The Cheapest Places to Live in Houston
The title of this week’s blog post is misleading. If you think the idea is to recommend the cheapest neighborhoods, you are making the wrong assumption. The cheapest neighborhoods are crime-ridden, ugly, and they have poor schools. The only people that live there are in those places from adverse conditions, not by choice.
However, if you are not disabled, if you can pick up and use a hammer or put up a wall of sheetrock, there are places in Houston that are a possible cheap neighborhood to you, but not perceived as cheap to others.
One of the things ACRES Solution does very well is find and acquire a property that is in a good area that needs renovation. Investors love this idea because they put the money behind ACRES and they know that after short while they will get a return.
How to be Creative About this Work
Let’s say for example, you are not a rich investor. You are a working stiff, like the vast majority of American, living from paycheck to paycheck. Besides food, they most expensive thing you pay for is rent. Rent eats up so much money; it makes those who pay it crazy. The first of the month feel a bit like terror.
How to Stop Paying Rent
First of all you must be reliable. If you are a scammer, a lowlife, a drug dealer, or a person with a bad attitude, this strategy will not work for you.
However, if you are a decent person, you already have a job, and you want to find a way up, this strategy may work for you. It is easier if you are young and single than if you have a family.
Trade Your Time and Effort for Rent
All of the companies working to rehabilitate and renovate properties, ACRES included need people they trust to guard the properties. This is at night usually, because during the day the properties are undergoing a lot of construction activity. You will not be paid to stay in such properties, and they may not have all the conveniences. Nevertheless, you will not have to pay to stay in such properties and if you are successful with this strategy, you will not longer pay rent.
Learn the Skills
While living in a property that is under renovation, you get to learn the skills about how this is done. You can see there are chances to do construction work, painting, finish work, clean up for pay, and even more importantly how eventually you become a real estate investor yourself.
How to Access this Opportunity
Here are the steps:
1. Be extremely honest and trustworthy.
2. Always keep any promise you make.
3. Offer to help so that the investor/owner can see you are a good person.
4. Do not ask for pay at first.
5. Guard the property as if it is your own.
6. Be prepared to live in rough conditions, while the property is under renovation.
7. Be ready to move out on 24-hour notice.
8. Be helpful as much as possible.
9. Keep your other job to pay your living expenses.
10. Learn new skills to advance your future possibilities.
To find companies you can help, look for those working with re-possessions, short sales, banks, and finance companies that hold the titles too many run-down properties.