Hey Guys! With the final push here at year end, and baby boy just a couple weeks away, real estate is still full steam ahead. I have a new listing coming on the market next week that I cannot wait to share with you all. This is a flip I helped my clients purchase pre-reno at the beginning of 2021. Their […]
Hey Guys! With just 4 months left in 2021, I thought we might talk about what we can expect in the real estate world for the rest of the year. As many of you know, I am a licensed real estate agent in both New York (NYC) and Pennsylvania (the Philadelphia region). Both markets are experiencing VERY different shifts right now so […]
Hey Guys! Happy September! HOW IS IT SEPTEMBER ALREADY!? This year is FLYING by. Right now, one of the things I am focusing on is a listing I have in South Philly. This is a project of another investor that is about 90% done and needs a little TLC to get it over the finish line. This sale includes ALL of the materials […]
Hey Guys! As I mentioned, Project H is well underway and nearing the end of Phase I which means IT IS TIME TO DECORATE. Here are 3 tips & tricks we picked up after countless hours of decorating, and redecorating our various apartments throughout the years. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk 3 TIPS & TRICKS FOR […]
Hey Guys! Project H is well underway and nearing the end of Phase I – thank God. We broke this project down into two phases so that we could continue to live in the house while it was being renovated. Phase I – exterior paint, new floors, kitchen, man cave and guest bathroom buildout. Phase II – master bath / […]
Hey Guys! We are in the midst of Summer, it is hot as hell outside and of course this week our AC decides to stop working… cue the tears. This AC unit is only 5 years old and for the life of me, I could not get it to cool our house below 75 degrees. SO, I called one of the contractors we […]
Hey Guys! We had our first tenant turnover at Project Philadelphia which means a final walkthrough and some repair work was in order before the new tenants move in. One thing I noticed during the final walkthrough was a cracked window. Now, the tenant never reported this crack to me, and I know it was not there when the tenant moved in. The tenant claimed that she […]
Hey Guys! We have had TONS of renovations going on this year – between two full makeovers in NY and our own home in PA – we are REALLY doing it this year. My aunt, who is also in the real estate industry, asked me if we have been affected by the uptick in material and construction costs this year. To be […]
Hey Guys! This week we are closing on a new triplex up in NY – exciting times for our team. Unfortunately this transaction was anything but smooth. We are buying into a situation where one tenant moved out mid-closing, another tenant has not paid rent since October and therefore we are relying on the third tenant to carry the weight of the building when […]
Hey Guys! Last time we talked, we focused on how to prepare your home for market. As we all know, we are currently in a SELLER’s market. I had the opportunity to list my friend’s house for a sale a few weeks ago and well, it went better than we could have expected. We had 50+ showings in less than […]
Hey Guys! Today we are talking about something that will affect all of us at one point or another in our lives. Recently, I had the privilege of helping one of my best friends put her dream home under contract. Now that she has that underway, we need to sell her current home ASAP. Let’s talk preparing your home to hit the MLS. So, as […]
Hey Guys! Project H update! We have decided we want to give the exterior a makeover. Currently our entire exterior is a red brick with a beige-ish grout and while it is nice, it is dated, and is just not the style we are hoping to achieve. So we decided we want to paint the brick and have been doing a ton of research on the matter. So, […]
Hey Guys! LTRE is almost ALWAYS real time. So here is what is going on in real life. We have a SFR under contract up in NY that we are looking to renovate and rent out. Closing was supposed to happen over a week ago and still has not but we NEED to get started on the renovations for an […]
Hey Guys! Right now we are focusing on our KITCHEN remodel at Project H. I think we have redesigned this kitchen 10x at this point, but we are finally at a place that I am really excited about. One thing we are in the midst of debating on are the countertops. Do we go marble? Quartz? Granite? or…. DEKTON? This last product was a […]
Hey Guys! Over the past two weeks we have been working on NEW FLOORS for Project H. The plan is hardwoods throughout the entire house except the bathrooms, laundry room and man cave. Right now, they are working on the upstairs. We knew we wanted hardwoods but we did not know if we wanted pre-finished hardwoods or unfinished. We did some digging on both options […]
Hey Guys! Right now, I am working with a fellow Realtor who is interested in working with investors. She has never worked with investors before, so I set her a quick brain dump of all things REI. Before I became a Realtor, I honestly felt it was so hard to find a real estate agent who understood my objectives and was willing […]
Hey Guys! Yesterday I was helping a client come up with his after repair value on a commercial flip that he is about to close on and start renovating next week Commercial properties, and properties with 5+ units are typically priced on an income basis. We knew the cap rate we were targeting, 6%-7%, and worked backwards to determine a good list price. Let’s talk […]
Hey Guys! We made it to 2021- thank G*d. Luckily, after 6 days in, we got 3 new properties under contract already for various clients! One of these is a new client of mine -a group of NJ investors who wanted to get started in the Philly world of REI. This was their first purchase in Philly and they asked for a quick overview of the […]
Hey Guys! So we are FINALLY at the end of 2020. Not going to sugarcoat it, it has been a pretty awful year personally but professionally we did okay! So let’s review a year of work! So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk 2020 REAL ESTATE RECAP… We closed out Project Philly and were issued our Certificate of Occupancy […]
Hey Guys! We have been working on Project H for a few weeks now, and one of our “to-dos” that we recently accomplished was removing the carpet from the first floor. We were lucky that there were some pretty nice hardwoods under there so we wanted to restore them as best we could. Here are some tips and tricks I learned along the way. So, as we […]
Hey Guys! I went MIA last week but we are back in full swing with a big update on our latest project. As you all know we closed on a home a few weeks ago that we plan to renovate over the next couple of years. I want to lay out what we plan to do and how we plan to […]
View this email in your browserHey Guys! It has been a crazy and weird week for all so I will keep today short & sweet and focus on some positives, thanks to real estate. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk THE HAPPY SIDE OF A LIFE IN REAL ESTATE… 1. We closed on our home!With the help of the title company and lender, we were able to pull […]
