New here - Any others actively investing in the USA

[cperkcpa]

I'm new an here and was referred by someone I met on Twitter. I invest in buy and hold properties investment properties. I'm also a CPA / tax preparer that specializes in real estate transactions.

Look forward to getting to know others here.

[Dissindat]

Which cities are you investing in cperkcpa?

[Dolly]

Many ozzies have invested in the USA.in fact there are companies that specialise in this.cities that are cheap are Kansas,Arizona,Georgia n Florida.

[cperkcpa]

I invest in the greater Seattle, WA area. Currently have no investments in other states though I work with a number of people that do.

[Dissindat]

Seattle is too expensive for me. What sort of yields are you getting?

[cperkcpa]

I look for anything that yield a 10 cap or a 15%+ cash on cash in general. I do buy other investments though that are value add. Properties that I can redevelop, rehab for greater rents, short plat. There are lots of ways to make money in real estate.

There is investor here that strictly works in the Ballard area buying apartments. The cap rates are generally around 5 but are often B or C class properties that he can often rework the floor plans and create considerably more gross potential rents. The vacancies are low have been low for some time. He can safely use a 5% vacancy factor.

I've learned to invest in almost any market. You must know the market well, be able to envision what a property can be and surround yourself with those that can help you make it happen.

[Dissindat]

Yep I knew the returns there would be low, too much money in the city. I'd want 25% cash on cash minimum.

[cperkcpa]

Glad to hear it. I'm happy with my returns that have allowed me to build a reasonable net worth. For me it is about building a good retirement. The cash flow is gravy. Much of the property I buy will have forced appreciation when it is all said and done.

I like investing in my backyard because I know my farm area well and what can be done. I'm quite aware that far better cash flows are possible in other parts of the country though each market has its own quirks. For me I have solid cash flows in good locations and have created forced appreciation for some properties and working on it for others.

It is nice to be able to spend say 12K and get a 100K return. Quite doable when you find large lots in the city where it may be possible to do a short plat subdividing a lot and selling or developing the raw land.

I'm sure you have established your goals and know what you want out of your investments. I've been doing this for 18 years successfully and love every minute of it. Over the years I had to change some strategies and finesse others but am quite happy with the results and also on the look out for those deals that meet my goals and supplement my tax position.

[muppet]

Going fast: Strong demand has melted away inventory in some housing markets

April Buying Advice: With investors and first-time buyers vying for bargains, homes are being snatched up as soon as they hit the market.

By Melinda Fulmer of MSN Real Estate


© David Sacks/Getty Images

Prices may not be shooting up, but homes are once again selling at a rapid clip in many markets, draining multiple-listing services and turning up the competitive pressure on buyers. Yep, that's right: Multiple offers are back.
In this installment of Buying Advice, we'll check in on these tight housing markets at the start of the spring selling season. (You can see the 10 tightest major housing markets around the country in this slide show.)
We'll also round up the latest national housing statistics and answer a reader's question on whether it's prudent to rent out the home he can no longer afford and try to get a mortgage for a more affordable smaller house.

Dude, where's my house?
In markets such as Portland, Ore.; Memphis, Tenn.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City, listings are practically evaporating as they come on the market.
"There's not an awful lot out there for sale," says Niels Brownlow, a broker with Coldwell Banker Barbara Sue Seal in Portland — especially, he says, on the lower end, as investors and first-time buyers vie for bargains.

For more

http://realestate.msn.com/going-fast-strong-demand-has-melted-away-inventory-in-some-housing-markets?page=0

[muppet]

And from the above article

"We are seeing buyers from New Zealand, Switzerland and from the U.K. here," says Rita Driver, an agent in Memphis. "I'm winding up with more multiple offers now than I have in the last five years

."

[donna]

I read 2012 will see a return to record rates of foreclosures after a dip in 2011.

Here's one article - 21 states to see rise in home foreclosures

cheers,

Donna

[Dissindat]

I am hoping so. I'm already happier than a pig in slop, another tranche of big foreclosures would be totally awesome!!

[donna]

I guess personally it presents a good situation for you Dissindat - not sure it's particularly 'cool' to say "its totally awesome" however when so many people are being forced from their homes due to losing their job!

Here in NZ we get an unemployment benefit that lasts till you find a job and for that would be enough for some to keep to their homes - not like in the US where you get just 3 months benefit and after that you're on your own. I feel for the families that are in this situation - no job, no home and I read about the tent cities too - where people are having to move into tents as they have no where else to go.

It's other countries too - in Spain there's an area the size of a city that's become a ghost town due to foreclosures.

Therefore showing a bit compassion wouldn't go a miss when their loss is obviously your gain Dissindat.

cheers,

Donna

[Dissindat]

You obviously know very little about the US Donna, (and investing in general if you put the responsibility for a nations issues on an individual investor). Peoples greed causes them to lose houses, something I am not responsible for. I have also helped over 250 families into their own homes in the last 3 years. So thanks for the judgment attempt but it doesn't wash with me.

Your info about assistance for the poor is also completely wrong. Once you get Section 8 you can get government assistance for your entire life. In fact we have a problem here in the US now with multigenerational welfare. The next generation aspires to food stamps and section 8 vouchers like it's a career.

[donna]

Great reply it shows the compassion you have Dissindat - and without the reply - your earlier post most definitely could have been taken as 'just another greedy investor' comment.

cheers,

Donna