Tapiwa Wakatama – Community Stories

Becoming an Accidental Real Estate Investor with Tapiwa Wakatama

We sat down with one of our users who has been with us since we were named Property Buddy, Tapiwa Wakatama.

Below we summarise the conversation highlighting some of the key points. For the full and unedited interview watch the video linked. Alternatively, you can listen to your preferred Podcast channel.

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Becoming a Real Estate Investor

It was shortly after the 2008 crisis that Tapiwa began hearing about and thinking about real estate investing. At first, it was through his friends who were positioned to pick up real estate at dramatically low rates. However, having just moved to Atlanta even the reduced value of the market seemed entirely out of his financial reach.

The monetary entry barrier was just too high. However, with friends successfully navigating the real estate investing world he became more interested and took it upon himself to learn the basics and mechanics. He did this through books, conversations with friends, and online educative material. He quickly came to realize that real estate really wasn’t an unattainable goal and took the dive himself.

To begin with, he employed a property manager but when things went south with them he took the management of his property on himself and has self-managed ever since. Currently, he manages his property and works full time, and has no plans to leave his day job.

We Asked Him What Make Him Look for A Solution Like Landlord Studio?

“I started with spreadsheets but came to a point where being tied down to a desktop didn’t work for me. Most other software I looked at appeared to be desktop-centric. And even with those which have since released mobile options, it doesn’t feel like an organic mobile solution. I downloaded Property Buddy and came with you when you transitioned to become Landlord Studio.”

“One of the things I really love about Landlord Studio is that you listen. A couple of years ago I actually asked for a new feature, I heard back from you saying put it on Twitter and we’ll consider it – so I did and the feature request was actually implemented shortly afterward.”

“Landlord Studio can track payments income expenses when I’m at home, on my lunch break, in the car.

They’ve constantly expanded the features. You can add photos of receipts add your lease, track contractors, and communicate with tenants through the app. And there is a free trial so why wouldn’t you give it a try?”

“My one piece of advice to new real estate investors is to make sure you have the right tools whether that’s Landlord Studio or something else, to help you scale your business and save you time.”

Related Articles:

• The Ultimate Guide to Tenant Screening for DIY Landlords
• How to Transition from Spreadsheets to a Modern Property Management Software

For the full and unedited interview watch the video linked above. Alternatively, you can listen to your preferred Podcast channel.

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