Hey Guys! I recently ready a fun article in FORBES about the up and coming housing trends and let’s face it – who does not want to be hip and in the know?! So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk UPCOMING HOUSING TRENDS… The Forbes Real Estate Council came up with their top 15. 1. Increased demand for more […]
Good Afternoon! Yesterday I got together with two of my investor clients to walk through a potential flip they make take on. Myself, the clients and their GC walked through the property to take a look and brainstorm the best plan of attack. I want to share with you some of the ways we are looking at this project. So, […]
Good Afternoon! Last we talked – what to look for in an appraisal. This week let’s talk about the different methods used to determine value in an appraisal. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk APPRAISAL – FINDING VALUE… There are three approaches to determine the value in a real estate appraisal. (1) The Sales Comparison ApproachThis method of […]
Good Morning! Okay let’s do a quick recap of the last month. We looked at homes. We put a home under contract. We had a home inspection. We negotiated with the seller based on the home inspection findings. Most recently, we received our appraisal. Let’s spend this week talking about that. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s […]
Good Morning! Last week we had the HOME INSPECTION for the house PK & I are hoping to one day call home. While I will keep the results of that private while we are in negotiation, I want to spend some time this week talking about exactly who should attend the home inspection! So, as we do, let’s talk Real […]
Good Morning! Last week we discussed HOME INSPECTIONS and who should attend?! Let’s spend this week talking about HOME INSPECTION NEGOTIATIONS. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk HOME INSPECTIONS – NEGOTIATIONS… It is important to note that every deal is different, every buyer is different, every seller is different and every market is different. And ALL […]
Good Morning! Update from last week – we are officially under contract on a home! Let’s talk about what it took and what the next steps are. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk COMPETITIVE OFFERS IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET PT II… Let me give you a breakdown of this deal. House came on the market: 9/1 Showing: […]
Good Afternoon! Right now, PK and I are on the hunt for a home for us! We have purchased rental properties in the past but never a home for us to live in ourselves, so this whole process is new and exciting. Unfortunately, we picked a CRAZY time to do it. There is very little inventory, and anything that we […]
Good Morning! Recently, the NY crew and myself have been looking into AirBnBs…something pretty foreign to us as a group! We think we have a target area narrowed down but what I am personally struggling with is determining the proper financing. So naturally, I started to do some digging. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk FINANCING […]
Good Morning! Last week my business partners and I were discussing the application process for one of our Binghamton rentals. When we were putting our rental package together, the group discussed the notion of using surety bonds vs security deposits. I had honestly never heard of a surety bond before so I did some digging. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, […]
Good Afternoon! Last week we talked Rent Relief. This week let’s talk Mortgage Relief. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk MORTGAGE RELIEF OPTIONS… This Pandemic has brought on hardships for many. One of the biggest expenses people typically have is housing. Lender’s are working with homeowners to help reduce people’s mortgage payments and keep them in […]
Good Morning! As a landlord and a realtor in both NY & PA, I am trying to stay on top of all of the COVID related government packages, subsidies and programs so that we (aka myself, my business partners & our tenants) can all seek any assistance we may need during these crazy times. Most recently, rent relief programs came […]
Good Afternoon! This past week or so I have been working with a couple who is ready to dive in and do their first flip! We have been looking at various properties but I think we have it narrowed down to one. I thought it might be helpful to show you how we got there. So, as we do, let’s […]
Good Afternoon! This week was big for us. Almost TWO YEARS after we purchased Project Philly – we were able to finally pull our cash out of it! We are on the 3rd R of the infamous BRRRR method. Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. So let’s talk about what that entails. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s […]
Good Afternoon! I have great news for all of the New Yorkers on here – REAL ESTATE IS BACK IN BUSINESS. Phase II brought about the reopening of salons, stores, REAL ESTATE, and the most fun part, outdoor dining. But this is a real estate crew, so let’s talk about about what Phase II means for NYC real estate. So, as […]
Good Afterrnoon!I am currently doing some work up in NYC and was discussing the topic of security deposits. What can landlords deduct from your security deposit? Let’s talk about that. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk NYC SECURITY DEPOSITS: WHAT CAN LANDLORD’S DEDUCT FROM A TENANT’S SECURITY DEPOSIT… Here is the rule of thumb. As landlords we can deduct;– Anything outside of normal wear and tear– […]
Hi Everyone. Today, for the first time in two years, I am not going to use this platform to talk about real estate. Today, I am going to talk about racism. The bottom line is – black lives matter. Honestly, it feels crazy that I even have to say that out loud. To me, there is no question as to […]
Good Afternoon! Last week I had posted on Instagram about wanting to do a DIY project. SO… we went ahead and did one! My sister and I upgraded the bathroom we used growing up at my parent’s home. We have absolutely ZERO handy skills AT ALL but we were able to find some quick fixes that ANYONE can do. Let’s talk […]
Good Morning! Yesterday I was able to attend the virtual eXp Shareholder Summit where we had the opportunity to hear from many speakers including the leaders from eXp Realty, Virbella and Zillow, just to name a few. One of the topics we covered was what the real estate market actually looks like through this Pandemic, and what we can expect […]
Good Afternoon! Last week we talked about some quick tips to up our financial game. Part of that was checking in on our credit scores. This week, I thought it would be nice to dive in on how we can improve those scores. I did some research and spoke to some experts and want to share with you what it […]
