All Forum Posts by: Georges A.

@mike hurney   we ended up being able to work out something.  But of course so this mistake does not happen again (and the lesson would be much more expensive), do you have any suggested reading or books that you recommend?

Thank you guys for the very valuable inputs. You're right what can I say, it was an expensive lesson for me. Next time, no plans no work. He just emailed me the plans and they don't match what's on site. I went to measure and his plans are completely off!!!

@Ray Hurteau  as you mentioned he's building the new deck to replace the old one's (same dimensions) and since I had the steep stairs you described that were not up to code, putting the stairs correctly made me lose a lot of space.  The 15.5k price tag includes replacing my gutters and covering my backyard with asphalt btw. 

@wayne I do have a permit and already checked with the city. It's a short form for emergency removal of deck and replacing it with another one on same footprint.

@aaron you're right I still don't think it's worth the hassle. He's just another bad contractor out of many that I will not be hiring again.  I'll have him complete the job, pay him, and never hire him again.

Again, your input was very valuable. Thank you !

Guys I need help here.

I finally accepted a bid with a contractor to replace my triple decker deck which is a big project that involves demolishing the old deck and putting a new one (15k incl adding gutters and putting asphalt in the backyard).   Previously the old deck (that was almost falling apart) had the stairs going circular (which is not up to code in Boston anymore) which gave my deck a lot of space. I have requested multiple times from the contractor to provide me with plans so I can see how the new deck will look like and he always made up excuses not to provide them. They were working VERY fast and in 5 days they are like 70% done (and bc of my lack of experience I let them work 5 days without showing me the plans) I realized that the new stairs done the right way are taking LITERALLY all my deck space. So now when I open the balcony door I have stairs in front of me and I can put barely 2 chairs on each side - NO MORE DECK... So now I feel that I am paying 15k for an expensive fire escape rather than a deck and I feel I am getting ripped off. As I called the contractor today and asked him to stop everything until the plans are provided his tone was pretty aggressive which is now making me consider immediately stopping the whole project  and not pay him and if court is the way to go , so be it.  

Now I have mostly dealt with handy men and this is the first time I deal with contractors. This particular contractor was shady (tried to get paid earlier than his schedule, claimed the property passed "first inspection" while all they got was a permit, etc....)

Please advise how I should move forward as I am meeting him tomorrow. I know the general feeling on the forums is either (1) fire him / cut your losses or (2) suck it up and move forward as some of it is my mistake for not insisting on receiving the plan (god knows if they're even following a construction plan). 

PS: Our contract does not state anything about termination. It's a relatively small document that just states that they will build me a triple decker deck and that I pay them in 3 installments.  1 at the beginning, 1 when it passes inspection, and 1 at the very end.

please advise 

This is an old topic and a lot happened since then ;) but thanks for the input guys. I ended up getting my own license, working for a year under a broker and now I am actually closing on a property for me where I am the buyer's agent representing myself. I definitely see the advantage of an experienced buyer's agent on my side now (I learned  a LOT and made many mistakes and still will). But I still think the middle man delays the process and still would prefer doing things on my own. Best way to learn fast.

I do keep my connections with other agents and if they can find deals that are not on the MLS of course I will pay them their commission and have them represent me as a buyer's agent.

Thanks guys for the responses. @Linda Weygant

I don't think it works like that ( i wish it did). Hence, why I am trying to put the house under my brother's name so I can still use the FHA and move to that house (I don't currently like living in my current property). It becomes MUCH harder to get an FHA loan if you already have 2 houses under your name (currently have one that I live in and one that I am trying to buy as investment).

My question is still unanswered though regarding the joint owner.  @Wayne Brooks

 I am getting mixed results from different mortgage lenders.

Hey guys,

I am trying to purchase a property with my brother (jointly) and was hoping to put him as a joint owner to my account (so he can use my finances) and then have him buy it under his name. The reason is that I would still like to exercise my 1st home buyer benefit (3.5% FHA) but I don't want to miss out on a partnership with him. So the question is: Can I simply put him as a joint owner on my bank account and he can use my money for the down payment? One mortgage lender told me that that it is perfectly fine but I wanted to check with the experts here. I'll worry after closing about setting up an LLC with him or however we want to split it.

Let me know your thoughts and thanks in advance

I tried most of the famous one and Buildium is the one I liked the most. It's around $40 / month for their minimum package (up to 40 doors I believe)

I actually ended up asking the ISD about it and it's actually perfectly legal (although many people think it is not) as long as you have < 4 undergraduate students / or unrelated people staying in the unit and of course assuming the units is lega.

Hey guys, I would love to get the inputs of the experts (esepcially the ones located in Boston area) regarding this issue.

I have an offer accepted on a Legal 2MF but actually has a finished attic and finished basement. Obviously it is being rented illegally and the city has found out and issued the seller 2 code violations. The property isn't sub-metered for 4 obviously and the seller is currently paying for the utilities. 

My concern is whether to move forward or not. I am not sure what will happen after closing and how long would it take me to legalize it as a 3MF or 4MF.  Things here in Boston can take a long time and I am looking at a process that could go anywhere from 30 days to 9 months depending on the inspector / board approves the initial application otherwise I would have to appeal.

I am getting nervous on whether to move fwd with this deal or not. I don't want to move into a black box and the seller, who is being cooperative, can do so much. I can ask him to do the initial work (file a long form, contractor submitting floor plans, filing fees, etc.) but how would I know whether it will pass or not from the first time.  I am thinking of getting an architect to point out the potential issues (and maybe have the seller pay for the architect or not)  or simply get out of the deal based on uncertainty and lose my inspection money (and amount of time already invested).

The numbers do work on this property pretty well as long as I am not paying for all this headache to legalize it (hence I would have to delegate the fees OR work to the seller )

Please advise on this issue

Not to deviate from the main topic but How do you find buildings like that? They're almost never on the MLS (at least in New England). I am not as connected to get them directly from sellers. Any strategy recommended from someone who just moved into a town and looking to buy an apt building?

Thanks