All Forum Posts by: Ryan Lott

@Raymond B.,

Look I did it - thanks for the help! Although, I'm a little embarrassed as gen Y'er that I wasn't able to figure it out on my own...

Forgot to include price of the bulb ... $7.97 is current retail

We've been switching all of our bulbs over to LED's over the course of the last year and a half.

Been using these Cree dimmable LED's for enclosed fixtures (A19 60w eq.):

sku #1000003071 @ Home Depot

It's important to note that GE will start offering rebates on LED's as of June 1 so at that point we'll switch back to our local distributor (Evergreen Supply in Chicago).

Welcome to BP, Kyle! Feel free to reach out if you ever need anything.

What a cool thread! Like most everyone else on here I bought used and paid cash.

2006 Chevy Equinox for my daily driver

1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula for fun

I think @Rita Bautista is on the right track. As a Portage Park resident, I've noticed a lot of young families coming to the area along with some cool restaurants. Honorable mention: Logan Square/Noble Square although I have no idea what prices and availability look like in those areas.

@Aaron Trommater

Started a company that wholesales to the property management & rehab companies I buy for. After getting that set up, it was just a matter of reaching out to different manufacturers to see if we were big enough for them to deal with and become a distributor... I got hung up on a lot.

Definitely takes more work but it's worth the effort in the long run.

Standardize, standardize, standardize - as much as you possibly can! Ask around and find out what's working for other people. Then do a little research and identify a few different "go to" fixtures. Not only does it make estimating rehabs a lot easier but it will also give you leverage to ask for bulk discounts. On the back end it will make reordering faster, increase the likelihood your fixtures will be in stock, and keep the look uniform throughout your units.

This has been one of my latest go-to's:

Westinghouse 7801765 - it's under $100 and given enough time and quantity, I can save about 30-40% by buying direct (although that requires a bit more work).

I've found that the most cost-effective solution is to find a manufacturer or distributor who is willing to work with you on picking a good long-term solution and then standardizing your flooring (as much as possible) across all of your properties.

Currently buying this for hardwood: Mannington Residential AMPLG05NA1 $2.98/sf

and this for laminate: Lockport NEU1408 Cherry $0.84/sf

Very few issues with both! Don't forget to order underlay (I've done it plenty of times)!

@George Foster

 I've had a lot of luck working with Ridge Construction & Plumbing. They're professional, friendly and speak English fluently. They also do fire safety which I find is a big bonus.

http://www.ridgecp.com/

Best of luck!