Good Morning! I am not going to lie, when I sat down to write this week’s LTRE, I was at a loss as to what I should talk about. On the REI side of things, all I am really doing is checking in with tenants, catching up on Quickbooks, trying to automate our processes a bit more, and facilitating minor fixes to properties. […]
Good Morning! There is no doubt that all of us have been affected by this pandemic in one way or another. I actually read a quote the other day, that really puts things into perspective on how this is all such a different experience for every single person. I will end today’s post with it but for now, I want to […]
Good Morning! Over the past week or so I have been doing research on various SBA grants and loans. I am by no means an expert on them but thought it may be helpful to share what I have found, and what we personally applied for. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk SBA DISASTER RELIEF FUNDING… […]
Good Afternoon! I was recently sent over John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” videos and was inspired to focus on… well, some GOOD NEWS obviously. If you haven’t seen his SGN videos yet, here is the link. Prepare to cry some serious happy tears because these episodes are SO good. With so much sadness going on in the world right now, I feel as […]
Good Afternoon! A couple of weeks ago we talked about how the coronavirus might affect the real estate market. But this week I want to talk about how it is affecting renters and landlords specifically. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk THE CORONAVIRUS IMPACT ON RENTERS & LANDLORDS… There is much debate as to how rent should […]
Good Morning! This week we are talking about something that affects almost all of us right now and that is WORKING FROM HOME. I have been working from home for a little over two years now, but even for me, my work world has been rocked a bit by this pandemic. So let’s talk about it. So, as we do, […]
Good Morning! How crazy low are these interest rates, right?! It seems as though everyone and their mother is scrambling around to take advantage of these bad boys, whether it’s through buying a home or refinancing a home. I personally am on the REFI train. Which means I need to get my financial life and documentation in order ASAP. So, as […]
Good Morning! This week I decided to look into the possibility of installing smart locks at a rental property. I had never used them before so this required a ton of research for me. I want to share with you what I found! So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk SMART LOCKS… First of all there are […]
Over the past couple of weeks, we have talked about the tenant search process! We touched on searching for tenants, landlord references and thoughts on cosigners. After the vetting process is finally over, the hopes are that you ended up with a great tenant and sent out leases to be signed! But just because you have a signed lease, does not […]
Good Morning! This past week has been CRAZY up in the NYC real estate market. Media outlets and agents posting all over the place that “renters no longer have to pay realtor’s commissions”, and now just days later, we see everywhere that realtors can actually collect commission from renters! The thing is, it’s not that simple, and these headlines are a […]
Good Morning! This week we are focusing on COSIGNERS. The need for a cosigner can pop up from time to time when working in real estate or the lending industry. I recently was put in a situation where I needed to decide how I was going to handle them as a landlord so I want to talk it out with […]
Good Morning! Following up last week’s post on my review on SECURITY SYSTEMS with a REAL LIFE story on how they actually came into play the very next day. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk SECURING YOUR HOMES pt II… Last week I did an EXTENSIVE review on how RING was just not enough for me […]
Good Morning! As you all know, we started Project Philadelphia way too long ago… but the good news is IT IS FINALLY DONE (I will do a HUGE post on that SOON). However now that it is done, I am more paranoid than ever about keeping it “safe” until we fill the units. We have had a RING camera on […]
Good Morning! This week I had the privilege of watching the Willionaire Summit from my little “at home” office. This was a virtual summit hosted by real estate guru, Grant Wise. Grant interviewed 40 of the best agents in the real estate industry and asked each of them to answer one question; “What is the one thing you would teach someone […]
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Sending today’s LTRE later in the day this week because let’s face it… who the heck wants to read an email at 7:30 AM on New Year’s Day?! Today marks the start of a new decade and for some reason, that feels like even more pressure to hit the ground running?! While we should really always be […]
Good Afternoon! Writing today’s LTRE from up in the clouds… literally I am currently on a flight. As many of you on here know I HATE heights and that includes flying. So I’m channeling all of that energy into today’s LTRE. Ever since we moved to Philadelphia (almost a month ago) we have been pretty silent on both the blog and social […]
Good morning! So I attended my first electrical inspection this week! Let me tell you, it was an eye opener. As in, I realized that I know NOTHING about it, and I hate that. So much so, that I am considering going to take trade school classes on the matter – TBD. Anyway, I wanted to share some of the learnings for those of […]
Hey guys! Well, we officially moved out of NYC this week – CRAZY. And at the same time, we had a couple of tenants up in Binghamton who were also moving out. SO, I thought what better week to talk MOVING OUT CHECKLISTS than this one?! As a renter AND a landlord this is something I am forced to think about and […]
IT IS THANKSGIVING EVE, which means lots of food, WINE & an opportunity for reflection. So today I am writing about 5 things I am personally THANKFUL for as I continue to build this career in REAL ESTATE in hopes to pep us all up for a solid year end. If I have learned anything over the past couple of years, it’s that […]
Good Morning! This week I am teaming up with U.S. News & World Report again to talk about home equity! I will even dive into how myself, and the our NY investor group have used property equity to grow our rental portfolio. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk HOME EQUITY…. Let’s start with the basics shall, we? FIRST OFF […]
Good Morning! One of the most fun things I do in real estate investing is look for new properties. AND, seeing as our group up in NY is currently on the hunt for a new multi-family, I thought it may be a good time to discuss what we look for when investing in a new property. So, as we do, […]
Good Morning! Today we are talking about something that is relevant to both renters AND home buyers. This past weekend we picked up the keys to our new apartment- woo! As soon as we did that, I walked through the unit and made sure everything was working properly, and took pictures of any item that was not. Let’s talk about […]
