Elite Invest

5 star company and service, owner and team are great, fast and responsive. Recommend Elite Invest for any investors looking at multi units.

Great Company, owners are supportive and helpful. The property took longer to close than expected. My experience thus far has been great.

I purchased my first turnkey propert with Elite, and my experience was great. I'm a skeptic by nature, and super analytical, so I challenge everything, drill into the numbers, etc. to come away with my own conclusions about how something is going to play out, vs. just taking projections at face value. I connected with a number of Elite investors before completing my own purchase, just to get some additional unbiased input. 

I went to grad school at the University of Chicago, so I'm very familiar with the South Side (Hyde Park and surrounding areas). It's a very rough neighborhood, but the value you get in this area is pretty phenomenal. 

West of 94 has neighborhoods that are very rentable, and east of 94 along the lake is also very rentable, and probably has great appreciation potential over the next 10-20 years. If you're familiar with the Chicago neighborhoods, you can see that the only gentrification path left that makes sense is South along the lake. From an investment perspective, these buildings are attractive even if you assume no appreciation. However, if you consider that the same 3 flat brick structure that you might pay $300k - $350k for on the South Side would sell for $2M - $2.5M on the North Side, it's reasonable to think you'll see growth in value.

All of that said, you need to set expectations properly. REI is not like buying and selling stocks.

• You need to expect and be ok with delays. My original target close was in early May; we didn't close until the end of July. Dealing with construction, the city, inspections, etc. all takes a lot of time, lots of unknowns crop up, and can be hard to project an exact date. 
• You need to set aside additional money to cover the first 1-2 months of mortgage payments, insurance, and other costs on your own until you have renters in AND allow enough time for that income to hit your Elite account, and then later be disbursed to your bank. If you think you're going to start collecting rent income on day 1 and just use that to cover all costs, you're screwed. Just plan accordingly and you'll be fine.

Lastly, Alex and team are honest, hardworking, and genuinely try to do right by their investors. That's probably the most important factor. End of day, they understand that they can only survive & thrive by bringing real value to investors. They have been around for 6-7 years now, and have maintained glowing reviews from investors that entire time. 

I'll be buying another building in early 2017. Highly recommend checking these guys out.

I have been in contact with Alex and his team prior to Elite invest. Alex have always been great to speak with and provide honest opinions on the properties and what are the pros and cons of each one. Alex understands the items I was looking for one when I was searching for a property. He was able to found the perfect one for my first property in Chicago. I have been a owner with Elite Invest since the beginning and have nothing but great experience working with the company. Their policy of being open and honest with their owners is the reason why I decided to invest with Alex and his team. The company have been growing. 

I have had the distinct pleasure to work with Alex and his staff at Elite Invest for the last 3 years. As a business owner myself, I understand the importance of quality and integrity in every aspect of one's business. The entire Elite staff exemplifies both of these attributes. This is evident from their interaction with clients and co-workers to their attention to detail in workmanship. The result is beautiful homes,great value and a nice return on investment.   I currently have 4 homes with them and plan to buy many more in the future!  I have recommend them to my family and friends who are purchasing with Elite as well.  Highly Recommend ELITE!!

I have been investing with Alex and EliveInvest for over a year now and am now the proud owner of two properties in South Chicago. Being fairly new to investing out-of-state, and having already heard my fair share of bad experiences through others, I am really glad to have partnered with Alex thus far. He is not only well spoken, smart, efficient and decisive, but has also acted with the utmost integrity and care throughout all of our engagements.  The business seems to be growing fast, and as such there are always new staff members and processes to be fine tuned. Alex has always received my feedbacks well and genuinely does his best within reason to accommodate my requests. Recommended! 

I'm an overseas investor with little to no time to dive into the details of completing a real estate purchase.  With the excellent professionalism and customer service provided by Elite Invest I not only purchased one but four properties from several time zones away. Elite Invest is the definition of turnkey. The team guiding me through every state of the purchasing/ownership process with minimal effort on my part while provided all of the information that needed/requested.  I'm confident that my purchases will provide excellent passive income for years if not decades to come. 

This review is somewhat lengthy but bear with it as I’m hoping I can offer everyone a broad perspective of Alex and the Elite Invest team in comparison to other turnkey providers. For the past six years I consulted for well-established CA-based investor group that assisted its investors in developing a passive income portfolio primarily through turnkey investments.

I was responsible for identifying, evaluating and performing due diligence on turnkey operators, their submarkets, and the properties they wanted to sell to our investor base. I literally traveled the country to vet turnkey providers before we put them in front of investors (and put the Company’s reputation on the line). I’ve seen a lot of the good, the not-so-good, and a lot of things in between. Layered on top of all that, I’m a very active investor in my own right and also own properties with Elite in my personal portfolio.

