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All Forum Posts by: Brian Knox

Brian Knox has started 26 posts and replied 66 times.

Post: Using Mint.com for budgeting

Brian KnoxPosted
  • Mauldin, SC
  • Posts 69
  • Votes 14

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give MINT about a 9.2. Pretty easy to use. Fairly intuitive. Lots of pretty charts.

My wife and I have used it consistently for about five years and we definitely get benefit from it.

At several points throughout the month, I go in and categorize every line-itemed transaction. This is good for giving a visual on where your personal money is going and allows you to sort of relive the spending moment and ask yourself "is that really where I want my money going?"

For us, the two consistent and pronounced weaknesses involve eating out and going to coffee shops. Dang. Love 'em both. But also love saving for Real Estate.

Post: Tank vs tankless?

Brian KnoxPosted
  • Mauldin, SC
  • Posts 69
  • Votes 14

Disclaimer: I'm a little old fashioned.

I'm sort of with @Judy Parker

 I work full-time at a plumbing company and - while tankless solutions are fine for certain families - they really aren't for everyone.

Their main benefit is the endless supply of hot water. But, if you don't have a family of five taking concurrent showers, the value of the tankless begins to diminish.

My main struggle with them - apart from the fact that they can be quite expensive - is that they still seem a little finicky (must have the precise gas volume, water pressure, exhaust venting, etc). We are constantly going on calls where we have to troubleshoot error codes by calling the Tech Support lines that are only moderately helpful.

Now, in about five years, I think tankless heaters will be pretty much everywhere and will have most of the kinks worked out.

Hey @Dave VanDommelen, I'll be there!

Would love to see fellow investors from: Simpsonville Mauldin Greenville or anywhere else around!

@Drew Castleberry

@Jason Hatfield

@John Tucker

Let's Meet Up!

Crew, how are y'all looking for this Wednesday evening, July 22nd?

Maybe like 7pm or thereabouts?

Beer, coffee, whatever + real estate talk!

Holler back if this Wednesday might be workable!

Brian

I hear ya. Friday night is probably the worst possible time to try something. I was trying to wedge it in.

Hey: what about Sunday 7/26 in the afternoon or evening? Are Sundays workable?

Open to thoughts!

Hey Crew!

I know finding a date that'll work for all of us will probably be a challenge. But even if we start small, I think it's OK.

What would ya'll think about this Friday, July 17th?

Location: We have options. I imagine downtown GVille will be hoppin' and creating its usual parking challenges. But we could do Starbucks on Augusta St, maybe. Or, we could head for Simpsonville and do the Starbucks on Fairview Rd. Just tossing out ideas; feel free to jump in.

Thoughts? Could anyone make this Friday?

@Drew Castleberry, @Chris C., @Dave VanDommelen, @John Tucker, @Jason Hatfield

BKnox

Hey Guys!

I'm a dedicated podcast listener and occasional forum reader/contributor. Might anyone in the areas of Mauldin, Greenville, or Simpsonville be interested in doing a local MeetUp?

We could exchange ideas and see if there might be opportunities for our strengths/weaknesses to be complemented. My main interests right now would be Buy & Hold rental properties or possibly a flip.

I'm thinking something super-informal over beer, coffee, tea, or food in the evening.

@Dave VanDommelen, you in? Are there others who might be interested?

Hit me up, if so. If not, no sweat!

Brian 

Post: Best Templates for Rentals?

Brian KnoxPosted
  • Mauldin, SC
  • Posts 69
  • Votes 14

Hey Hey!

I ended up renting this book from our local library and it has a web resource (with the link listed in the book). It gives tons of templates in both editable and non-editable versions.

http://www.amazon.com/Every-Landlords-Legal-Guide-Portman/dp/1413320163/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436031873&sr=1-1&keywords=every+landlord%27s+legal+guide

Hey Cindi!  I live here in SC (not too far from NC). Do you happen to know what city in NC you're thinking of? Or not yet?

Question: Did you ever do Single Family homes before jumping into Multifamily?

I ask because it's a topic I'm sort of interested in.

While I'm from SC originally, my fam and I were in SD/MN for about 10 years and - similar to you - slowly made it a dream to return to the South. It finally happened. The south is a great place (just hot and muggy, but NC is better than SC for that).

Post: Long dryer vent

Brian KnoxPosted
  • Mauldin, SC
  • Posts 69
  • Votes 14

Hi Steve, I'm not an official expert, but I do dabble with dryer vents both for fun (weird, I know) and in my line of work (plumbing, air, electric).

I hope these help:

1) 90 degree bends are pretty bad to have because they restrict air flow. What happens is that each 90 is equivalent to adding about 5ft of running length to the tube. I am realistic that you may not be able to remove the 90's, but - if possible - making things straighter will make 'em better.

2) I recently cleaned out our dryer vent with this thing off of Amazon. And - WOW - it was worth it's weight in gold. It was actually fun doing it and it did a killer job.

http://www.amazon.com/Gardus-RLE202-LintEater-10-P...

3) I'm a little unsure about the use of PVC for the dryer vent. And, in researching it, I found this little tidbit. Given that we found it on the internet, it is - by no means - the gospel. But it seemed sort of legit.   "PVC pipe is fantastic for many different applications, and it is even sometimes used for duct and venting applications. BUT there are a few reasons why PVC pipe is not a great choice for dryer vents. For one, PVC has a rather low maximum operating temperature. All PVC pipe and fittings have a max operating temp of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Now think about how hot your dryer gets. All that hot air and moisture running through the pipe for years is bound to do some damage. Second, PVC pipe is notorious for creating static electricity. Anyone who has ever cut PVC pipe with a saw can attest to this (the shavings cling to the pipe like crazy). That penchant for static mixed with the hot lint that collects in dryer vents is a recipe for disaster. Third, using PVC to vent a dryer is a violation according to most residential building codes. Save yourself the stress / possible future agony and do it to code."

4) Lastly, if you start making alterations, I don't advise using Duct Tape. You actually need to use a tape that can stand up to the hot temperatures (I think it's called foil tape).

http://www.amazon.com/3M-High-Temperature-Flue-15-...

I hope that helps some, sir!

Brian