Good Morning! Today we are talking CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY. This is a topic that has come up a lot with Project Philadelphia, and views have varied as to whether or not we need one. So I thought perhaps talking about it, may help some other RE investors on here as well! SO as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s […]
Good Morning! As you all know by now, we are leaving NYC and making the move to PHILADELPHIA. This is one of those moves where I CANNOT WAIT TO GET TO PHILADELPHIA but I am also simultaneously dreading leaving NYC. It is such a bittersweet feeling. We spent this past Saturday looking at SEVERAL apartments (seriously, we saw 20+ units […]
Good Morning! LET’S TALK SOMETHING FUN TODAY. LET’S TALK SOCIAL MEDIA. How many of us on here are on some form of social media?! Whether it be Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tik Tok (my new favorite), etc, we are all most likely connected in some form or another. Social media is something that attracts people of all ages, interests, and […]
Good Morning! I have BIG news this week… WE ARE MOVING! Come the end of the year, we will be packing up our lives in NYC to start a new chapter in Philadelphia, PA! While I LOVE New York City I am SO excited for this new phase in our life. Moving two hours away from our current home means […]
Happy October!! How is it already October?! Anyway, right now I am currently reading “The 4-Hour Workweek” for the second time. And this time, instead of just reading through the book, I am trying to actually implement some of the teachings! One thing that really sticks out to me is the art out outsourcing. Not only in your business life […]
This past weekend my parents came to see Project Philadelphia for the first time! I walked them through what we have done and one thing that really stuck out to them was the basement… it didn’t have a floor and was instead covered in dirt. So as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk DIRT-Y BASEMENTS… Believe it or […]
This week I am getting ready to put a vacancy insurance policy on Project Philadelphia as we prepare to put it on the market. Let’s talk about VACANCY! So as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk VACANCY POLICIES… First it is probably important to note that difference between a vacant and unoccupied home. An unoccupied home is a property that is left as if the homeowners or […]
Last week I spent the week in Philadelphia, camping out at our Project all day everyday to see what truly is going on and why this renovation is not done yet. For those of you who may not know, we bought this house a year ago, designed it, and hired a GC to handle ALL of the work. I have […]
Touching on another learning from Project Philadelphia today and that is CONCRETE. Now, I will start by saying I did NOT having any hand in putting in our new concrete BUT I did watch! So let’s talk why we decided to replace the existing concrete, how the site was prepped and what went into consideration during the process. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk WHEN, WHY, […]
AND WE ARE BACK! We are talking about a lesson I learned the hard way when I got back from vacation this past weekend. If you follow along on instagram, you may know where I am going with this. After 12 days away, we were SO excited to go see all of the progress made at Project Philadelphia. Our “DREAM” countertops […]
Writing to you from our car, driving down 95, somewhere in southern VA. I procrastinated on this week’s post…I’m sorry! But we got it done and that’s all that matters, right?! This week I want to talk about filling vacant rental units…virtually. So as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk TIPS FOR FILLING YOUR VACANT UNITS FROM AFAR… For any […]
WE ARE TALKING MORTGAGES AGAIN THIS WEEK! Teaming up with U.S. News & World Report last week we covered WHAT mortgages are, and what we should consider when looking for one. This week we are talking about the APPLICATION PROCESS. So as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk MORTGAGES – THE APPLICATION PROCESS… let’s talk PREPPING FOR THE […]
WE ARE TALKING MORTGAGES THIS WEEK! I was recently approached by US News & World Report to talk about an article they put together on mortgages. This is a topic that many of us will have to do some research on at some point in our lives and truthfully, I feel as though I can ALWAYS use a refresher on them as well. So […]
Good morning! Coming in hot this week with PT II of this new rental property legislation in New York. Last week we spoke specifically about the laws that affect the tenant / landlord relationship (aka the Statewide Housing Security and Tenant Protection Act of 2019). This week we are diving in further than that to check out more “landlord life changing” legislation that was recently […]
Good morning! New legislation has been making waves throughout the NY Real Estate Market these past couple of weeks. New laws were introduced that would forbid building owners from deregulating apartments, close loopholes that permit them to raise rents, decrease tax incentives for landlords, and protect tenants to the highest degree. Essentially all of this is pretty bad news for landlords, and great news for renters. As someone who is both a […]
Good morning! As we try to finally wrap up Project Philadelphia I have been working to learn more about the rental codes, rules and regulations. Thanks to Philadelphia Zoning, I was able to obtain our rental licenses this week and learn the following.So as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk PREPARING FOR OUR PHILLY RENTAL PROPERTY… In order to operate as a business in […]
Good morning! As many of you are aware, I recently started working as a Realtor in the Greater NYC market. One thing that I learned is that the whole MLS thing is not so straightforward here. And a lot of the various boards don’t really work together. This is something that REALLY confused me initially (& sometimes still does), so I […]
Good morning! Keeping today short and sweet with an interesting insurance tidbit I learned this week! So as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk the ADMITTED vs NON-ADMITTED INSURANCE COMPANIES… QUICK BACKGROUND I am currently shopping around for a vacancy policy for Project Philadelphia as we look to either sell or rent out the property! After a few back […]
Good morning! Recently, I was fortunate enough to have a FULL week of showings for my listing on the Upper East Side… like back to back to back – it was awesome! Because of these showings, I was able to meet several different New Yorkers, many of which had various opinions on the NYC real estate market. It was eye […]
Good morning! I spent this past week working to rent out my listing, and in the process learned a ton that I want to share with you! This was a JR-1 bedroom within a co-op building. In this case, I represented the owner who recently relocated to San Fransisco. My goal was to find her a renter! Now, working with […]
