All Forum Posts by: Andrew Kwiatkowski

Good afternoon, and welcome to BP.

I'm right in your neck of the wood, and I very much agree with you on the diagnosis of the area, with some caveats of course.

What is your real estate experience?

How is the list populated? Does it by chance have lat-long for both the subject property and the address of the owner? 

If so, you could attempt to process/append the list with the Haversine distance (nautical miles, which is quasi-linear).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haversine_formula

I've also worked with databases that interface with map APIs and calculate drive-time distance as well (based on two addresses). This is more accurate for the "headache" factor than an "as-the-crow-flies" distance.

Welcome, fellow Mountaineer.

You've got an impressive website as well. I've been meaning to check out Clarksburg!

Great to have you here!

A big welcome to you!

I grew up in Milwaukee and spent a year in college at Eau Claire. Both great rental areas! What areas of EC are you invested?

I think you may be referring to this series (three parts):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/201...

Fene, in my case, I went through this (and much much worse) when i purchased my primary residence, on the advice of an extremely poor property inspection.

#1 - There will always be some degree of mold - ventilation and moisture control is arguably the most effective approach in terms of cost/benefit and natural dynamics. I've also done the bleach/Kilz method.

#2 - Don't ever, ever encapsulate.

#3 - Pay attention to the insulation - In my case, 75% of it was falling off the floors and covered with mold. 

#4 - Examine the integrity of the vapor barrier, if there is (or was) one at all. The tar paper one installed on mine was original, and crumbling/exposing clay.

#5 - It seems obvious, but ensure that any dryer vents residing in the crawlspace do indeed vent out. In my case, the previous owner had rotting old plastic dryer vents which disintegrated.

#6 - More than anything, I'd have somebody who was structural engineer take a look at any foundation where there was even the slightest hint of water damage. In my case, the previous owner neglected the foundation for the better part of 12 years, which ultimately required $40k in repairs. 

A good rule of thumb for water issues alone - ARV * 75% is what you can expect to fix any major water issues alone (without respect to any other repairs the property needs).

Welcome to BP... I'm just outside of Shepherdstown.

It sounds like you're off to a great start!

Do you attend any of the REIAs out here?

Hello. When you say it's an "old building" -- how old are we talking?

I don't have experience in Cumberland, but the population growth would concern me.

What's the competition in your immediate area, and what do they charge for rent?

A big welcome from the Eastern Panhandle - Thanks for sharing your story.

Welcome, @Duke Jordan.

I'm a WV-transplant, but have come to love living here overall. The perception will be a tough one to crack, but I do see some hope of thawing over time. WV has several areas that are promising for investment - but pay attention to demographics and population/migration patterns for an area. 

Best of luck in your career!