When it comes to evaluating turnkey providers I drill down on the following areas:

• Market: (submarket, jobs, crime stats, active building permits, school ranking, economic development activity, public transport access, etc.)
• Product: (age of building, climate, structural, mechanical, level of rehab)
• Operator: (# yrs experience, systems & processes, scalability, team members)
• Property Management: (timely communication, reporting, and support)

Having evaluated many operators, I’ve come to realize that there are several qualities that separate the top-tier turnkey providers, like Elite Invest, from everyone else.   Below are a few noteworthy items regarding Alex and the Elite Invest team:

Integrity. If I had to single out one word to describe Alex, the word “integrity” comes to mind. In all my dealings with Alex, he has been honest, transparent and true to his word. Alex addresses issues head-on and holds himself and his team accountable. That says a lot about him and goes a long way with me. Additionally, he’s friendly and professional, communicative, very sharp, and easy to work with. Elite Invest is built on this foundation and my interactions with the Elite team have been similar.

Systems/Processes and Economies of Scale. One quality that Alex and Elite Invest share with other top-tier operators is a focus on business systems and processes. Systems and processes always seem to be top of mind for Alex as he’s always looking for ways to improve the Company and its operations. I have watched this company grow from near infancy to where it is today as a result of the processes implemented (i.e. automation, workflow, working smarter). It has allowed the business to scale up and conduct business more efficiently. Elite Invest is built with the future in mind.

On the flip side, while there are many good small operators those companies need to remain small. As soon as demand and volume pick up, the small operators don’t have the right systems in place and they struggle to keep up. Eventually, they “break” – timelines slip, they become disorganized, communication stalls out, etc. And in the back of your head, you begin wonder about the company’s longevity.

Simply put, I’ve found that the best operators, like Elite Invest, focus on developing, growing, and improving their BUSINESS for the long term whereas the smaller operators focus on closing TRANSACTIONS in the short term.

Superior Rehab. With volume and economies of scale also come additional deal flow, volume discounts, and strong vendor relationships. It seems that Elite is able to capitalize on all of them to consistently deliver a thoroughly rehabbed product that performs as financially projected. Easier said than done.

Elite Invest’s approach is to redevelop properties from the inside out, often starting at the studs and replacing the “guts” of the property as necessary – plumbing, electrical, mechanical systems, structural, drainage, etc. before the aesthetics. Too often I’ve had the experience of being paraded into a newly carpeted or painted room only later to discover old galvanized plumbing, knob & tube electrical, a 10 year old water heater or a 30 yr old furnace way beyond its useful life tucked away in the dark underbelly of the house. FYI – these are the most critical areas to be addressed in any rehab (and the most costly to repair upon failure).

What investors and tenants will instantly notice about Elite Invest’s properties is the level of interior finishes on the product: granite countertops, new 42” mahogany cabinets, new appliances, glass tile backsplash, two-tone paint, etc. Candidly, as someone who has rehabbed flats on the South Side, I initially thought the finishes were (unnecessarily) above and beyond “the standard” for the neighborhood. But to Alex’s credit, he figured out that he could deliver a product with nicer interior finishes for basically the same cost that rehabbers like myself were incurring for formica countertops, basic cabinets, laminate flooring, etc.

The result: Elite clearly has the competitive advantage for qualified tenants in the submarket. They like Elite’s product. They stay on longer.

Consistency of Financial Performance. Unfortunately, too often investors are given inaccurate financial projections that don’t accurately portray the true ROI or cash-on-cash return on a property. For instance, you won’t see a vacancy allowance or a maintenance reserve included in the projection. Be sure to build those reserves into your projection!!

Over the years, I’ve referred friends & family and other investors to Elite Invest. Many are repeat buyers. The feedback I consistently receive is that Elite’s figures are realistic and the property comes very close to performing as originally projected. That isn’t to say there isn’t tenant turnover or never any repairs but those items are budgeted for and the net returns come in line with projections.

Further, because of the “like new” quality of renovation, the potentially large capital expense items highlighted above have already been addressed. And by fully replacing those items, Elite Invest is able to reduce the number of tenant maintenance requests and investor charge backs.

Local Expertise. In terms of the local submarket, a lot can be said of the South Side of Chicago and the general stigma that persists there. To the uninformed, it likely appears that the entire South Side of Chicago is a “war zone”. That’s far from the truth. It certainly has its rough areas but not the areas in which Elite Invest operates.

How do I know that? Well, I first met Alex and team several years ago while my business partner and I were acquiring and rehabbing 2-4 unit buildings in select neighborhoods on the South Side. Alex was buying, rehabbing, or managing in the exact same areas in which we were buying. We took note and recognized he knew the submarket (and block numbers) and the tenant base very well. Today, he and his team know the local area better than I do.

