All Forum Posts by: AJ Vanderhorst

 Absolutely no idea. 10 years ago I had no idea how this stuff worked. Today I'm still a relative newbie. Over the past decade, this property has always been considered multifamily. Agents, city inspectors, consultants, staffers, etc. I've pursued a SUP for this building with an architect, city committees, multiple consultants. I was literally told it was zoned multifamily. Never thought to verify it myself. 

When my lender told me the zoning was weird, I told them, "That's crazy, I know for a fact it was zoned multifamily last month."

Twilight zone.

 This one came in at the 9-11% range using the most conservative cashflow scenario. 

@Todd Marcus @Jay Hinrichs Learning experience...wishing I'd looked for a local lender to handle this refi. Unless the city comes after me, I'm done negotiating with them at this point. Taking a couple days to see if I can satisfy Quicken and if not, I'll hit the reset button...

Do you find that local lenders are more motivated to get appraisals right $$-wise as well? Maybe it's common experience, but mine came in low, and I was pretty unhappy with the comps. 

 I'm seriously considering combining 2 of the 4 units and calling it a 3plex to satisfy Quicken and avoid dealing with the city. Do you think other lenders/appraisers would approach the situation differently?

 It's a great system. I've used it many times, but believe it or not, I never verified my building's zoning until the refinance brought it to my attention. Just assumed it was multifamily. Nope, it's listed as a duplex. *mind explodes*

 I've seen those chopped-up homes as well. Have walked through a few of them and envied the fact that the city seems to leave them alone, haha. In my case, this property obviously used to be a sixplex. Three stories, six balconies, center load-bearing walls, etc. I'm still baffled as to how it could've ever been zoned as a duplex. 

At this point, I'm wishing I hadn't contacted the city for advice. As you say, it would be much better not to be on their radar, even though there are hundreds if not thousands of noncompliant properties around downtown. My dealings with them in the past have been frustrating, to say the least. For now, I'm ending communication and keeping my head down...

The building has 4 gas meters, 4 electric, that date from before I owned it. Anyone with half a brain can see it's been a 4plex forever. I'm wondering how I got the original mortgage in 2009 if it was zoned as a duplex back then...a more relaxed appraisal, I guess.

I'm seriously considering combining two units and calling it a threeplex to avoid the pain of dealing with the city. 

 If things go south with Quicken, I'll likely do that. Thanks much.

Thanks, Christopher. Ouch, that's a high price tag in this instance. The irony is that this building has been used as a 4plex for decades (6plex before that) and I see no reason why I can't continue using it as such—the zoning snafu has only been triggered in reference to the appraisal/refinance. An extra 5k fee would sure make the refinance less attractive...

A certificate of legal nonconformance is something else I've heard mentioned. I need to do my research, but I'm hoping that would be less costly to explore. 

@Dan Weber@Nathan Gesner I just realized Building and Planning probably = Planning and Development in Kansas City. These are the same people who are currently giving me the runaround. I'm getting very little cooperation from multiple staff via phone/email...worth a shot to show up in person and see what happens I suppose.

 Thanks, Nathan. This seems like my best option. Once I find this evidence, would I be applying for a certificate of legal nonconformance? Something similar?