Good morning! For all of you New Yorkers on here you can sympathize with the high rental rates. One way to get more “bang for your buck” in the city is to look into flex or convertible apartments. Let’s talk about those. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk CONVERTIBLE APARTMENTS… WHAT IS A FLEX (CONVERTIBLE) APARTMENT? A convertible […]
Good morning! As many of you are aware, I am a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of New York! Often times with agents, you will see them marketed as a realtor, or a licensed salesperson, or maybe a broker – all of these therms are thrown around so much so I thought it may be helpful to know […]
Good morning! This week I spent some time researching the best way to come up with rental rates. Let’s talk about that. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk DETERMINING RENTAL RATES… Determining how much you should charge for rent can be daunting as a property owner BUT the good news is that there are plenty of […]
Good morning! This week we are talking about an article my husband and I discussed earlier this week. One thing I will say about him is that he is a HUGE READER and will read anything and everything, not only about the industry he works in, but also the industry I work in! This particular article was about renovating and building homes in today’s […]
Good morning! Last weekend as I was out and about running errands with my friend Annie in Philadelphia, I simultaneously sold a playground-set at one of our rental properties up in Binghamton. The buyer and I coordinated everything via Facebook – he even paid us via Facebook! It was in that moment that I felt SO grateful for Facebook Marketplace. I did a little mini “woot […]
Good morning! Last week we discussed how we go about finding tenants for our real estate business. After that post, my Dad (who is an attorney), suggested we also review the fair housing laws. It is truly important to understand the fair housing laws on both a national and local level. Let’s talk about that. So, as we do, let’s talk […]
Good morning! So REAL LIFE UPDATE – we are in the process of putting tenants in the new Binghamton place! Let’s talk about that process. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk TENANTS -WHERE & HOW DO I FIND THEM? … FIRST OFF, WHERE DO YOU FIND TENANTS?! We have tried multiple methods and I have to tell you – […]
Good morning! Last weekend was super exciting because we closed on another property in Binghamton! Let’s talk about what that entailed. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO PRE, DURING & POST CLOSE FOR OUR NEW RENTALS … DEAL OVERVIEWWe were approached about this property by one of our tenants! She had informed […]
Good morning! If you guys follow my instagram @erin.home.and.realestate you may have seen my mini celebration (ft Happy by Pharrell) last Friday when we received word that our alteration permit FINALLY came through. This has been quite that saga that set our project back MONTHS. Let me share with you where we went wrong so that you can avoid this for […]
Good morning! As you all know, I try to keep LTRE as relevant as possible in order to add some sort of value for you guys! Recently, I find myself continuing to drop the term “creative financing” to people. Just last week it happened with a couple looking to purchase their first home. They fell in love with a unit that […]
Good morning! So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk CO-BROKING… WHAT IS CO-BROKING? It is essentially when two agents work together—one representing the buyer, and the other representing the seller (or, in the case of a rental, the landlord)—to complete a deal. The commission is split between the two agents. (Definition via BrickUnderground). Another, less common, form of co-broking […]
Good morning! I recently attended a team meeting where we learned more about the various appraisal options. My first thought was, wait, we have options?! I was under the impression if you were using bank lending that you always HAD to have a traditional appraisal done, BUT that is NOT true. Let’s dive in and talk about that. So, as we do, let’s […]
Good morning! Spring is on the horizon which means – warm weather, pretty flowers, sunshine and… a more active real estate market (hopefully!). How do we know it will be more active? Well, typically the market is more active in the Spring months BUT aside from just guessing and making assumptions we can also take a look at the MBA […]
Good morning! So I have officially been a NY licensed real estate salesperson for ~3 weeks now and this next topic I want to talk to you about has already presented itself as “a thing” in my life. As many of you know, I got into real estate as an investor, and becoming a licensed real estate salesperson was the […]
Good morning! As you all may know, right now, we only do long distance investing. I currently live in NYC but invest with partners in Binghamton, NY and Philadelphia, PA. Because of this, we rely on and work with a good network of locals in both cities to help us build our business. We are currently looking to grow our Binghamton […]
Good morning! Today’s blog post is a bit of a self help for me, but I am hoping it may help other new real estate agents out there as well! Last week I announced that I joined eXp Realty and I am SO excited BUT it is one of those things where you do all of this work to take […]
Good morning! So I have been HINTING to you all for awhile now that I was going to activate my New York real estate license. Well guess what? I FINALLY DID. I have officially joined eXp Realty and will be serving the Brooklyn and Long Island City market. Let me tell you about WHY I decided eXp Realty was the […]
Good morning! Well, it’s been a pretty exciting two weeks for me personally but NOT so much FOR OUR investments. A couple of weeks ago I GOT MARRIED (I know, crazy, and yes that’s the last time I will talk about it) and spent a few days relaxing in the Bahamas afterwards. BUT NOW I AM BACK. Let me talk with […]
Good morning! So I am BEYOND excited to share today’s LTRE as we have a special guest with us this week. Dwayne Jordan (founder of Yenom Holdings & Nannie Mae Advisors) is joining us to talk about his journey in real estate investments and how he recently retired at the age of 35! I had the honor of speaking with […]
Good morning! True life – I need your help. I am currently looking at putting a security camera outside one of the properties BUT when I started to do research on these I felt a bit lost because there are SO MANY OPTIONS OUT THERE. Let’s talk about what I found. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk […]
Good morning! I want to talk to you all about a trend I keep seeing in the real estate “headlines”. Despite what I felt was an increase in popularity, flipping activity is actually trending down. We spent the past two weeks discussing how the market was “slowing” a bit, but you guys, that does not mean it is a bad […]