I offer you this perspective… the South Side is one of a few remaining markets where you can still find the following:

• An opportunity to acquire a property for under full replacement cost
• Solid yield from operating cash flow
• Property that is still undervalued compared to its historical price average AND still some room for upside appreciation

Sounds good, right? But without the guidance of a local market expert who has a strong network, the competency to deliver a quality product, and the ability to properly manage it, you might as well be flying blind. Then you’re just rolling the dice.

Closing Thoughts

Of the many operators I’ve evaluated and of all the markets that I’ve visited there really are a select few operators that truly stand out. Elite Invest is one of those companies.

Is Elite Invest perfect? No, no provider is. But they strive to be better. And I’m of the opinion that they will communicate openly and honestly with you, be held accountable, and do their best to “make things right” if they are in a position to do so. That’s a very rare find these days.

Sorry, I know that was a long review but I hope you find my comments helpful as you evaluate Elite Invest. Thanks for reading.

I have been working with Elite Invest for over 3 years now. I provide conventional financing for a majority of their buyers and could say that a big chunk of their buyers return to purchase more properties. Since I speak with a lot of their clients, I can tell firsthand how pleased they are with the service provided by Alex, Sunny, and the Elite team. Anyone can express gratitude but it speaks volume when Elite’s clients come back to purchase more inventory, and I can say that this happens more times than not. I am constantly being asked, “What do I need to do to qualify for the next property?” I can say that I am also a happy Elite client looking for the next purchase.  Elite invest is certainly standing by their name “ELITE”.

My experience with Elite has been exceptional. I was very impressed with the quality of the rehab and how smoothly the buying process went. I also find it a big plus that Elite has a management company that takes over after the the property has been purchased. Alex stands by his word and any issues that popped up, he has made sure were resolved. I have had a very good return on my investment and would definitely recommend Elite to a friend or family member. 

One of the best things about purchasing a property through Elite is that they also have a sister company, Elite Rentals & Management that manages my property. It eases my nerves to know that they aren’t just selling me a property and moving on, they truly stand behind their product. Easy to work with. I would definitely recommend Elite! 

Let me be the first to admit that I am an out of state investor and despite the naysyers (skeptical friends , financial advisors, parents/family) I did my due diligence (read everything I could on BiggerPockets, Google, misc real estate books, hired 2 different property inspectors, appraisal, spoke with friends and other investors that have invested with Alex) and committed to the decision to purchase with Alex through Elite Invest. This decision has been one of the best financial moves I've made thus far in my early investing career. I have a real estate broker's license in California but because the properties near the Bay Area are truly insanely overpriced and cannot cash-flow without an inordinate amount for the down-payment, I opened my mind to the idea of purchasing out-of-state investment properties. I was *very* skeptical at the high rent collection ability and the quality of the rehabs until I became an owner myself. Like you, I had a lot of questions and concerns as a new out-of-state investor but Alex was able to put my concerns to ease and spent innumerable hours in addressing my questions on the phone and via e-mail or text.

Fast forward almost a year of ownership (and a second property closed and managed by Elite)-- Alex and his outstanding team has kept their word, stand behind their product, and the investment properties have continued to perform well beyond my expectations. I hope that this upcoming new lease goes smoothly and the property continues to perform as well as it has this past year. Will keep everyone posted!

As a first time buyer, Elite Invest really helped me through the process and showed me how easy it is to build wealth through turn key real estate!

Elite Invest is passionate company that provides a great product and service to all types of investors- offering everything from SFH to Multi-Family properties. Their entire staff is very approachable and easy to talk to. I could not have accomplished so much in so little time without them.

I met Alex a few years ago and almost immediately invested with him and his company after visiting his operation. I have learned many times over in business that you invest in the people as much as you do the product. There will be bumps always in any investment and what I liked about Elite and its staff, similar to what others have written in their experiences, is the way they handled my issues, most of which were minor. They are very client protective and place high accountability on themselves if they make mistakes--that i like. Its easy for people to be great when things are going great, but i liked how they handled things when there would be a problem.  

There are many growing pains for fast growing companies and having built many companies myself, I see it almost entirely up to the CEO as to where the vision drives the business. Watching this company grow has been fascinating the past couple years and being a part of it even more exciting. Innovation, Creativity, Resourcefulness are some of the key ingredients in making a business run and run successfully.  Alex and his team are without a doubt quality people with great intentions, They place a high emphasis on providing a quality product and always improving on the customer service aspect of their business. Although the area of customer responsiveness can improve, i am confident it will and have seen changes for the better on a consistent basis.  

For anyone looking to invest or tour their company locations, I would highly would recommend it. I personally searched for many companies and toured several before making the investment.  I decided after weighing all of my risks, rewards, appreciation potential and more,  that I would commit a sizable investment with them and I did pretty quickly after my visit.  Overall, I loved the product, numbers, quality of rehab and most importantly who was running the operation. I currently own 40+ units with his company and have invested over $4M USD and i will say i am confidently happy. 

