All Forum Posts by: Jim C.

@John Woosley- Congrats on starting so early!!! Deals are harder to come by, but are still out there. Beware some wholesaler's in the area, their numbers aren't reliable and prices are crazy. Only buy in decent areas..... And.... Cash is King! Good luck!

You can rent an auger, the ones used to clear sewer lines from Lowes/Home Depot, etc. Put the cutter bit on the snake and rod it out. It will pull out any leaves, gunk, roots, etc.

@Shane Rawlings

Take a large crowbar and "Force" the door open. Use a 2x4 on the door side as to not damage the door. you will destroy the jamb, but that is overall a less costly fix than a window.

@Theo Bandy- I have an off-market duplex in Crown Point for $125k if you are interested. 

When tenants ask "Oh, so how many units do you own?". My Response "One too many!!!!!"

@Wilson Churchill

That seems awfully high number of blower motors!! Usually just the capacitor fails (especially on older models). How old are these furnaces? What brands?  On my newer furnaces (most of my rentals were replaced with Goodman brand years ago), most of the time its just a flame sensor or ignitor that fails. These are quick and easy inexpensive fixes. Sounds like your furnace guy may be working you over. Ask him for the bad blowers, and you can connect them directly to power to test them without them being installed. If anything, the blower wheel could be clogged with debris/gunk especially if tenants don't change out the filter, which would reduce airflow and overheat the furnace. I've had HVAC repair people tell me that the furnace is bad, and in reality just needs the blower wheel cleaned.

@BJ Hibbard- It's a great idea. I've been interested in this for years, but haven't pulled the trigger. Alot of people don't understand the tiny home concept, but a large manufacturer of homes has: Clayton. See: http://www.designerseriestinyhomes.com

Alot of the manufactured home builders have noticed this trend and are offering modular style tiny homes.... These are affixed to foundations just like a normal home and follow all the building codes for where they are being placed. 

I'd love to get more information from you about what you want to do and perhaps can get you in front of some VC's.

Contact @Adrien C.

ALWAYS go to a prospective tenants house to see what condition its in. I just started doing this with any of our prospective tenants and gives you an EXACT idea as what to expect they will be doing to/in your rental. When I approve an application, I tell the tenant that I will 'drop by' to have them sign a hold deposit agreement to hold the property until move in day. When I stop by, I ask them to come in to sign the agreement; if they refuse, I just walk away. If they let me in, I explain to them that I would like to do a 'quick walk thru' to see how they live and make sure they caused no damages to their existing unit as this is how they would be treating my property. If they complain, I walk out. If their existing place is trashed or damaged, I tell them I forgot some paperwork in the car and just leave; no confrontations. Doing this will tell you how they will treat YOUR rental!  I can't believe how some people live, or don't (I had an app with a bogus vacant lot as an address, not even a tent LOL).  Also look inside their cars to see how messy/trashed it is. 

@Wayne Brooks @John Thedford- Thanks for replying. That's what I thought, but received a quote from a local builder and they added 6% Sales Tax to the Base price of the home and all the options I selected in the home (upgraded counters, carpets, etc).