of the puzzle would you like to play? 

Those answers could help focus you.

I would also echo that @Rod Khleif has a great conference if you can make the time.