All Forum Posts by: Brittani Grant

Hi Elizabeth! I haven't had to remove a large quantity of popcorn ceilings before, but wanted to provide a note of caution. Depending on when the property you have was built, the popcorn ceiling could contain asbestos. Asbestos was banned in the late 70s but prior to then, was used quite commonly. It doesn't do any harm if undisturbed, but if it's in the ceiling and you go to remove it, it becomes a serious health hazard. Based on the age of the home, you should get it tested prior to removal. I live in an older DC condo building, built in 1967 so there are several elements in the buildings that have asbestos. Removing it requires a speciality contractor licensed in abatement which of course cost more. Other tactics I've seen used by other owners is coating it. Rather than doing the messy and costly removal, they hire a normal contractor to skim coat the ceiling, I believe with normal drywall mud to achieve a smooth surface ceiling. It's just as labor intensive as removing the texture, but doesn't require any special licenses since original stuff isn't disturbed. One other thing I was told is that if you test the ceiling, it comes back positive, and you don't abate - I believe it becomes something that you'd have to disclose when selling (if that's your plan). Just some food for thought. Best of luck!

Hi All,

I'm new in the investing game and have seen a lot of positive posts about your meetups. I put in a request to join the meetup group as I'm hoping to attend the next meeting and make some new connections!

Thanks Russell Brazil for volunteering your time and knowledge to the BP community. I'm still really new, but in my short time I've consistently seen you throughout the forums providing help to others. I hope I get to work with you one day in the near future! Thank you for all that you do.

Michael Solomon I'm new and gearing up to get started in the DMV area as well. From watching the forum and looking at the market here, duplexes and triplexes are very few and far between in this area. That's not to say they don't exist, but because there are so few it's very difficult to find one on the market and if you do, there is typically steep competition thus driving up the price. It was my original intention to try house hacking in the area through small multi family dwellings, but now I'm trying to learn about more methods that may be more suitable to this location.

Welcome! I am also a newbie in the DC area. Hopefully we can both hit our goals for this year. Can you provide the information about the seminar you are attending on 1/25? I've been watching the forums for meetups in the area, so any way I can start networking, I'd love to know. Best of luck!

Thanks so much for the advice, Russell! I definitely hope and believe that having the property in the long term will yield good returns. 

For now, I will continue to work on getting the property rental ready, so that I can target the summer market when there are more people looking for rentals. 

Also in the mean time, I will continue to research and learn as much as I can about the local market to see how I can get more involved. Initially I thought that house hacking would be a great way to get into it, but I'm learning that the DC metro area just doesn't have much inventory for that strategy. 

Thanks again! If anyone has advice on DC metro involvement and more ways to get involved, I'm definitely eager to learn!

Yes, it's one of the older buildings in the area. The condo fees are really high (for me approx. $650/mo). The benefits to it though are that it includes all utilities, property maintenance, 24 hour desk coverage, and the property does things like free preventative maintenance on units as a result.

Hey all - I'm new to BP and I'm in the learning process so that I can get into the real estate game. My goal is to make moves in 2017 and have at least one rental property by the end of the year. 

I currently own a condo in SW DC, very close to the new Wharf development, which opens in October, 2017. One of the main reasons that I purchased in this area was to capitalize on the appreciation that would happen in this area. As such, I am currently debating wither I should try to rent out my condo (starting Summer 2017) or sell it after the Wharf opens.

Some pro's for renting, I think, are that I would be able to keep the tax deductions from being able to itemize, I would have someone else paying my mortgage, upkeep and maintenance are minimal as the HOA does a majority of the work and I would get to hold on to the property as more development continues to happen in the area - as there are several on the books.

Some con's for renting, I think, are that I'm not sure if I can rent the property for enough to cover the typical monthly expenses (mortgage (includes LPMI and taxes) + Condo Fee = approx. $2,300/mo) and I think I would need to do some upgrades to the unit prior to renting (kitchen and bathroom upgrade). 

I have the opportunity through my work to rent closer to my job at a discounted rate, which could reduce my monthly living cost $600. 

So with all these factors, I would greatly appreciate if anyone has any advise as to if it would be better to sell my condo or rent it out.  Thanks in advance!

@Joshua Smith - I'd also be curious to hear how this turned out. I am new and looking to get started in the DC metro area and would love to hear if this worked out! I've also thought about house hacking, but having some trouble finding properties that are situated to work well in that manner. I need to find some creative ways to start getting involved!

Hi Everyone!

I'm Brittani and I've just joined Bigger Pockets at the recommendation of a colleague. I've been working in the construction industry for the past couple of years, but I am now looking to get more involved in real estate and personal investing. I'm really hoping to achieve financial freedom  through real estate in the future, so any advice on getting started would be greatly appreciated!