All Forum Posts by: Cameron Sume

The duplex my wife and I own has a shared road agreement between our property and the 4 other houses. The agreement states that all must “share in the cost of the maintenance and repair… to its original conditions”.

The road is a gravel road and has since developed numerous potholes in a variety of sizes. The road is clearly in need of repair and we have offered to pay for the repair ourselves. All owners have agreed to pay except for one. They stated that fixing the road will cause their house to flood and they like the potholes because they serve as speed bumps to slow cars down.

Are we allowed to fix the road despite their disapproval?

Should we speak with a lawyer? If so, which kind of lawyer? We live near Olympia WA if anyone has good recommendations!

I just remodeled my duplex (new floors, trim, doors, cabinets, appliances, garage doors, paint, bathroom vanity/sink/mirror, toilet, closet doors, etc.). When filing my taxes, how do I claim this? Is it a repair? Is it to be depreciated over time?

The house was super old and needed updated. I live in Washington State. I’d love your advice!

My wife and I are going to take our very first tour of a possible rental property today! Any advice or tips for things to look for or ask about?

@Ryan Avila ok perfect, thanks for the info. Your comment asking cash offers and strong conventional make sense because a lot of places we’ve looked at so far only accept those two. Washington is a hot market right now.

@Ryan Avila would my lender be able to give an example of how much I’d have to actually put down on a property? I’m sure it will all depend on the rates and taxes of the area, right? 

@Ola Dantis yeah I think that may be our next plan. I’ll be willing to drive farther to work if it means I’ll find a better investment!

@Max T. I hope it is! 🤞🏻 

@David Lee Hall, III I know! I tell my wife all the time “man, I wish we would have started this process sooner!”

@David Lee Hall, III

@Andrew Postell

Sorry, I’m new to the blog so I’m still figuring out the comments lol

Thank you for the info, Andrew! When you say “offset some of your expenses to a property”, what do you mean exactly? Do you mean by having tenants in the other unit to pay a portion of the mortgage? Thanks again!