Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here
Pick markets, find deals, analyze and manage properties. Try BiggerPockets PRO.
x
All Forum Categories
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

All Forum Posts by: David Dachtera

David Dachtera has started 94 posts and replied 4486 times.

Post: Can Federal Lands Solve the U.S. Housing Crisis?

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985

A big chunk of the housing shortage goes back to the Crash of '07 / '08 when, according to the economists of the day, 80% of builders and developers went bankrupt once the supply of new mortgage lending dried up.

A good solution - though not the only one, certainly - would be to get home building back on track. We're finally seeing some of the incomplete developments being back-filled, yet dilapidated suburbs and subdivisions are found in areas where economic development slowed and later stopped leaving job loss and abandoned homes in its wake. A comprehensive plan providing jobs and home financing in those area would certainly be a big help toward restabilizing those communities and making housing and worker opportunities available again.

My $0.02 ...

Post: Tenant doesn’t want to place TP in waste basket

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985

If it's the kid(s) using this bathroom, expecting them to honor the wastebasket request is likely not realistic. If stuffing TP down the commode is entertainment to them, they're not likely to change that voluntarily.

My $0.02 ...

Post: No shower for 3 days due to necessary repair

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985
Quote from @Kay B.:

I am a new landlord and need to replace the only shower in our rental property, which will take 3 days to complete. The tenants will be staying at the premises for the duration of the repair and expect compensation for the inconvenience/impact. We offered them 25% rent reduction in daily rent throughout the course of the 3 day repair, but they have countered with expecting a full days rent reduced for each day. What are we legally required to prorate/deduct in rent considering it is their only shower and will not have one for 3 days? Thank you! 


Have you looked into any of those one-day bathroom rehabs being advertised on TV? 

Post: Tenant Complains AC Not Cooling to 68 degrees, Outside Is 114 degrees

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985
Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:
Quote from @David Dachtera:

With an OAT (Outdoor Air Temp) of 114, the lowest indoor temp one can reasonably expect is 94.

One can reasonably expect climate change to have an impact on sizing guidelines going forward.

A) What most people don't know/recall is that the AC equipment will cool the air it receives by approx 20d. So it is not continually cooling the same outside air, but rather, it takes the recently cooled indoor air and  recycles it through the return air vents and cools it again. So for example, the unit takes outdoor air of 110 and cools it to 90. Then it (gradually) cools it again and again. That is how AC can make a house 76d when it is 116d outside.

B) Yes, when the average global climate temps rise, it will be more difficult to cool the average home....and conversely, when the global temps drop (which they do in a cyclic manner over the millenia) future AC systems will have an easier time of it :-)


Domestic HVAC system sizing is based on heat migration from outside, usually radiant heat through windows and such and conducted heat through walls and insulation. Roof and attic insulation are key factors in controlling the heat load.

Commercial HVAC sizing is based on that plus the addition of heat from air supplied from the outside to replace "stale" air indoors - local ordinances often require specified amounts of air replacement - in an occupied space and also from the number and activity of individuals expected to occupy that space.

Post: Tenant Complains AC Not Cooling to 68 degrees, Outside Is 114 degrees

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985

Anyone remember seeing those signs, "Twenty Degrees cooler inside"?

Properly sized domestic HVAC systems are designed to maintain a 20 degree difference between the indoor and outdoor air, but even that has limits.

With an OAT (Outdoor Air Temp) of 114, the lowest indoor temp one can reasonably expect is 94.

One can reasonably expect climate change to have an impact on sizing guidelines going forward.

My $0.02 ... (I got a certificate in HVACR before I went to computer school back in the '70s.)

Post: Tenant keeps complaining

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985

I agree with Dawn P.: you ARE "in a business to spend thousands on the new AC unit". It's called a Capital Expense (CapEx). It comes with the territory like a water leak, roof damage, etc..

My $0.02 ...

Post: Advice on Previous Fire Discovered in Inspection during Purchase of a Property

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985

How was the past fire discovered? What evidence remains?

Post: The 5 Biggest Mistakes New Investors Are Making Here In The Forums

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985
Quote from @Carlos Ptriawan:


Biggerpocket is searchable publicly. No need to have search inside BP. We can use AI that summarize the answer from all 10+ years discussions.

I alwasy ask something like this AI prompt "In biggerpocket site, what's the recommended approach when........ .."

AI is a newcomer to the party. It has familiarity issues. It also has credibility and trust issues. 

Post: Rent Payment Processing Time

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985
Quote from @Sam Dalton:

Is there anyway to get rent money same day? If my tenant pays on the 1st of each month, I do not get the money till a week later because of banking processes taking 5 business days. Then I am late for my payment. What can I do differently? 


Can you expand your cash reserves to take this into account? 

Post: The 5 Biggest Mistakes New Investors Are Making Here In The Forums

David DachteraPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Rockford, IL
  • Posts 4,604
  • Votes 2,985

@Jonathan Greene,

Good points, though some deserve a bit more discussion.

#1 and #3 are probably the best, though #1 is often just being new to any forum, REI related or not. Perhaps a forum-specific "First Post" template pinned to the head of the forum topic list could help new folks see how to structure an appropriate first inquiry.

#2 just about defines a "newbie": someone with little or nothing to offer other than futures. I often see this interpreted as being asked to work for nothing. My response to that would be "no one gets a paycheck their first day on a new job, aside from a signing bonus", and those signing bonuses often have tenure requirements for the payout. Just to bolster one's own credibility, offer to accept a portion of the newbie's first deal profits as a show of good faith. While the relationship may ultimately prove untenable, that will be YOUR payment for the education toward becoming an effective mentor.

#4 and #5 really just show up shortfalls in the Bigger Pockets Forums.

#4 shows up the need for a more effective way to search the forums. BP's search function can be likened to Google in it's infancy. Yes, it searches, but there's no way to identify the "head" of thread where a question first appears. It also doesn't seem to recognize a quoted string versus the individual words in a search query. Perhaps an option to only search topic lines versus searching the entire forum database would prove helpful.

#5 is sort of the reverse of #4. There is no option link a question to multiple forums. I had the same issue with AOL decades ago - they called it spam, I called it covering all the bases. A single question could relevant to multiple forums, but attempting to engage the denizens of multiple forums is considered "spam" (it isn't). For example, in the left-hand column on this page, under "Financial, Tax and Legal" are forum topics which often overlap such as "Tax, SDIRAs and & Cost Segregation", "Goals, Business Plans and Entities" and "Personal Finance" could all be relevant to someone's question, but there's (currently) no way to engage the denizens of all those forums without posting in all of them (what you want to call "spamming").

My $0.02 ...