All Forum Posts by: Carrie Giordano

@Justin McKissick welcome to bp, I also invest in Lake County. I agree with @Jerry Padilla that you need to get your credit score up. There are tons of sites with free information on how to do this. Also, I would start saving as much cash as you can because in that area you can find some great deals inexpensive. The fact that you work in construction and could do the work yourself really does give you a leg up on the process. Also, being able to show the employment history will definitely help when applying for loans. I also think @Jeff Brower is right and that house hacking may be a great way to jump in. I'm not sure if you will find many 4 plex if you want to stay in Willoughby but I could but there are many duplexes. Good luck!

@Jeremy Tillotson way to start out 2016! It looks like you may have your work cut out for you on that one, I look forward to seeing before and after photos!

Here are a few things that are complete...

The garage had quite a bit of rotted wood due to it having no gutters. So the first thing I did was have my carpenter replace the wood. The cost for the repair is $550 The garage really needs a new paint job or siding but that is not something I am going to do at this time. The new wood could definitely use to be painted white and I will probably do that once the weather warms up but I do think the fresh paint will make the rest of the garage look even worse!  

I then had gutters added, the back configuration is kind of interesting. Not the best looking but it was the only option to reach the current drain. Cost: $220

Out of all the rentals I've rehabbed (which is only a handful) this one has become the most challenging. The house would be finished and ready to be rented if the city had not got involved but now I'm probably looking at a couple more weeks and am going to be a couple thousand over budget.

The worst part however is the stress of not being there to deal with the city myself. If you're considering investing out of state this is definitely something to consider. I can usually pay someone to do things I'm not there to do however nobody is going to care about my project as much as I do, nor handle it as fast as I may want it done. 

@Brett St Clair thanks! This rental is definitely presenting more challenges than any other I have had!

@Mike Cumbie one half of the basement is finished and it's the only other bathroom in the house. I considered taking it out but in the long run I think the second bath adds enough value to make up for the cost of moving the box. 

@Manolo D. @Account Closed the inspector suggested to turn this box into a junction box and add a subpanel at the main box or elsewhere. This box in the bathroom contains the furnace & air conditioning. The main box is on the opposite side of the basement so I'm wondering if it may be easier to add a sub panel outside the bathroom. I'm honestly not that knowledgeable of electric work so I am not sure what's best. 

@Rex T. thanks for the response.  The area directly to the left is the only direction which would still be within the house. Unfortunately, that area is the empty space under the steps and wouldn't have enough clearance in all directions or have a an access separate from the bathroom.

@Ken J. thanks for following! This is my 2nd deal diary, the first went very smooth with few issues and this one is running into many more challenges. Hopefully, both can be a good look at the market .

I recently bought a foreclosure in Northeast Ohio that had a bathroom in the basement. It had a shower, sink, toilet and electrical  sub-panel, however no 4th wall or door. 

I applied for a permit to add a wall but am now being told I must must the subpanel out of the bathroom before they will consider the permit. Several people including my electrician have told me to really fight this because it should be grandfathered in since the house was in this condition when I bought it. 

Does anyone have experience with this? 

Currently, I'm writing a deal diary ( https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/522/topics/25... ) on my experience but am stuck on what to do regarding the city. It will be a rental so perhaps having a breaker box three feet from a showe isn't a good idea anyways. 

Any thoughts woukd be appreciated!