All Forum Posts by: Harriet Baldwin

I would check with the code department (or may need to talk to the building dept if there is a separate one).  Depending on local zoning and code regulations, you might be able to keep that 3rd unit if you legalize it, or you might have no possible way to have any living space on the third floor, or many in-between options (including the suggested conversion of 3rd floor space to part of 2nd floor unit).  Even if you could keep the 3rd unit, the cost to legalize could range from minimal to too-big-to-bother (again, will depend on your exact situation).

Hard to know unless you talk to the folks who enforce the rules. I have given up trying to guess how current nonconforming uses will be treated, I think I have learned to simply ask :)

I was going to list possible factors for officials deeming it a 2 unit or 3 unit allowed building, but the list was unhelpfully long.  Even if it could be a 3 unit, don't forget to consider whether the ongoing code, registration and/or inspection requirements are different for 2 units vs. 3 units - usually more units is the way to go, but at least once we have chosen to go with fewer units because of the cost of meeting code requirements at the higher unit count.

In some areas (including CT and NY), the "county records" are up to the tax assessor, but the code enforcement office determines permitted use, and if there is a conflict, code prevails.

Around here, 60amp service and 100amp box (load panel) would not be acceptable.  Theoretically, when the box is pulling at 100%, the 60 amp service will be trying to supply 100amps, and that will stress the service wire (a potential fire risk, not to mention the electric in the house may seem to waver...).  If the service is 100amps but the socket is rated 60amps, that's not good either...

In our area, a 100amp service and 60amp box would be okay by all 3 inspectors we use but not all code officers (side issue, when a non-electrical inspector code officer adds requirements to code...), but such a mis-match is still not what you'd set out to do.  Plus a 60amp service for today's loads would be light for anything larger than a small 2/1 imo. 

The last arch fault breakers we installed had built in diagnostic codes that tell you what general category of issue caused them to trip.

 Local codes and practices will vary!  I am *not* an electrician.

Don't you love the wealth of knowledge & advice on BP? Good stuff!

My $0.02 - sounds like a 2-4 unit house hack would be the best fit.  Keep on saving, and when you are posted in area (or someplace Stateside), buy then.  

There are plenty of ways to invest in RE long distance, but as your 1st deal and given your non-huge capital, most options wouldn't be a great fit imo.  Theoretically you could do something passive (say, buy 2 years of a note at double-digit yields) if you know what your deployment schedule could be, but I'm guessing that might seem a bit risky from your GF's perspective...

Sounds like this situation has gained an emotional element beyond the just the frustrations of a steep learning curve on the business side.  

If you haven't already, my advice is to get some emotional distance - hire an attorney to help with the legal side, and either hire a PM or get a third party (if you happen to have an able & willing friend - the skill set is rare but does exist) to handle any in-person contact between landlord & tenant.  One-on-one interaction between an emotionally invested owner and a criminal and volatile tenant is a recipe for more pain and damage.

Full disclosure: we do have some tenants with criminal convictions (requires someone we know well enough to trust to vouch for the tenant-the tenant's current lifestyle has to be law abiding).  But it isn't for everyone!

Not legal advice, and not from MD, but in our area of NY if a former tenant remains and the warrant of eviction (similar to MD's Writ of Possession) has not been served, it wouldn't even trespassing - it would be a holdover tenant.  

Here, to empty the premises we'd get the warrant served *if* the warrant were still available or active - if the warrant is stale, we'd start from the beginning of the eviction process (or, if the warrant was never issued by the court, we might be able to reopen the original matter and appear before the judge again - but that is up to the judge, they would have a lot of latitude on what to do).

Bill, you are so right that definitions matter. Even though within HUD "single family" and "1-4" are often used interchangeably, I would respectfully suggest that generally

1-4 units = residential

5 units + = commercial

and that "single family" would fall into the 1-4 unit bucket (colloquially few folks would call a 3 unit a "single family"). At HUD, 1-4 is called single family as a program name, but even at HUD there are times where single family is clearly a subset of 1-4...

Don't even start on the definition of "duplex".  Depending on your location, could be a side-by-side 2-unit building where the units are legally separate (2 tax lots), or a 2-unit building of any layout where the units are a single tax lot, or a 2-story unit within a 3 or more story apartment building or...I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few other versions of duplex!!

ime that means the house is in a condition that wouldn't qualify for conventional financing. You can always call the listing agent and ask.

I assume you have an inspection period clause in your contract?  Highly recommend getting a professional (in our area, would be a plumber) to give you 2 estimates- 1 for installing inline sub-metering and 1 for separating the service.  Ask the seller if they ever considered separating the gas, and if so why they didn't.  Ask around to see if there are any local requirements that mean separating at this property is not an option.  Knowledge is power :)

We prefer separately metered, but at the right price shared metering doesn't have to be a problem.  @Matt Clark, in our area the term is "added rent" (don't you love lawyers?). 

We have separated utilities in some cases, where it was relatively simple - that's one place the estimate can help.  If separating is too expensive, we tend to include utilities and not bother about submetering (ymmv, but if separating costs more than $5,000 we tend to leave as is; $2,000 or less we will almost certainly separate - our rentals are mostly C class and $600-$900/mo).  One local landlord includes partial utilities - any cost above a baseline 'average seasonal use' is passed on to the tenants on a pro rata basis.

In our experience (CT and NY), fire alarm/suppression contractors are in a close battle with elevator companies as being the most frustrating tedious to deal with.  Personnel are fine, but there seem to be very few players and they tend to be leisurely in their response times and magically all price in a narrow range.  

Definitely check local regs.  My guess is there are licensing requirements and/or may be issues with working on your own building...but worth an ask!

We are closing Monday (if I ever get the final calculation of the wire amount) on a bank owned home where they asked for best and final, iirc we went up $500, they accepted, and then un-accepted ("we can't accept that much of a discount this early in the listing").

A month or 6 weeks later the broker called back, wanted to know if we were still interested.  List price was $24,900.

So listen to @Zach Sikes!