All Forum Posts by: Doug W.

Hi @Loretta Gray

I would be interested. I'll PM you my contact info. 

Thanks

Doug

The city I live in is strict about their FAR requirements. To go over the limit requires a variance. That requires a Board of Zoning meeting and approval. I'm told that the process can take about 3 months and will require building plans and necessary surveys. So let's say that alone takes at least an additional month plus a lot of cost. In the end the variance seems to be very rarely issued. I will call your zoning department and explain to them what you are doing and ask the staff what they think the chances are for approval. 

Hi Whitney,

I would caution you on a couple of items. First, if you "sell it now" and then continue to do the work you put yourselves and your buyer at risk as you will be acting as an unlicensed contractor. For you that means potential fines and for your buyer it could mean a denial of an insurance claim should something happen to the property or a person working on it. If you have a GC already working and you, instead, act as a consultant or designer then this point might be moot.

Second, do you really want a client that you have to coddle? Are you prepared to take him/her to the tile store, paint store, carpet store, countertops warehouse, plumbing fixture store, etc.? 

Be careful because code requirements are such that you will need a space 30" wide and 36" in front of the panel (from floor to ceiling) that is clear of any obstructions. 

You also can't just move a panel without replacing the feed from the meter outside. I believe that VA code is that the panel can't be more than 6' from where the service enters the house.

Lastly, as others have pointed out... you will likely end up needing a junction box in the place of the existing panel order to extend the existing circuits. 

I'm not offering legal advice. Confirm all of the above with your local building inspector and/or electrician.

@Andrew Hemminger I current live in Old Town and have been for more than 10 years. IMO, now would be a great time to sell given how hot the seller's market is. 

Cash out refi for the 20% down on the new purchase. I'm also in Alexandria. 

Hi Scott. I am also in Alexandria. I highly recommend you consider @Brandon Hall to be your CPA. I won't try to explain how he works other than to say he has a lot of clients that do what you are describing.

There is plenty of opportunities in the Fairfax County section of Alexandria at your price point. You need to do two things: 1) Have your financing lined up ahead of time and make sure you are making a "all cash" offer with no contingencies 2) you will need to find something that is off market. Anything a Realtor finds you on the MLS either won't be around long enough for you to jump on and/or will sell well above what you should be paying.

@Patrick Jackson

Mostly it's jumping on the phone with each other every day and texting one another like we are teenage girls. He also texts me photos of the job sites when I am not at a particular house for several days in a row.

At critical parts of a project's timeline I do dedicate myself to being onsite and I require him to be there with me. 

I think that my background in having managed rehabs myself gives me a good perspective on what order things need to happen in. This way I can already anticipate where we should be on the project timeline and when.

Overall he is charged with keeping the projects on track. This includes all scheduling of subs and inspections. The only time I handle inspections is when I know the inspector(s) or I foresee there being an issue.

It's also on him to let me know in advance when he needs finish materials to be onsite. I try hard not to stock any materials until they are needed. It takes up too much room in my garage or ends up at the job site where I worry about it getting stolen or damaged. 

So, yeah, it's nothing really sophisticated. 

I have been on both ends of this. Each at a different set of properties and unrelated to one another. 

On the first I found the neighbor's sewer line on my property along with a different neighbor's fence. The sewer line was likely in place since the 1920's. The fence since the 1950's. Both were in the way of a new house being built.

The other time it was my electrical service lines (in the air) and gas line were both crossing the neighbors' property. They were in the way of him building a new house.

And still another time I had a neighbor's electrical service lines running in the air across my property and I had no ability to force her to move it (instead I paid for underground conduit to be installed and eventually they were moved underground). 

You need to retain your attorney and understand prescriptive easements and adverse possession rights.