All Forum Posts by: James Barnhart

Our tenants always pay as agreed, keep their places nice, are good people and they make my life easy.  So, since we have to pay a lot in taxes, I thought that we might just let the tenants let them know that we appreciate them by giving them a $25 gift card.  In the past, I have done similar things occasionally, but not at Thanksgiving or Christmas time.  I don't want to be predictable.

I agree with the other, that both are screened and both go on the lease. The lease has the do's and don'ts spelled out, that you have in it.

@Rob Hallowell

Yes, it is a concern. Do you know the quality of the construction work? Or was it just done on the cheap to impress a buyer like yourself.

In some jurisdictions, the city or county will want you to get an engineer's affidavit letter for work done without a permit and inspections. The engineer will have to say that he inspected it, and it is at least as strong as the building code.

Or else, apply for a demolition permit and tear it down.

Your insurance company may want you to show them your permit and inspection record before they will insure it. They are getting very picky in our area.

@Andrew McManus

I got a HELOC from a local credit union. They charged nothing to get it set up, and we used it to buy another rental property. It was painless.

Tile is at least $3 sq. ft. for installation in our area, plus the product costs.  It should be installed on roofing felt, so if the slab cracks, the tile won't crack with it.

@Michael B.

I have used Smartcore from Lowes in our house. We love it, cost was about $2.70 sq. ft. Installed it myself. Also, used 6 mil vinyl planks from HD

It was also great. And found some from a flooring store closeout. Also good stuff. We put it in our rentals and flips, except in the bedrooms.

@Mark Fries

Ok, the question was about vinyl plank flooring. You probably got some cheap wood laminate that might last a couple of years, for that price

@Dustin Lavender

Laminate is COMPLETELY different. The discussion is on vinyl planks, which is waterproof.

@Mark Fries

They are not using vinyl planks for that price. What is the product?

Is the brick 4" deep?  That would be veneer.  Brick structural walls are 6" or more deep, if built to some building code standard.  If you put a small rod into the crack, what does it hit?  Can you see in the crack to see what is behind it?  When inside, can you tell if there are studs behind the drywall?  Are there cracks inside, too?  
Either way, the cracks deep to be filled in to keep moisture and termites, etc. out. 
You can also dig down to the foundation that the bricks sit on, and see if it is cracked also. 

I would not want to buy the house, if it were me.  There are plenty of others to consider.