Skills and Lessons learned from Rehab number 2.

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Skills and Lessons learned from Rehab number 2.

Robin Grimes
Real Estate Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2010 · 37 posts · 326 votes

Here are the skills and lessons I learned during the rehab of my second rental.
1. If the property has been vacant for over a year and still has fleas, there may be a raccoon living up inside the fireplace. (I can now add “roping and releasing a raccoon†to my list of skills)
2. Just pay the $80 to have the fleas professionally exterminated. I spent $50 plus trying foggers and sprays with no success. Should have just hired the professional to start with.
3. If you putting in Laminate flooring for the first time, laying 200 sq ft before realizing you forgot the moisture barrier does not make a productive day. (Yes, I pulled it up and started over.)
4. DO NOT put Laminate on the stairs. I did it and it turned out beautiful. But it took a huge amount of material. The step is about 9 inches wide and the material is 7.5 inches. So I had to cut 1.5 inch strips, with the locking groove, off full boards. Rest of board was trash since it didn’t have the groove.
5. Laminate suppliers quote the price of transitions by the foot but only sell 7.5ft sticks and transition pieces are very expensive.
6. When you turn the water on for the first time…. Don’t walk, RUN inside and check everywhere for leaks or open valves. I found the washer connections wide open after turning on the water. I’ll check those before turning it on next time.
7. Wondering why prior owners took oven racks with them, won’t solve the problem. I learned oven racks are not standardized like the coils on top. You have to order oven racks based on the model and they cost $82.50 each. (I decided one rack was plenty, who really uses both racks anyway.)
8. If you’re very, very nice to the secretary of the Home Owners Association, she will rush through an approval so your roofers can start on the day they are scheduled.
9. You can advertise anything for free on craigslist and there will be multiple people who want it. (really old Jacuzzi in back yard and ugly front door with many coats of paint)
Rental #2 is complete and tenants are moved in.

So what are some of the Rehab lessons you've learned?

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  • Bienes Raices
    Orlando, FL · Member since 2009 · 2k+ posts · 282 votes
    15y
    Originally posted by Robin Grimes:
    7. Wondering why prior owners took oven racks with them, won’t solve the problem. I learned oven racks are not standardized like the coils on top. You have to order oven racks based on the model and they cost $82.50 each. (I decided one rack was plenty, who really uses both racks anyway.)

    I had the same problem with the lid on the toilet tank. It was cracked. I thought it would be easy to find a replacement but it wasn't. Also having the window balamces replaced was not cheap like I thought it would be.

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  • Don Hines
    Investor · Little Rock, AR · Member since 2010 · 628 posts · 251 votes
    15y

    I am not as good of an inspector as I thought I was. The roof does not leak. But, new shingles were placed on rotten decking. I missed some windows that are junk. None of this is in my budget.
    Don

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  • J ScottPro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 18k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    15y
    Originally posted by Robin Grimes:

    6. When you turn the water on for the first time…. Don’t walk, RUN inside and check everywhere for leaks or open valves. I found the washer connections wide open after turning on the water. I’ll check those before turning it on next time.

    Couple thoughts here to help next time:

    - If the property was winterized, all the supply lines and valves/faucets should have been left open. So, make sure to close everything before you start;

    - If you turn off the water at the main shut off (right where the water line enters the house) and then turn it on at the meter, you will quickly fill the main line with water, but water won't be entering the house. If the meter is spinning at this point, you know that you either have a faulty meter or a leak in the main line. If the meter stops spinning, you know the main line is good.

    - Once the main line is filled and checked, you can turn off the line going into the water heater and open the main shut off. As water starts running through the lines in the house, the meter will spin quickly for a few seconds (as the water fills all the pipes), and then slow down (as the toilets fill, etc). If you turn off the water supply at the toilets, the meter should stop spinning after a few seconds. If the meter continues spinning quickly for more than a couple seconds, you probably have something open or a major leak. If the meter slows after a few seconds, either the toilets are filling or you have a minor leak. If the meter stops spinning, you're good to go.

    - I like to have a couple contractors stationed around the house when I turn on the water, just in case there is a major issue. In my last house, the meter kept spinning very quickly once the water was on, and I had three contractors running around trying to figure out where the water was going. We figured it out when the ceiling in the garage collapsed (a pipe burst above the garage) and at the same time the water heater started spewing water and at the same time the supply line to the master tub burst. (Funny enough, we had named the house "The Leak House" before this happened due to a roof leak :). Had it just been me running around trying to figure out what was going on, a lot more damage would have been done by the time I found all three issues.

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  • Nate Parkyn
    Involved In Real Estate · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2011 · 6 posts · 1 vote
    15y

    Robin - great info and love the craigslist shout out.

    For every one of my rehabs everything that isn't in pieces or just plain trash I list on craigslist. I've given away old mirrors, light fixtures, cabinets, vanities, anything that is metal or can be recycled, window treatments, I've sold kitchen cabinets, counter tops, anything left behind by the sellers: sofas, old lawn mower, rugs, lamps, old appliances even the kitchen sink!

    Anything you can keep out of a dumpster is win win for everyone. Keep up the good work!

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  • Greg B.
    Homeowner · Burleson, TX · Member since 2008 · 756 posts · 376 votes
    15y

    Water leaks are a major pain.....Water leaks in the upstairs units are such major suckage they defy any other adjectives.

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