All Forum Posts by: Bruce P.

Thank you @Cassi Justiz, your suggestion that includes context you can't necessarily get from a Google search is the type of answer I was looking for. That's a good idea to look at amenities in other listings in the market area.

Thanks, one thing to add - the rooms are small enough (12 x 12 ft approximately), that with a full-size bed and a nightstand, a mini-fridge in the room might possibly make the guest feel cramped

Hi,

My friend is planning to rent out unused rooms in their single family home in Ventura county (Moorpark / Westlake village area) near Los Angeles. It's a new house, so right now there's really no furniture in it.  They are targeting business travelers / professionals (it's their first time doing this, so who the ideal market is for them is up for debate - but the idea is to attract quiet people who can afford it).  

Here are the amenities they are currently thinking of providing to travelers:

• Shared refrigerator space
• Shared dishes / dinnerware
• Complementary Keurig coffee
• Complementary breakfast cereal (possibly eggs)
• Shower towels w/complementary soap + shampoo
• High speed internet
• A table with the capacity for 5 to 8 chairs so business traveler guests can do some work in the house if they need to (there's not enough room in the bedrooms for individual desks unless)

Is there anything you would omit or add to the above list?

What else should they provide in terms of a "minimum viable" guest experience that would lead to good reviews as they work to spin up their ranking?

Here are the things they don't have but are currently thinking of adding:

1. Couch in the living room with pull out bed
2. Complementary desktop computer workstation with printer? (do they need a workstation w/printer?)
3. Big screen TV with some kind of streaming service (there's no TV currently in the house)

My friend lives in a town where things like grocery stores and Office Max stores (where travelers could print/copy documents) are 10 minutes away maximum.  Just trying to tap into the experience of this forum.

Hi, so my friend is going to rent out their individual room(s) in their 3 bedroom house in Los Angeles, specifically the Moorpark/Westlake Village area in Ventura county. They are going to try and target business travelers / professionals. This is their first time renting, so they don't want to spend more than necessary until they have some more guest feedback(s), but they do want to provide a minimum viable level of comfort and experience that would lead to good reviews. Do you have suggestions on how to manage the one home refrigerator in terms of restricting access to more expensive food/beverages that are just for them and their family?

Should they explain up front that some beverages are off-limits but provide a list of food/beverage(s) that the guests are allowed to help themselves to?  Should they try and put a mini-refrigerator in each bedroom instead? Just looking for a good system that minimizes their time involved as they have a full-time W2 job.

Right now, they're planning to provide the things you would find at a typical 4 star hotel - complementary coffee via Keurig and complementary breakfast (cereal and possibly eggs if the guests are willing to cook that themselves).

Thank you all, this was such helpful information!

Hi,

My friend is building an ADU in Los Angeles (Ventura County - the Westlake/Moorpark area specifically) and their contractor told them prior to starting they would have to get the ground inspected where the foundation is supposed to be. The "inspector" would mark off the gas/sewer/water/etc lines with stakes.

1) Is that person called a deputy engineering inspector or a deputy inspector (contractor wasn't sure)?  Basically they need to be able to google for companies that provide this.

2) My other friend told me one of the local utility companies might have a list of "inspectors" (or whatever they are called). My question is - any utility company? Or should I call the electric company specifically?

Hi,

A friend is seriously considering building a detached 600 square foot ADU in their backyard in Southern California (specifically the Westlake/Moorpark area in Ventura county). It will have separate metering (electrical, gas, water, etc.) with a private fence to make it "feel" like a private studio.

What is a reasonable contractor estimate for building an ADU including materials and labor? (let's not worry about permits since those are city specific). If it makes the estimate easier, let's say they are not using "top-end" materials (e.g., super fancy granite counter tops) but "solid" (mid-level in price/quality) that give the ADU a modern look and feel and a foundation of materials that would last a fairly long time without being refurbished.

She is getting quotes with a fairly wide range, from $140K all the way up to $190K.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks all, some great ideas here. Part of the issue is that a lot of the shelves/workbench/etc are screwed or nailed into the walls, so if my friend doesn't have the contractor do it now as part of the current job, it's going to be either more expensive (or a pain if he does it himself) to do it later.

And yes @Frank Geiger, a majority of the houses in the neighborhood have a 2 car garage I believe....Although now that I think about it, my friend could ask the local realtor to see what people would prefer.

Wow @Tim Johnson, the owner loses 90% of the time? That's pretty expensive for what is basically a paperwork snafu. Also, I don't understand why the owner would lose especially if they wrote checks that were cashed. It seems like then there is a papertrail of the contractors getting paid. I'll have to ask my friend if the subs were 1099....

Hi,

I have a friend who bought a single family home in California.

I started reading this thread - https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/272019-unconditional-lien-waivers-and-subcontractors - and realized my friend never made my contractor and his subs sign any Conditional or Unconditional waivers when they started a renovation on his single family home.

1) Is it sufficient to get the General Contractor and the associated subcontractors to sign the "UNCONDITIONAL WAIVER AND RELEASE UPON FINAL PAYMENT" as found in this template from the state of California? https://www.cslb.ca.gov/Resources/GuidesAndPublications/LienReleaseForms.pdf

2) Is this template the "correct" template to use? (or at least close to it)?

When my friend wrote checks, he made them out individually to the general subcontractor ("John Williams") and individually to each subcontractor (e.g., "Rob Smith"). He didn't do joint checks as laid out in Option 1 of the previously aforementioned thread.