All Forum Posts by: Josh Cuthbertson

Dream thread right here. I'm currently taking my final exams to become an architect. One test left! The goal has always been to become Architect + Developer. Excited to see others realizing the value of this type of venture!

What's your definition of high-quality plans? In my world, there are no such things purchased off the internet. The codes change so frequently you're better off hiring an architect to do what you're talking about. Shoot, even a draftsman would have a better chance getting them through the building department. 

I'm probably a biased opinion, and you can just buy something. But this always seems like trying to shove a square shape through a circular hole. The site is such a high priority to the build, that trying to make something fit just seems harder than having someone do a site-specific design.

One of the agencies that stages homes in my area has some really good statistics on staging and how they affect potential buyers. Check their websites in your area to see if they have the same stats. In short, if it were me, I would definitely stage a home. Around here staging for 90 days and under 2000sf costs $1,995.

However, this market could be different. Out here the homes are receiving multiple offers and staying on the market for an average of 6-10 days. Staging has nothing to do with it. It is lack of inventory. So it depends, how is your market?

@Edward Lichtig Sounds too good to be true. Ever loaned up in the Redding area? I'm interested. ;)

I just recently did this, with State Farm in fact. I elected to do the same value as the current building. 

As for the business liability, I chose a higher medical payment to others, but also have the 500k / 1m. (Think about them falling down, hitting their head on a corner dresser, and needing stitches. Their premium is probably WAY higher than 1k, unless they have outstanding insurance, which these days isn't usually the case.)

Your annual premium sounds standard to what I received. 

I believe you are correct that State Farm is not the cheapest you can receive. But I like my agent, their customer service, and their coverage so I chose to stick with them.

You need to figure out how much you can reasonably expect to pay to build 2 structures, buy the land, develop the property, hire the architects / engineers, pay for permits and any other soft costs associated with your area. Once you have your project budget, you can calc how much you would need to charge to make the payment and get the cash flow you want.

Call a local GC and maybe an architect and they will give you some rough numbers. You should be able to tell relatively quickly.

I think you can fill out a pre-approval app online, too. Once you do, they'll give you a call and go over some of the details.

Did you say it was currently a paved parking lot? My first thought was, I wonder what they covered up. I'm looking into vacant lot deals here in Redding. LOTS of items to go over when going that route, for sure.

Would it be possible to google earth the lot? Or is that too much to ask?

Very cool work. I would love to hear more about the home in Redding, my neck of the woods.

Bumping this post. Thinking of the same and would like some input.