All Forum Posts by: Dan C.

@Ryan Becker that sounds like an impressive start.  Welcome to BP, I've learned a lot since I joined.

Another option is to look at the forms available at Wisconsin Legal Blank.  Most the residential related forms are created by a local attorney highly regarded in the landlord community.

I second @Bob E. endorsement of Sonia of Prestige Property (and Midwest Executive Realty), she's a great resource for Milwaukee investors.

@Stephanie Grady welcome.  BP has been a great resource to me the last couple years.  It's provided a lot of motivation and information I needed to buy and rehab rental properties. Set up Milwaukee as a key word alert and you'll see a lot of local activity out here.  Good luck.

If it had been a normal Friday I'd want someone look at it by Monday (or earlier if possible).  But this is a Friday before a big holiday, so if I were in this situation I would not be surprised.  What I always do is check first with my favorite vendors, and if I'm not pleased with how soon they can do it, I check with other vendors to see if they can come sooner.  I might have done this on Friday.  By now, if I've scheduled someone for Wednesday and I like the vendor, I would just stick with it.

@Darren Budahn 40 windows, wow that's great, total score for you!  I PM'ed the window contractor I used.

@Darren Budahn I did this program for two of my duplexes.  The numbers really are as good as it sounds - I paid 10% of the cost for windows.  It's easier to do with an empty property, because if it is occupied they want to get income information on the tenants, and they want to know if young children or woman who are expecting are living there, and if so they have them get tested for lead poisoning.  Another caveat is they make participation contingent on any exterior painting which is needed that they note in the upfront inspection.  Also you can only use window installers who are certified for the program.  I found one who I thought was great.

I also did the TIN program for one duplex, that worked out well.  The City paid for 50% of the rehab.  It was also one of the duplexes in the window program, so in all I got about $20K of the $30K total rehab paid by the City.

The typical arrangement in Milwaukee is if you are offering laundry, putting in separate machines for each unit and each is plugged into the respective units gas/electric

If you only offer the hookups, not actual applicances, then you just make sure each tenant has the gas/electric accessible and once they buy something make sure they are hooking up to the right one.

Having washer to one unit and dryer to the other is not equitable as you noted. Your other option is having people plug and unplug/ or paying a tenant for their bill - but these approaches are atypical and awkward.

@Aaron Barrett Most of them do sell, many to investors.  Yes you can make great cash flow, but they ones which can be bought for cheap take a lot of work to manage correctly.

I'd vote the same as @Darren Budahn. No I don't anticipate you'd see any dramatic shift in either direction.

Part of the revitalization includes a new bar/restaurant which opened up on Fond du Lac.  They remodeled a very old bar that was built in the 1880's. I think its taking advantage of the fact that at that point Fond du Lac is a gateway into downtown.  Look up the articles on it (The Tandem) and you'll get some information on the state of the neighborhood.