 I could see this company becoming much more than a turn-key investment company and growing to become a very sizable real estate investment company in my opinion, but for now its good to be a part of all of their endeavors and opportunities that come with it.

Cheers to Elite Invest and their growth. 

My experience mirrors closely what others have already said.

I first got wind of Alex and his turnkey company Elite through a fellow Bay Area investor who had purchased a couple of duplexes from Alex.  His experience was good overall.  A few hiccups related to late/no payments.  I started off doing a ton of research on what questions to ask and what to look for with turnkeys providers and more importantly the property management side of things.  I had a couple of extensive phone conversations with Alex and he seemed to have all the right answers.  My wife and I then took a trip to Chicago to see the properties firsthand.  Alex was out of town that weekend, but we got a great tour with Chris J.  We were on the tour with another couple interested in investing and overall ti was a good experience.  I had reservations about the neighborhoods that the properties were in, but the tour helped show that these are working class neighborhoods with working class people.  Yes, there is a high level of crime in some areas, but that's why you have to do your due diligence on each property.

We were under contract for a duplex and close in about 2-3 months.  The closing went smoothly.  I went with the preferred lender (Bluestar) to move things along.  About 1-2 weeks later both units were tenanted and I began receiving my rents.  It's been about 1 year on this first duplex and aside from one tenant habitually late with their rent and some minor repairs here and there (outside 6 month parts and 12 month labor warranty).  The PM representatives are fairly response.  I think they are getting better with time.  The PM portal they use (AppFolio) leave much to be desired though.  Ideally, I'd be sent a notice any time a exception happens (late rent, repair, etc.), but the platform lacks this and I have to login periodically to see what's going on.

Overall, my experience over the year has been positive and the numbers are accurate.  I went into contract for a 2nd property and closed recently.  

Alex and his team continues to grow and improve in construction  quality, time to complete (a major complaint with Elite investors early on was the delays with the rehabs), and PM communication.  Alex is a standup guy and takes pride in the company that he built.   This really shows with the constant improvements I see.  Their property tours look better organized these days and their main office relocated from a basement of one of their properties to a fancy location downtown.  They seem to have all the right pieces in place and will keep growing as their reputation grows.

I really can't say enough good things about Alex. I did a lot of DD on him upfront and he came up highly recommended from a number of people that I trusted to give me a competent and honest opinion. Since deciding to buy with Alex it has been a very good experience.  He went above and beyond first to help me find a property that met my admittedly difficult criteria in both return and risk profile and than he was very creative in helping me grow my portfolio after that.   I did actually have issues that came up with a property and Alex has done a number of things he did not have to do and kept his word in terms of making things right. Putting the properties aside the most important thing for me is someone I can trust with my money and Alex has certainly more than met that. I have also found the properties to be appealing from a risk and return perspective. 

I purchased my first property (a 2 unit) from Elite in December 2015. The purchase process took a bit longer than expected due to some delays in construction. My overall experience has been good thus far. The property passed my due diligence and we closed without tenants, which apparently is normal. Once I closed my escrow, the property took 37 days to place my first tenant and 49 days for my second —�a little longer than I would have preferred, but none the less the property has been cash flowing as I would’ve expected. No big surprises or major issues. I am in the process of buying another property with this group now.

I'm an out state investor in CA. Because the area where I live is famous for no cash flow, so I decided to try out state turnkey investment. I've investigated several markets with different turnkey providers which I think the market make sense and the return is decent. Among all these providers, Elite Invest, provides the best rehab work. 

Because I am a Realtor in CA, I like to get prepared before I jumping in. The same way I do with my clients to better serve them. So I asked a whole list of questions regarding investing with each individual turnkey providers and their operating markets. Alex, the owner of Elite Invest, is the only one that answered all my questions, not simply saying "It depends" (I know in some cases, this answer could be true, but not to the specific questions I asked). He was also willing to meet me face to face for 2 hours before I committed to invest with his company.

Alex also recommended me the best inspector he used in Chicago area for his own house. Because this inspector, I've been buying more investment properties than I originally planned in the area. That is how good this inspector is, although his thorough inspection also made a longer repair list for Elite Invest's rehab work. 

Due to several issues (most of them out of Elite control), my first investment was not as smooth as I though. But Alex was able to keep his words, and keep me posted on the progress. At the end, that property turn out to be the best investment property I've got so far.

For all the reasons I mentioned, I'm 100% satisfied with Elite Invest, their products, their services, and most importantly, the people I work with. They have been helping me buying and managing more properties. I would recommended Elite Invest to all investors buying turnkey properties.