Good morning! Last week we did a 2018 recap… this week let’s chat about what we can expect in 2019! So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk 2019 RE MARKET FORECASTS… Honestly, experts are forecasting that we may not really see much change from the last half of 2018. But what does that really even mean?! LOW […]
Good morning! Let’s do a quick 2018 recap on the real estate market… you know, just so we can all can have some closure. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk 2018 REAL ESTATE RECAP… SO WHAT HAVE WE SEEN?! INTEREST RATES ROSE Mortgage rates hit an all time high since 2010 lingering around 4.7% (peak of […]
Good morning! Well, it’s that time of year, where ALL OF US would rather be spending time with family, friends, pigging out and celebrating the end of a good year rather than working. SO I WILL KEEP IT SHORT. A few weeks back I had done a quick overview of our transition into QUICKBOOKS and in there I mentioned a cheat […]
Good morning! Today is a big day for us, well maybe just me, but nonetheless it’s important because it marks the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF LET’S TALK REAL ESTATE. The start of LTRE one year ago marked my exit from the world of finance and my entrance into the craziness of real estate. There are so many words I can […]
So today is STORY TIME! Let me tell you all about a lesson I learned the hard way on Project Philadelphia. There is a difference between ZONING & REGISTERED USE (in Philadelphia – make sure to check your local laws to see if you have something similar) that was just brought to my attention. So, as we do, let’s talk […]
Good morning! Sharing a lesson I learned recently on INSURANCE in regards to one of our rentals. Let’s jump right in. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk INSURANCE (for rentals)… WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS? Over the past couple of months we have put a lot of work into one of the properties up in […]
Good morning! Keeping today short & sweet because let’s face it, the day before Thanksgiving is basically a holiday in and of itself! Today I’m just providing you a quick update on what we have been working on – RESTORING OUR RENTALS. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk MAINTAINING & RESTORING YOUR PROPERTIES… So, everyone who […]
Good morning! Today we are less real estate focused and more business focused. Over the past couple of months I have briefly mentioned that we started using QuickBooks. While you would think it would be fairly straight forward, there is actually A TON to it, and I was SERIOUSLY confused when I first signed up for it. Now, there are […]
Good morning! This week is going to be a bit different! A few of you brought an article to my attention that was in the Washington Post recently titled; “Owning your own home doesn’t make you rich. Owning somebody else’s does.” While the article itself may be perceived in different lights, it inspired me to reflect on why people have […]
Good morning! So I try to keep this as REAL LIFE and RELEVANT as possible. I want to tell you about a revelation I had on Monday. Around 2 pm, I received a call from our contractor in Philadelphia about whether or not we wanted to include a dishwasher and a disposal in each kitchen for the duplex we are […]
Good morning! Over the past few months we have gone from “managing” one vacant unit to managing four occupied units! We have been fortunate and unfortunate enough to learn A TON in those few months. One thing that has really shocked us is just how many “bad landlords” there are out there. Our team has always been on the same […]
Good morning! About a month ago we made the decision to stop working with a property manager and start managing our own properties! Let’s talk about that. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk MANAGING YOUR OWN PROPERTIES… FIRST OFF, WHAT ARE THE ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PROPERTY MANAGER? Essentially… Set Rent Collect Rent Screen […]
Good morning! Over the past month we have acquired a triplex and are working to close on a second single family home in the coming weeks. Now that we are finally expanding, my former risk analytic minded-self felt it was pertinent to start putting together some monthly reporting for myself, and my business partners. So, as we do, let’s […]
Good morning! We are gearing up to start a second flip (fingers crossed), and I am working to ensure we have enough cash in the bank. There are so many ways flips, funding, the whole thing can go wrong. Let’s talk about what I am doing to prepare, and hopefully after reading this, you can share some tips with […]
Good morning! Filling you all in on something I learned about last week… FRAMING. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk FRAMING your property… ALRIGHT SO , WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT FRAMING THIS WEEK? Well, for those of you have been with us a while, you may remember me telling you about how I had drawn […]
Good morning! I want to keep today short & sweet as the past few weeks of LTRE have been borderline way too long, and truthfully this week has just been way too crazy. BUT we recently closed on a multi-family up in Binghamton – WOO! Except that this close was 5+ months in the making and we hit some […]
Good morning! Today, we aren’t talking about a specific project, INSTEAD we are talking about something I have been meaning to look into for months now- RENT-TO-OWN programs. I basically knew NOTHING about them. So, I did some SERIOUS research. Let’s talk about that. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk RENT-TO-OWN PROGRAMS… FIRST OF ALL, WHAT […]
Good morning! Last week I referenced some “hard times” we came across when a deal we had been working on, for a month, fell through at the closing table. This deal was going to be A HUGE BREAK for us, with the highest potential return we had ever personally seen! To say we were excited was an understatement. This deal […]
Good morning! Recently, I have spent a good amount of time reviewing HUD-1 statements. At first, reading and understanding a HUD can be super overwhelming. I think my partners can attest that I am very type A when it comes to reading through these and have spent a ton of time on google and on the phone, trying to learn […]
Good morning! We have been working on Project Philadelphia for about a month now. As you may be aware, this was a full gut renovation. Meaning we took down every wall, the ceilings, the current electrical and plumbing, etc. You name it, we tore it out. We are essentially only using the shell of the home. As we went through […]
Good morning! Today I am writing you from our annual family trip to the Outer Banks. This week I am SO excited to chat with you guys because I have a VERY special guest on today’s LTRE– my dad. For those of you who may not know, my dad is an attorney with 20+ years of experience in real estate […]
Good morning! Last week we talked BUILDING YOUR FLOORPLAN but this week let’s chat about what materials we should use in order to bring our visions to life! My goal is to create a catalog of finishes that can easily be used across future projects to come. While I LOVE interior design and do find this line of work […]
