All Forum Posts by: Jennie Ballard

Did being a fulltime RVer cause issues with preapproval? We are fulltime at an RV park right now and looking to get started with real estate.

My new Samsung Galaxy S10 has 2 sim card slot. It was ~$600 on Amazon. I'm on Ting network. I have work number and personal number both ring to handset.

@Andy Webb, @Andrew Postell Do I need 90 days at my new W2 before getting prequalified?

My husband and I are trying to find our first unit to house hack. Prefer bigger than a duplex but not huge. Husband will do day to day tenant and property management while I'm finance and research side.

Our main location constraint is my W2 job. I'm  engineer supporting plants in Cleburne and Ennis (~1hr apart). That limits us to south side of metroplex: Burleson, Joshua, Cleburne, Mansfield, Midlothian, Wauxachie, etc. We have 30k available and my credit score is about ~700. Just not seeing anything on loopnet, relator, zillow <$800k that is multifamily and not already under contract.

Is there no market or do I just need to be patient?

@Jennifer Donley How do you record and reconcile what you believe is damage vs what the tenant in place does? I was thinking I would have a carryover tenant fill out a new Home Inspection to document any requests for maintenance/broken items. Then return copy with approved / disapproved on each item so there was clear papertrail on what I agreed to fix.

Before you have anyone clear the scrubby trees and brush, barricade off the trees you want to save. Use Tposts and construction fencing to circle at dripline (edge of branches) with a few openings for person on foot. Soil compaction by large equipment will kill trees quick. Stuff inside dripline needs to be done by smaller walkbehind equipment.

@Diara Campbell This is my plan as well. As I understand it only the first loan can be FHA. After a seasoning period that varies by bank, you can use rental income from first property to help qualify for a conventional loan on the 2nd.

Be aware many materials pre1970s could contain asbestos. Examples are  floor tile mastic, fireproofing on structural columns, and insulation. I would get an asbestos inspection as part of due diligence. Most kinds arent an issue if you know it is there and dont disturb it.

I am looking for my first 3+ unit multiplex.  We just moved in December for my new W2 job. I'm supporting 2 plants an hour apart on south side of DFW. We've figured out our target towns and general price range. We have about $30k investment cash on hand.

Right now waiting on 90day mark to get pre-approved for loan. Locating our team and a relator to work with. Things are moving off MLS fast so need to be ready to jump with offer.

How do you figure out if househacking will work versus zoning and such? For example, there is a 5 bed 3 bath house with a 2 bed 1 bath detached apartment on MLS near me. The listing specifically mentions renting out the 2/1 detached unit. It looks like a great opportunity for a duplex or maybe triplex.

However, it is zoned Single Family SF-1 no more than 2.3 houses per acres. Also in the town ordinances, there are parking slot and green space requirements. I think property could meet those. Is there a way to find out if a zoning variance would be allowed BEFORE purchase? What about building permit to do work require to separate the upstairs and down stairs?

My first guess is 1) tour unit and get lots of pictures with measurements 2) sketch up layouts as-is and proposed separation 3) talk to city? It's ALOT of house and I want to ensure that I could at-least rent the 2/1 apartment.