All Forum Posts by: Brian Reiner

Kept hearing a few colleagues talk about this “Bigger Pockets” thing 😂 So glad I was curious enough to check it out, it’s been an amazing journey thus far. Also sooo thankful for Money Show - gotta plug it!

Hi James A Oates Jr , and welcome to the BP community! Agree with Nick and his advice to utilize a VA loan. I would recommend finding what options are available to you and use as many as you possibly can. The BP Money Show podcast has been an eye opener for me and helped shape how RE fits into a bigger life-goal mindset. Keep absorbing, researching, and you’ll find what path works best for you and your wife!

Love the interviews, but I’d definitely vote for more episodes with this format. Great to get structured “how-to” info like this. Keep em coming!

Landon Schlabach It’s a bit of a gamble. The place have old appliances or systems on the brink? Maybe a good idea. Can’t speak to every area and perhaps even the quality of your particular warranty details. We got a place two years ago, got the warranty. Heater goes out few months in, got the warranty involved and there’s a deposit to be paid. Also they pick the installer and unit. They said they could get a name brand unit for $100 wholesale. Floored. Cash out option got us $250 and we picked the unit and company. Can’t even imagine what quality unit and installer we would have received for their price. Just our experience at least. Might be worth reading the warranty fine print.

Originally posted by @Jason L.:

@Brian Reiner They look great. Were these for rentals or flips? If they were rentals, how did it impact demand? I do worry if they're a bit too niche for a rental (granted this is a 2/1, so it's probably going to be rented by someone young without a family. I think they'd be less fickle).

@Jason L. These were for live-in flips. So they survived two years on the previous flip and one year on the current. And that's three kiddos doing their best to stress test them. Yes they're particle, but for the price point I couldn't be happier. When I worked for a GC doing flips we would use HD Supply, HomeDepot, and Lowes. Not really impressed with the quality for what you pay. So when it came to doing my own flips we took the "risk" of trying something else. I was super skeptical at first, but I'm glad we went for it. 

So while I haven't used their cabinets for any period of time longer than 3 years, one benefit I'd point out is that if something should happen to the fronts, you're able to order just new doors, or new hardware for that matter -- don't have to waste getting an entire box cabinet for a part. 

Concerned about water damage under the sink? Run a bead of silicone around the joints to keep it from getting to the unfinished wood.

Hi Sara Als. , I used to work for a resto/construction contractor, lots of mold and asbestos abatements. If it’s done right, it will be expensive as you’ve already seen, and rightly so. From an operations stand point, make sure the quote from the contractor includes — full containment and HEPA filtered negative air movers that ideally can exhaust to the exterior, manometer with print out logs documenting the containment’s negative pressure throughout the mitigation, full removal of affected materials (drywall, baseboard), (wood framing can sometimes be sanded and then sprayed with a spor/fungicide), and finally an *inspection by a third party environmental hygienist for air clearance*. Once you have clearance docs in hand you can move forward with build back. From a resell/investor standpoint having everything documented is important if/when you list your disclosures. If you have any other questions or further details on the process just let me know!

@Jason L. There's also some photos of the other Ikea kitchen we did on my profile if that helps give you an idea.

@Jason L. The shelves are nothing more than 2x12 douglas fir ripped down sharp, sanded, and couple coats of poly urethane. These are 75 lb each rated brackets, more than sufficient.

@Jason L. We've used Ikea for a couple kitchen remodels now. No complaints, durable, easy to clean. Once you've assembled one you've basically got the concept down for the rest. The Euro style hinges and slow-close hardware are great features as well. Sure, it's not as glamorous as custom made woodwork, but for what it is, it serves the purpose well. As @Jen R. mentioned, we also do open shelves instead of uppers. Opens the layout and saves on price - win, win.

@Dave Shellenberger What happened to your cabinets?

@Erik Mogan

You and your wife are the most important team. I’m sure you made a promise that in better or worse you’d stick together. Be a man of your word. You two have to be on the same page though or there will always be conflict. Be a firm yet gentle leader of your home. 

As far as an immediate resource I’d suggest listening to the BP Money podcasts. There are soooooo many things you can do to cut expenses and reel your budget in as you work on the other areas of your life.