==================Quote from tneub:
I have been speculating in the Foreclosure market here in New Jersey...Right along the North-East Corridor....I have purchased 2 homes this month....
First Home was purchased by owner in 2004 for 269,000 and I purchased it from him for 275,000 on a bank short sale....the guy actually owed 279,000 on it after 3.5 years of mortgage payments....the bank ate it on that one....ceilings fallin' in...really outdated interior....and I'll have to dump 30k into a gut renovation....adding extra bath...and GC'ing the job....my cost basis will be about 310,000 when I'm done...the neighborhood is great....nicest around in a working class neigborhood....and it will show like new construction when i'm done...similiar home up the road....i mean like 6-7 houses sold for 362,900.....on the low end I'm looking to net 40k....i put down...12k....put in 30k...the only thing i have to account for is holding period....but....IM A SALESMAN....and those laurels i must rest on....my product is good...only two homes in neighborhood for sale....in the 350-399 range....all used and abused....bottom line....i bought at a good price...and will create a product from an exsisting home....that is more or less new contruction....and bringing it back to compete against tattered "used homes....these homes are selling....not that fast but they are...I have my real estate license....and will pay virtually no fees which adds to the bottom line....I'm aiming to do three projects a year starting out....I have a capital base of 300k....to use for these projects...and will not close on the next project until i have a sales contract in my hand....
in fact...I know a home builder....and he is complaining about all of the new construction that he is holding....about 10 million right now....he's not that big....but his advice to me....buy beaten up homes....and put them on the market...after you add value to them.........if I were to hire a GC for the job....I would pay 40-50k more than I am paying....essentially I'm netting this by doing the work myself....he made all of his money with old worn down houses...and got the idea to do new construction....he says after he gets rid of these homes....he's going back to existing...where he made his millions to start.....I'm consulting with him....and it has been a great help...for sourcing materials...dealing with permiting...etc.....
I'm a trader....and they say...buy when their is blood in the streets...and now...there is blood....as New Yorkers cash out and move jersey side....I'm right near the train...and only a couple of stops from Penn Station....about 40 minutes...no different than guys riding the train in from Brooklyn...the only thing...you get more house for your money on the jersey side....I just sold a flat in Jersey City...954 sq ft....for...drum roll please.....457k....and I sold it in less than 1 month.....location is the key...and purchase price is the key.....adding value at wholesale prices is also key...I don't have to pay union wages to get my job done....in fact because I'm the homeowner I can do all of the work myself....without having to have a plumbers license.....or electrical license.....this is how I will be able to compete....
Now the strippers in LV they profiled on CNBC aren't going to run an all spanish crew....lay tile....put up sheetrock....and the Pulte's and Tol Brothers, and Hortons, are faced with rising labor and material costs in a declining market.....but as with anything....there is room in any market for those willing to be shrewd, cunning, smart, and penny pinching.....now 120k per year is what I project based on selling and repairing 3 homes per year....and if I can do that for 5-6 years running....and catch the market when it turns....I believe I will do alright....I'm also single...and have very low monthly living costs....i expect to put away 80k per year into long-term investments....
I'm a contrarian at heart.....and although housing may be a falling knife....I'm starting to buy it.....when I tell people I'm flipping houses...they look at me like I'm an idiot...."haven't you read the paper".....of course I have.....and all of the fear has not driven me out...but has driven me into it....I'm selective...and concentrating on a particular market....quite frankly when I'm done with this first project...which i'm in the process of documenting by video...I will be looking to create a business model...and attract outside capital.....and when potential investors see what this kid is doing in a super shitty market....I believe I can increase my capital base for projects 10 fold.....my first committed investor is the new home builder who is amazed that I will pull a 40k profit from a home selling at 350k with a 50k cash outlay in this market...when he may make 40k on carrying a 750k home he may sell for 800k....years ago...he would have made 125k on it....now hardly anything....
more foreclosures...mean that I will be able to cherry pick...as buyers are sparse....but again...IM A SALESMAN....and a TRADER....I have always been able to sell/trade a quality product regardless of the market conditions....and for this I am blessed...
T-neub;
Another advantage you are blessed with;
most owner-agents dont do thier own contracting/home improvement.
And most contractors don't do their own real estate sales or are REALTORS, some are

