All Forum Posts by: Christopher Grannen

@Eudith Vacio

This is precisely the insider info that I didn’t know I didn’t know! You rock!

What sorts of things do you rent your place out for?

@Jonathan Klemm

Thanks. It’s in Irving park, near the addison/elston/Kedzie intersection. Was a great location to get into, it’s near the post office that my wife uses regularly to ship out retail orders. She has a graphic design/branding business but also uses the space to teach artistic workshops and classes. It will hopefully operate as a rental space for outside events like gallery shows or other private functions.

The compliance issues I am interested in are more towards the operational side as opposed to the construction side. Looking to answer the questions about if/when a city inspector shows up out of the blue through the open door to have a conversation, what sorts of things will they be looking for as easy targets? 

Thanks for the references

Good afternoon friends

I have been working on getting my mixed use residential upstairs/ commercial storefront ready to open with my wife’s business inside. We live upstairs and are essentially house hacking. The storefront is zoned commercial.

we are inside the city of Chicago, and my question is where I might look for any list of regulations that apply to commercial storefronts. We are first time property owners looking to be as diligent as possible to stay compliant with the city as we open doors to the public.  I am worried that what I don’t know could result in citations in the future, and I would hate for that to be because I was ignorant of the rules. 

some recent bits I have recovered through asking around the past few months:

-Chicago compliant exit signs must be steel (and obviously overpriced)
-an electrician told me that storefronts are required to have a 110v outlet on the ceiling near the storefront window (for window lights I guess??). He noticed ours and remarked on it that it’s good we have it.

Fire extinguishers need to be located and serviced/inspected with a tag to prove it.

I doubt that there is a published place where all these stipulations are laid out (because of course not), but what’s a good resource to find more education on this topic?

thanks a lot!

C

@Sam P.

I just heard of this subscription based type of service as well. A heating and cooling company I called offers a $10/mo per boiler unit deal, where you get 30% off all installed parts. What is interesting about their plan is that the $10/mo actually goes into an account that they hold, and that $$ is used to cover an annual “clean and check” service on your boiler(s), which is usually about 120-150 bucks. Also, that 30% parts discount can be shared to friends and family members.

it was the first time I heard of that business strategy but it seems to help the customer have a peace of mind and it helps the business with customer retention. it sounds similar to what you’re describing, but the fine print in those arrangements is what will separate the good value from waste of time.

I’ve got a bathroom in my residential unit, Chicago, north side, that has an exhaust fan (wires previously disconnected) that blows shower steam air directly into the walls. It has no ducting attached to it, and humid air is just pushed into the ceiling. Apparently people used to design buildings like this, pushing humid air into the attic, but this is a flat roof building and there is no attic.  Looking to get this fixed.

Called a few HVAC companies and they don’t do bathroom or kitchen hood exhaust.

Any recommendations for someone who can come by and give a quote or inform about best practices/options? I’m very interested in a DIY repair but this seems like a somewhat involved situation to open the ceiling and/or roof/exterior walls.

thanks in advance 

Yes, this is an FHA loan, as long as they haven't baited & switched that as well!

Thanks for the reply, I hope I’m not appearing whiny or woe-is-me, this is just a confusing process where the details aren’t well explained!

TL;DR. i am a first time buyer trying to get a mixed use building in Chicago....

-What kind of leverage do I, average novice, have with/against my lenders/underwriters?

-They are now requiring a 25% DP and a non-inhabitant co-signer for the loan, where 2 weeks ago, they had entertained a 3% DP.  They have had our income and earnings info for 6 weeks now, but recently informed us of these changes, too far into the process to start over with a new lender.

-We want the building, and will likely have to play ball, but it feels like we have no options or negotiating power except to just walk away.  It's a powerless feeling!

it seems like the only way around it is to come to the table as a wealthy person.

Killer!

Thanks for that referral. That’s enough for me.

In legal terms then, it’s permissible to pour the parking pad... and purely an assumption that you are entitled to actually park your vehicle on it!  

I’m buying my first property in Chicago (mixed use, 2 unit) and these sorts of situations are what keeps me from getting a good nights sleep!!!!

{not a suggestion or advice!! >>>>> } It seems like if there’s any doubt as to the permit/code status of a building, there is very little incentive for one to try to inquire and begin being compliant. If you’re gonna be on the hook for some violations now or in the future, why wouldn’t you just push that off as long as possible? If the city sees you’re 80% compliant or something, they can hammer you for the lacking 20%, but if they know 0% about your building, then you’re under the radar.  Obviously there is a very legitimate flip side to that coin.

Good luck, mate! Keep us posted.

@Jason Albasha right! My thoughts were that there’s probably a regulation that is in place to keep people from using their grass backyard as a parking lot for like 6 vehicles, and the rule would be written broadly. I am typically one to ask for forgiveness instead of permission but I don’t intimately understand the risks of that with Chicago real estate yet, so I’m trying out some caution to see how it feels...

@Jonathan Klemm My friend also had the same opinion , that any enforcement would be unlikely, and complaint driven.