All Forum Posts by: Jeffrey VanGilder

Another hvac contractor from ct here. Get your contractor back over to skim the boiler. It's part of the start up procedure. And as for the advice my fellow hvac brother from ct. never go off of square footage for sizing any heating or cooling system. A proper heat calculation should be done. But for steam systems you need to know your square feet of radiation(how big your radiators are) plus do a little multiplication and you will get your EDR and that is the true number you need to know when sizing a steam boiler. If your contractor changed the size of the boiler and didn't skim it I can totally see why the heat isn't good enough. He didn't do a professional job.

With my background being in the hvac field. I can tell you that these units are awesome. Super quiet, efficient, and can heat or cool areas large or small. You also have many different styles of indoor units you can install from wall mount, recessed ceiling units, floor mount, ducted and others. But buyer beware, buying the cheapest unit on the internet may work out for you but they say you get what you pay for for a reason. Mitsubishi has given me the most reliability, then take your pick from there. Daikin is okay, LG,Samsung, Fujitsu are cheaper options but I also have had to do more service calls on these brands. Now this may just be my luck of the draw, but a good installation is the key to longevity of any mechanical cooling or heating appliance. So I do highly recommend ductless heat pumps but do your research as you should with all purchases like this. If you want heat and it gets cold in your area. Make sure the units heating capacity is adequate for the space being conditioned when the temperature gets cold. Some of these units will lose capacity at 30 degrees some at 10 degrees. They all vary but whatever brand you decide on just ask for some assistance on getting the right unit for your situation.

Thanks @Craig Bellot  I am new to all the investment side and trying to be a sponge. I am following the Connecticut forums so if you or anyone you know has a question on heating or air conditioning that is my area of training. I would be glad to give some advice if needed. 

Thanks for the response @Rick Santasiere. I actually have a flexible boss and that's why I am looking into other income options. Although I wouldn't want to leave my current job until I was earning an honest wage. I have my CT unlimited contractor hvac license so I have a solid back up plan already in place. 

But I totally understand working part time on something you usually don't get your maximized results. So right now I'm trying to network with real estate agents, and contractors to make my first real estate investment a smart investment. Through that networking I hope to find a broker to work with in the future either as my go to guy or gal, or mentor/teacher that I can work under to make the transition from working full time in the hvac field to working full time in real estate as an agent/investor. Hope to maybe talk some day soon. Thanks for the advice

Thanks again Mark McClure for the information. I appreciate it, remember if you are looking for any advice on heating or air conditioning, I am a S-1 licensed hvac contractor working up and down the ct river valley.

I work in the hvac field and several companies offer home energy audits. They will come in and check for insulation values of door windows and walls, air leaks in the structure using a blower door test and also a duct leakage test. Usually this is offered at a low cost and they will give you a write up of their findings. Also I know lingo changes but the only "changers" I know of in a furnace is a heat exchanger. And if that is bad then you need to replace it. Also may want to look at other professional heating technicians to work on your property. Good luck.

Down south I would think you should have a heat pump. Heating and cooling all in one system. The new ones are capable of producing 100% rated heating capacity down to 17° which should be fine for you in Georgia. Just make sure the contractor runs a heat load/loss calculation to properly size your system. Over sizing is not a good thing to do, find a hvac contractor that will do the calculations and then your unit will run more efficiently.

Mark McClure nice to meet you. How long have you been involved in real estate? Any pointers on becoming a new agent? I'm not sure I want to work full time because I have a full time day job right now. I am enrolling in the pre licensing course this fall at the community college and wanted to start networking now and getting any experience I can before I actually get the license in hand. I am willing to run open houses on the weekends but not sure how I would fit any floor time into my schedule as it is now. I'm always willing to make adjustments for the right cause so I'm open to all advice you may have.

Well my outlook is this. My goal is to hopefully one day retire with that big fat nest egg, major equity and cashflow coming from all angles. But right now, I am a newbie. I come from the construction fields as I am currently a licensed HVAC contractor. I work for another company but got the license to open more doors for me and if I wanted to I could open my own Heating and Cooling company. 

This is sort of how I see the real estate license,You don't need to get it to flip homes, but.. You will have person access to mls, you could build a network of people in the real estate field in your area. Plus you could build a buyers list. The investment in getting your real estate license is very small and would pay itself back when you could be recieving the commision when you flip each property. I have wondered if pursuing it would be just job change or a career maker. I have a skill and you must too if you're wanting to flip houses. I think the training you would get from the right broker would pay for itself over and over again.

Now where I live you cant just get your brokers license you need to work in the real estate field for at least two years before you can take that test and then you can legally sell houses. Before that your a salesperson for your broker. So would you work full time or part time? Its suggested of having six months to a year of saving to cover all bills and what not because you might not sell a home for a long period of time. If you choose to work part time, you are really only putting part of your time into working right, so dont expect to be the rockstar agent but you could make a nice side income on top of your full time job, plus you could be running flips still the whole time. You then wouldnt be a rockstar agent but just a rockstar at time management haha. 

Wrapping up, I just wanted to sort of give you some back info rather than just stat my pros and cons, I personally am going to get my real estate license because well why not. Im getting into the real estate game, might as well learn as much about it and network with as many people as I can. Hope I didn't bore you and maybe helped a little along the way too.

Hello everyone,

I'm Jeff, I'm Thirty-two with a beautiful five year old daughter with my also beautiful girlfriend. I am new to bigger pockets, real estate investing and looking for pointers to make my first investment a success. Currently I am holding down a full time job and very eager to start investing by building equity in properties with flips and buy and holds.  I am a licensed HVAC contractor working for a smaller company. I have always used the mentality of working smarter and not necessarily harder. When I thought to myself about what I could do with my learned skills in the construction trade and my want for my family's future to be as bright as possible, I instantly thought of real estate of something I could put my focus on to help me now and in the future.

I am building a short term plan to get started by flipping my first home purchase and could use all the pointers I could get from people in the area. I know that most people have a HVAC guy but I am willing to help educate any of you to the best of my ability here on the forum or in person if needed. I love houses and looking over heating and air conditioning options for homes. There is a lot of options just like I am learning about real estate. For this reason I would love to get involved with a real estate broker to learn the ins and outs of working the deal as an agent. I enjoy dealing with people, have a desire to succeed, have confidence in myself to getting things done even if it means thinking outside of the box. So if anyone is looking for student.... look no further. Well you can keep looking but you are just wasting your time. JK. I did a four year apprenticeship of cleaning oil boilers and crawling into attics, I think I can handle a potential buyer/seller lead saying no to me being their agent. So, if you want to chat I would be more than happy to get together and talk over a cup of coffee. Regardless the real estate agents course is in my plans for this fall followed by getting licensed and finding a solid team to join. 

I hope to build relationships with many if not all of you and helping each other grow. Thanks for having me and thanks in advance for all the help.