All Forum Posts by: Dannielle Hoffman

Hey, all my San Antonio Friends :)  Does anyone know a reasonably priced structural engineer who knows residential and would do a consult for a set fee?  I have a roofer telling me this house wasn't built right and the roof is sloping and he has to install a big Perlin beam to fix it.  I also need to remove a post and want to see what the best way to move the load to the next support is (sister joist, whole new beam, etc.).  Thanks for any input!

Christi Hawkins No, you definitely are not the only one! I also agree there are only a few reasons to not answer the phone. However, we both know with half the realtor population that is not the case. There are tons of great agents but for every good one there are two that are less than satisfactory. I only did it part time and I had several clients who told me that I was better than the past 3 agents they had so I don’t think you have to do it full time to be great. However, I do think you have to have a flexible schedule that can work around the clients. I worked from home so it was very easy to just shift my work hours if I needed to for the client. I agree on the assistants for the top agents but I think some do have them and it doesn’t help. Maybe they aren’t picking very good assistants, I don’t really know. I can only go off my experiences and some of those top ones weren’t as good as I would expect. Although, a few were and I learned some great tricks from them :)

I don’t think customer service is dead. However, I do agree many agents do not grasp the concept completely. I had my license in two different states and the reason I got it was because no one could recommend a good agent when I wanted to buy so I became their agent too. I think lots of agents get into the business because it doesn’t require a huge investment like a college degree and it’s flexible with great pay. They don’t understand the pay is completely based on how much effort they put in and flexible is a double edge sword since they have to be willing to do listing appointments and showings when the clients are available. I heard another agent say they didn’t want to show houses on weekends and all I could think was “well, you probably won’t be doing this for very long then.” I find often the top agents have too many clients and it has more to do with marketing dollars invested than customer service. I would suggest a hungry agent who will do what you want and then tell them exactly what you expect. I actually pick my agents based on the pictures they put up for houses they are listing. I want an agent who understands the importance of those images and doesn’t just slap up a pic of an open toilet for the hall bath.

I am not so experienced in the contracts of property management. I just happen to have had my real estate license in several states & was trained to do my comparable sales from the man who makes the classes appraiser’s take to get their license. I will defer to Tim for this situation.

Keep in mind appraisals are not done by algorithms but by humans and you could get a different number from 3 different appraisers. I have found if they know what you are paying (and the mortgage company often tells them) then they come in just a little above that total so the people who are selling don’t feel like they were ripped off and the person buying feels like they have a little equity already. Also, the appraised value can change in the month or two it takes to close. You are in the middle of winter, appraisal values are often lower.

Susan Meyer thank for the offer! I have found a good electrician thru another BP user & we handle most the painting ourselves but I am about to remodel the kitchen & would love your granite info :)

Thanks guys!  Sorry it took so long to get back on this.  I have been out of town for work almost all month and the app for BP is much harder for me to navigate. I sent some colleague requests and would love some info.  I have heard your Re-Store is pretty awesome @Seth Teel, which is great. The one by me in Chicagoland was not so much but we had some great builder wholesale warehouses and a place called the homeowners bargain outlet that had some great priced and decent quality stuff.  I wish I could find something like those here for another option (I love a plethora of options!) 

@Rick Pozos I will definitely need to give that Arborist a call.  This house has tons of trees and they all need a good trim and that ball shaped moss picked off.  For the price, we purchased for $219k and it appraised out for $250k and I think with a kitchen remodel, a bit of paint and a good cleaning it could easily get $275k in this market.  I plan to live in it for 2 years though while I get more familiar with this market and do some of the work slowly myself.  So we will see in two years.  It is in a good location though (close to airport, good schools, low crime, etc.) so I am hoping we get a bit of appreciation but I am not banking on it.  Honestly the market could drop but if that happens we can just stay living in it longer or rent it.

Hey Y'all! I'm finally here in San Antonio! I am currently negotiating on a flip-in property that needs a good bit of cosmetic work. I need recommendations for places to get good products at reasonable prices. Specifically good cabinets like plywood construction with full extension, slow close drawers, etc.? Also a good priced granite shop? Flooring? Painter? Home window tinter? Arborist? General handyman? I would love to hear if there are any cool salvage yards or anything like that in the area too :) I might need a front door and a few other items that a retro 60's vibe would work perfect for. Thanks!

How often is this meeting and what day? I am interested in attending as I will be in SA shortly :) Thanks!

Wayfair, overstock, lamps plus and build.com can all have deals that are more WOW than the stuff at Home Depot or most big box stores. They often all have similar or the same things at the stores. Some of the items on those sites will be pricier so you will have to search a bit but I find it is worth it, especially if you are competing with new builders or other flippers.