All Forum Posts by: Chad Eisenhart

There are two meetups in Harrisburg. They are on pause right now, but they would be a great place to meet people locally. Search on https://www.meetup.com/. There are also two in York and two in Lancaster, but that is a little further.

@Jared W Smith thanks again for the thorough feedback.

@Jared W Smith I understand what you are saying. 

Actually I tried to look at it from the standpoint that if the Architect can save me on costs and mistakes I would make in better planning he/she would pay for themselves.

Thanks 

@Tim Johnson Thanks that is a good idea.

Who Else Besides an Architect Could I Hire To Create Drawings For A Property?

I spoke to the city and they said the person I hire must be a "Pennsylvania licensed design professional". I had originally considered looking for someone to work remotely, such as finding someone on Upwork. 

The property is a heavy interior rehab on a 9 unit building. (8 residential and 1 commercial). 

We are only making 3 minor changes to the exterior:

1. - Adding a porch with a wheelchair ramp
2. - A roof over the porch
3. - Adding a fire escape to a 2nd floor.

For the interior we will be moving or adding about 35% of the walls, updating the electric, HVAC and plumbing.

I, of course, would like to control my costs.  It is not an A-class property, it does not have to be anything fancy. Just take the existing building make some interior changes and move on.

I would review the Agreement of Sale you signed as to what happens to your deposit.  In the agreement of sale I am involved I specifically said: "Buyer may cancel during due diligence period for any reason." And "deposit is fully refundable if cancellation occurs during the due diligence period."

Why did you have to pay the realtor company in advance to bring you the deal?  I never heard of such a thing.

I do agree that any home built before 1978 is assumed to have lead paint.

And water in the basement..... what do you expect... it is an old home in PA, it happens. Although it can be addressed.

I know it is a little too late, but for others, I always check the zoning records 1st then call the zoning office to confirm if I am considering making a change.

As for the fire rating, it has been a few years since we put up new walls to separate units.

1st I would get more quotes.

2nd I thought fire rated could be achieved with a double thickness of drywall.

So if the new unit is in the basement and you have to do all of the ceilings, and the place is 1200 square feet, you would need to hang 1200 square feet of drywall. At $32-40 for a 4 x 8 sheet hung and finished. Plus the light fixtures need to be moved and you need to fire caulk and paint.

$1 a square foot to drywall

$1 a square foot to paint.

That is $2400

How did they get from $2400 to $25,000.

I spoke to York City the other day and to apply for the Variance to change the zoning for a property was $500 and a 2 month process and it was not a guaranteed change.

Although I doubt a Doc was living in the city.

I have rooms In rent and they rent in hours. 

For the Rooming House, I just do week to week. Although most people stay for a long time.  I like to meet the person and hear their story. If they told me they only wanted it for a short time I would pass, although they could lie, but I do not tell them what is important to me.

Of my 5 rooms in this building, One just left after 2 years, the other four have been there between 5 -24 months. Some people just want the simple life and they like the fixed rate with no extra bills to pay. 

Let me know if I did not answer your question.

The 1st place I bought is my rooms for rent. Best thing ever.

I would do it 10 times over if I would.

Always filled. A few years ago I added it up. I have 5 rooms x 365 days a year = 1825 of possible rent. I had 5 days of vacancy one year.

I am in PA and the legal way to get rid of people is the Inn Keepers act https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/li/uconsCheck.cfm?yr=2016&sessInd=0&act=51

It is like a hotel. There is not an eviction. I could clear out the room and lock the door. I never did that in 15 years though.

I would stick with week to week, just follow the rules.

Most people stay for years. Sometimes you get people that only stay a month, but that is very rear.

Test the demand, post an ad on craigslist and see how many calls you get in 24 hours.

People just like the fixed price.  

Do check your zoning, in my area the only way it could be done (as far as I know) is to take over an existing property that is a rooming house. There is a slim chance the city wants a single family house turned into a rooming house.

@Bryce Litwin Per "included both the real estate taxes and the school taxes"

Agreed. The way to double check the tax accuracy is start with the listed accessed value of the property, you would expect that to be correct on the listing.

Or search online for the county Assessment office, and find the listing on the Assessment website.

Next search for millage rates or property tax rates in the county.

In my area of PA there is:

• MUNICIPAL
• SCHOOL
• COUNTY

Remember they come due at different times and when you pay affects the amount due.

Plus factor in annual increases.

This would also be helpful to know which school districts or municipalities have higher or lower rates.  

In my area of PA the lowest municipal rate is .21 the highest is 18.97, that is 90 times higher.