All Forum Posts by: Darwin Crawford

I don't have any pics handy but the last place I sold is on zillow with pics.  search for 1536 w roma ave 85015.  

Epoxy those floors, my friend!  Get a local laborer to strip out nasty tile, and roll down a nice-quality epoxy floor.  I've been playing around with them for about 6 months now, and everyone who comes through LOVES them.  

I also love them, as once they are properly installed, they last for a solid decade of abuse.  And i do mean abuse.  Shoving furniture, pets, kids, food dropped, roaches, whatever.  you can put them down on concrete pretty easily, and add all sorts of fun stuff like color chips, or non-slip-grip, etc.  

tenant throws down a rug or two, and bam!  room is done.  Also sets you apart from everyone because no one does epoxy in residential areas.  Why?  no idea.  

1) Definitely check local codes first

2) Steel is silly cheap right now, and resists "tenant and neighbor behavior" quite well

3) Consider a more substantial fence on property perimeter, such as block, and then more inexpensive options for interior yards.

4) I doubt you'll get more rent, but you will have more interest, especially if other options around you aren't fenced.  for example, i put two shaded parking spaces in front of my duplex in AZ (super hot, and cars just BAKE out here), didn't cost me that much, (welder by trade in another lifetime) and no one else in the neighborhood has covered parking.  I got a TON of calls just based on that.  

I've got 4 places and use Cozy.co for all of them.  I have had great luck with it, and its free for tenants and landlords.  

Bad part about it is that ACH payments take a few days to a week to show up.  I just saved up a cushion so it's no big deal, but usually I don't see rent money until anywhere from the 3rd to the 8th of the month.  

Cozy emails you when they debit the tenant, but then your rent goes into banking ether for a week or so.

It's also nice because the 1 time I had a tenant with NSF in her account, it let me know on the 29th of the previous month so she just drove me over a money order on the 1st.  Forewarned is forearmed....

Definitely run this by a lawyer, but....if you are OK with it, a straight-up owner finance deal is a lot cleaner.  

Pros - you are only in a debt position on the property, and you can charge double what a bank will, and its still workable.  Most OF deals around here are going for 7-9% on 30yr.  

Since you are only carrying debt on the property, you can require the new owner (current tenant) to carry insurance on the place, and name you as additional insured.  

If the tenant can put a decent down payment down (this is where a lawyer has to weigh in), and pays you on time for awhile, and then you have to take it back, it can be, depending on the state, pretty easy to do.  Then you have kept all the cash from DP and payments, and can do the whole deal over again.  

IMHO, cleaner than some rent-to-own nonsense, and importantly, motivates the tenants (owners now) to take care of the place from Day 1.

Brian,

I'll add my $0.02 to the flooring issue - I've got some C+ apartments in Arizona.  I used a two-part epoxy floor coating in one of my apartments, something like you would see in a hospital or industrial kitchen.  The product comes from Arizona Polymer Flooring, and is about $1.30/SF for materials all in.  

the good part about it is that once fully cured (5-7 days) it is basically bombproof.  Resists chemicals, urine, blood, MEK, acetone, oil, vomit, the whole 9 yards.  Comes in about 350 colors, and you can put it down yourself pretty easily.  Tenant can throw down a couple rugs, and its a wrap.  

re: durability - these type products, when properly installed, have 10+ year lifespans in places like hospitals and jails.  The home depot type stuff you can get 8+ years out of, and its a lot cheaper.  If you're worried about texture, or slip-n-falls, mix some sand in with it when you roll it down.  

My tenants LOVE the looks, and I like the fact that I can pressure wash it down with no side effects, and it is really, really tough to scratch.  

Hi Everyone!

Just joined the forum, and am exploring it and getting my bearings.  I'm a small RE investor in Scottsdale AZ, been in the business about 18 months now, and I buy and hold properties.  I have 4 now, and quit working to be full time.  

I come from the construction world, project management and fabrication mostly, and am kind of obsessed with efficiency in all my dealings, from solar LED lighting to seamless showings and leasing.  

I joined the forum to meet people around Arizona  in the business, as I am at a junction and need some help to expand my portfolio, so I want to learn how other people did it, and in turn, share my 10+ years in the construction industry, and the knowledge I gained from it with the community to help others solve problems.  

I love to engineer and execute "tenant-proof building practices"....not always the cheapest in the short term, but my maintenance callbacks are basically nil.  

Anyhow, I look forward to e-meeting the crew, and learning a lot!

- dc