Good morning! CAN WE FIRST TALK ABOUT HOW IT IS ALREADY AUGUST?! WHY IS SUMMER FLYING BY SO FAST?! Anyways all, wanted to update you on this past week at Project Philadelphia. This week I got to focus on finalizing the floorplan. I am not an architect (obviously) and have NEVER done anything like this before so I may […]
Good morning! UPDATE : we hired a contractor this week for Project Philadelphia! Let’s jump right in and talk about all all that went into it. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk Getting Started with a Contractor… HOW DID YOU FIND CONTRACTORS? We looked at A BUNCH of different resources. We used referrals and websites […]
Good morning! So, last week we CLOSED on a property that we are going to flip in Philadelphia! I did not know what to expect, this was my first cash deal, first deal with wholesalers, first deal in Philadelphia, first deal without attorneys – SO MANY FIRSTS. I want to share with you all exactly how it all panned out… […]
Good morning! This week we are taking a break from talking about the Philadelphia venture and switching it back to Binghamton. Over the past few months we have been posting about a deal we had been working on out there where we were executing a cash out refi on one home, and putting two other properties under a blanket loan. […]
Good morning! Last week we talked about how we bought our first FLIP! As we prepare to close, and get started on the house, I am working on making sure our insurance policies are all lined up. Two policies we are looking to obtain are a (1) Builder’s Risk Policy, and a (2) General Liability Policy. So, as we do, let’s talk […]
Good morning! I HAVE BIG NEWS. Last week was kind of crazy (for me) – I signed a contract to purchase my first flip – sight unseen. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk PURCHASING A PROPERTY- SIGHT UNSEEN… GIVE ME SOME BACKGROUND Over the past 3 months I have been looking everywhere (around Philadelphia) for a […]
Good morning! Last week we talked commitment letters– this week let’s chat about THE COMMERCIAL LOAN BEHIND IT. As you all are probably aware of by now, we have been working to acquire properties out in the Greater Binghamton Area for quite some time. And while we STILL HAVE NOT CLOSED ON THEM (trust me SO many lessons learned to […]
Good morning! LET’S TALK REAL LIFE STUFF AGAIN TODAY. Last week we signed a commitment letter for a commercial loan that will cover the acquisition of three properties. Now, this is MY first commercial loan, actually honestly really any loan, I have ever applied for. So, after we signed the commitment letter I really had no idea what to expect. […]
Good morning! Today I want to share with you a recent experience I went through and how it taught me the importance of truly tracking “wealth”. A few weeks back we applied for a commercial loan, which required lots and lots of documentation, however one document in particular stood out to me… my personal financial statement. While this exercise felt […]
Good morning! True life : I want to FLIP a house. We have spent the majority of the last 6 months working to acquire rental properties. I am not going to lie it has taken WAY longer and has been more discouraging than I had ever anticipated and I am itching to try and take on a new project. I […]
Good morning! Taking a break from “real world real estate investor problems” and doing a market deep dive this week. For the past 6 months I have really pushed you all on the Greater Binghamton area. Well, the day has come where we have decided its officially time to expand our investing horizons! Last week we took a trip down […]
Good morning! Today I want to get your opinion on something… hard money lending. The issue for us is not whether or not we can find deals (although actually getting offers placed and accepted in time has been a whole separate challenge), instead what I am constantly worrying about is how we are going to continue to fund these […]
Good morning! Alright guys, let’s talk about real world investor problems #4: how can I make sure that I continue to qualify for investment property mortgage loans? There is no doubt that there are SO MANY good properties out there to invest in, however the financing is never easy. Fannie Mae allows a max of 10 investment loans per person, […]
Good morning! Now, let’s move on to the real reason we are all here. Real like experience post #3 – HOME INSPECTIONS. Getting your offer accepted on a home seems to be like the most exciting thing ever, but honestly this is where the real work begins. As soon as the offer is accepted, it’s time to meet with your […]
Good morning! Can we chat about some more “real life” investing points of confusion this week? I feel like it’s super helpful (at least for me) to type out all the facts and learn from you all as well! Last week it was “where do we find small dollar financing”? This week it’s “should we incorporate our LLC in a foreign state”? I want to start […]
Good morning! Do you all mind if I use this week’s touch point as a self-help meeting? I want to chat with you about something we are currently struggling with; SMALL dollar financing. As many of you are well aware of by now, because I have annoyingly mentioned it 100 times, we have been working to invest in Binghamton, NY. […]
Good morning! HEADS UP, today is a long one folks but stay with me I have some new updates that should hopefully benefit YOU and YOUR BUSINESS $$$. First things first, I want to talk to you about this week’s topic of convo; it’s the current housing market, and how HOT it is. On average, ~53% of homes across the […]
Good morning! Last week we chatted about opportunity zones, and I mentioned to you that I was working to invest in Binghamton,NY. I am sure a lot of you are wondering WHY BINGHAMTON? So, I thought I would use this week to tell you! So, as we do, let’s talk real estate, let’s talk BINGHAMTON, NY… Now, I want to […]
Good morning! Over the past week my partners and I have spent quite a bit of time discussing the new Opportunity Zone Program. This concept was originally introduced back in 2015 by the Economic Innovation Group. It was recently adopted by Congress as part of the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Essentially, the new tax bill is outlining a […]
Good morning! This week I am writing to you from Kiawah Island, SC (I know eye roll, honestly so annoying of me). But, you guys I had to write about this – the homes here are AMAZING. I can only hope that one day I can own an amazing beach home for myself and my family…. BUT those days are […]
Good morning! Last week we talked about the real estate market in the Tri-state area, focusing on whether or not we are facing a bubble. One credible source brought about his view point stating that the Greater New York City area as a whole is in fact not in danger of a bubble, rather perhaps just the luxury market here might […]
