All Forum Posts by: David Sray

Hi folks,

So I'm looking at a well-priced home as a second investment property and it needs some work. That in itself isn't too scary, but the number of sizable cracks inside the house are. They are in nearly every room of this small 3/1, and mostly vertical above the door frame to the ceiling, but also with a smattering of ones along windows running somewhat horizontal. I suspect that the partial culprit is an enormous tree in the tiny backyard that is maybe 6 feet from the house, but don't know much about this type of thing. Seriously, though, that tree ever falls it's taking two houses with it.

Do lots of cracks inside typically make you shy away from an investment?

Awesome! We moved out of a house in Round Rock to Georgetown and are basically in the same boat. Been renting the old house out for 2 years and it's gone well. Trying to find another investment for buy and hold has proven challenging, though.

Welcome to BP!

Thanks for the replies, guys. Agreed and you're totally right.

Hi folks.

I've got a strange question -  I was looking at purchasing a rental sfh and wanted to see if anyone has done what I was thinking. So this house is on a cul-de-sac in a suburban area and been on the market awhile. It needs some work inside, but that's not the real hold-up. Turns out that it has a super-deep yard in the back with no real redeeming qualities - unless you wanted to put an Olympic size swimming pool plus changing rooms and maybe a hotel back there..

Since I'm thinking of buy and hold, it's a pretty big turn off cause I know they'd never take care of it. It got me thinking, though - what if I just put a fence across the middle, or even closer to the house? Thus effectively shortening the yard into a much more manageable size and just let the rest of the property behind it go au natural?

Is that something that can be done, even? Anyone have experience with such a thing?

Cheers,

David

Morning BP!

Was looking at a listing today and it's a small SFH that has a garage that was converted into a workshop-thing. The inside mostly still looks like a garage, but it's got like sliding patio door-thing where the garage door used to be. Anyone have experience putting a garage back-in on a property that previously converted it? This added space doesn't look like it provides much value because it's not particularly nice. Wondering if the cost to make it a garage again (i.e. tear that wall out and put in a garage door, is prohibitive.

Hello landlords livin' the dream!

Thought I'd just broadly solicit folks for their own experiences with how far away you're willing to self-manage a property, and how that's gone. I have a potential opportunity to land on a duplex that's about an hour away from me. I offhand like the opportunity, but am a bit worried about driving an hour each way when badness happens, as it surely must.

What's your max range?

Cheers!

Appreciate all the great feedback. Thank you!

Hi friends. I'm looking at rehabbing a potential rental, but the house currently has window units for air and no heating. Can folks with experience provide some guidance on what I might expect cost-wise if I wanted to try to have central air/heat put in? It's a ~1200 sq ft home from the 50's on pier and beam, if that helps. I feel like it will need central air/heat to compare as a decent rental to other places in the area, but have never had something like that done. Cheers!

I feel like Taylor has great opportunity and it seems like things are going pretty quick. I know a duplex came up and was gone in a day recently. It also looks like, in driving through some places close to the downtown area, that there might be some folks rehabbing some of the older houses. There's a pretty nice fourplex on the MLS right now, but I feel like it's pretty dang pricey.