Good morning! Today, I decided to go a bit rogue, compared to what we have been talking about over the past few weeks, and do a MARKET DEEP DIVE. While many of the readers on here are based in the northeast, specifically New York City, I thought it may be fun to talk about just that! So, as we do, let’s talk real […]
Good morning! Over the past month or so, we have set up our business, explored different methods for obtaining deals, and found financing. Now let’s talk about what we do once we find deals, and how we determine which projects are best to pursue. SO, as we do, let’s talk real estate, let’s talk METRICS for RENTAL PROPERTY DEAL ANALYSIS… Personally, […]
Good morning! A few weeks back we discussed setting up our business. Now that we have done that, it is important to figure out how we are going to finance our business ventures. Before we can start analyzing & pursing deals, we need to have an idea as to how we are going to pay for them. Investors are constantly […]
Good morning! & Happy Valentines Day! Recently, I have been working towards my New York Real Estate license, and while I will definitely complete the course, I find myself constantly going back and forth as to whether or not this is necessary. I have compiled the below pros and cons list based on what I have read. However, I want to hear your thoughts after […]
Good morning! Today, I want to talk about something that may seem super simple, but is honestly super critical to our success, and that is setting up your business. The way we set up our business could lose or save us big $$$ so it is important that we do so correctly. SO, as we do, let’s talk real estate, […]
Good morning! Today is the official launch of the new template & website (https://lets-talk-re.com/)! Hopefully this morning’s note made it to all of your inboxes safely & soundly (& did not get lost in your spam). Please feel free to let me know if you had any issues reading the content or if you have any suggestions on how to […]
Good morning! So, as you may notice, I have changed up the email template a bit! I am hoping this will make it easier to read on all devices going forward. Starting next week, I will send this email using a new server and there is a chance this may end up in your “Spam” or “Promotions” folder- please be […]
Good morning! This past week I was asked what the most common mistakes were among rookie real estate investors. Being a newbie myself, I thought this may be good for us all to learn, so that we can be on the lookout and avoid some of these mistakes before they bankrupt our wallets. Here are just a few to avoid… […]
Good morning! Over the past MONTH (can you believe it??) we have talked about… WHY we might invest in real estate, HOW we may go about doing it, and WHERE we should invest. NOW, going forward, I hope for this to become less broad & more so detailed deep dives. After last week’s email one of our fellow “let’s talk […]
Good morning & happy Wednesday! So far we have talked about WHY we might invest in real estate, and HOW we may go about doing it. Today let’s talk about WHERE. WHERE should we invest in Real Estate? When deciding where to invest, it is first critical to understand what makes a housing market “hot”. The U.S. housing market is […]
Good morning & happy Wednesday! Last week, I gave you a little background behind this newsletter and left you with what I have found to be the top reasons investors get into real estate. One of my favorite things about real estate investments is that there are SO many different ways one can get into real estate. So let’s explore […]
Good morning & happy Wednesday! Introduction As many of you are aware, I made a drastic career change this month and left the world of finance to pursue a future in real estate investments. Thus far, I am 8 days into building a new normal and it has been more exciting than I could have imagined. I hope to start […]
Hey Guys! With the final push here at year end, and baby boy just a couple weeks away, real estate is still full steam ahead. I have a new listing coming on the market next week that I cannot wait to share with you all. This is a flip I helped my clients purchase pre-reno at the beginning of 2021. Their […]
Hey Guys! With just 4 months left in 2021, I thought we might talk about what we can expect in the real estate world for the rest of the year. As many of you know, I am a licensed real estate agent in both New York (NYC) and Pennsylvania (the Philadelphia region). Both markets are experiencing VERY different shifts right now so […]
Hey Guys! Happy September! HOW IS IT SEPTEMBER ALREADY!? This year is FLYING by. Right now, one of the things I am focusing on is a listing I have in South Philly. This is a project of another investor that is about 90% done and needs a little TLC to get it over the finish line. This sale includes ALL of the materials […]
Hey Guys! As I mentioned, Project H is well underway and nearing the end of Phase I which means IT IS TIME TO DECORATE. Here are 3 tips & tricks we picked up after countless hours of decorating, and redecorating our various apartments throughout the years. So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk 3 TIPS & TRICKS FOR […]
Hey Guys! Project H is well underway and nearing the end of Phase I – thank God. We broke this project down into two phases so that we could continue to live in the house while it was being renovated. Phase I – exterior paint, new floors, kitchen, man cave and guest bathroom buildout. Phase II – master bath / […]
Hey Guys! We are in the midst of Summer, it is hot as hell outside and of course this week our AC decides to stop working… cue the tears. This AC unit is only 5 years old and for the life of me, I could not get it to cool our house below 75 degrees. SO, I called one of the contractors we […]
Hey Guys! We had our first tenant turnover at Project Philadelphia which means a final walkthrough and some repair work was in order before the new tenants move in. One thing I noticed during the final walkthrough was a cracked window. Now, the tenant never reported this crack to me, and I know it was not there when the tenant moved in. The tenant claimed that she […]
Hey Guys! We have had TONS of renovations going on this year – between two full makeovers in NY and our own home in PA – we are REALLY doing it this year. My aunt, who is also in the real estate industry, asked me if we have been affected by the uptick in material and construction costs this year. To be […]
Hey Guys! This week we are closing on a new triplex up in NY – exciting times for our team. Unfortunately this transaction was anything but smooth. We are buying into a situation where one tenant moved out mid-closing, another tenant has not paid rent since October and therefore we are relying on the third tenant to carry the weight of the building when […]
Hey Guys! Last time we talked, we focused on how to prepare your home for market. As we all know, we are currently in a SELLER’s market. I had the opportunity to list my friend’s house for a sale a few weeks ago and well, it went better than we could have expected. We had 50+ showings in less than […]