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All Forum Posts by: Jerry Sexton

Jerry Sexton has started 4 posts and replied 28 times.

Post: Contractor invoices WAY over estimate....what can I do?

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5

Charles, first off let me tell you that I feel bad for the situation you got yourself into. What you need to do right now is contact an attorney and take EVERYTHING with you and have a candid conversation. This is going to cost you several thousand dollars to fix but you will be better off going this route than to try and negotiate this on your own. 

I think what happened on your end is that you got complacent. I too have been guilty of "trusting" that someone is going to do you right. Everyone is correct on this forum that the subs should get paid. I think once you contact the attorney he will negotiate (or help) negotiate the payment terms. At this point the subs will be happy to get anything instead of nothing. 

I am thinking that you should put together an estimate using your Xactimate Remodel and be sure to add about 50% markup and you should be in the neighborhood of the true costs. Give that info to your attorney as he will need it. Also, the fact that he committed fraud at the very beginning of the process by not pulling the contract under his name tells me that something bigger is going on here. Most likely he cannot get his license due to a criminal record or something???? 

GO TO YOUR ATTORNEY NOW BEFORE IT COSTS YOU EVEN MORE AND LET YOUR LOCAL REIA KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IMMEDIATELY SO THEY DON'T GIVE HIS INFO OUT TO ANYONE ELSE. Once this is over with be glad that it happened to you, it will make you a much better contact reviewer and make you stay on top of things. Good luck and keep us posted to your progress. GO SEE AND ATTORNEY and hire an expensive one not the cheap guy in the mall. Do a search for a super lawyer in your area, it will be the best money you ever spent.

I forgot to mention that I am a licensed remodeling contractor in Columbus, Ohio.

Post: Structuring a fair deal

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5

Thanks for your input Steve! Are you saying I should pay for the labor or not profit from the labor?

If I was to pay for the labor out of my pocket and do the 50/50 I would be better off going the hard money route and that is what I am trying to avoid. That would be thousands of dollars on my end and I would be at a disadvantage would I not? 

If you were implying that only direct labor to be covered and no profit until sale of house that would be a little more understandable. Where am I going wrong? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Post: Structuring a fair deal

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5

Okay, I have a question that I want to put forth for debate. I am considering possibly teaming up with an investor (any investor down the road) and I want any deal structured to be fair to both sides. So here is my question:

I own my own small remodeling business here in Columbus, Ohio. I currently have some properties that I have purchased, remodeled, and renting out but I am thinking about getting into the flipping business. I don’t know how I would structure a deal that would be attractive enough to encourage an investor to come on board.

What I have to offer is the skills, manpower, and license to do the work that would be needed to turn around a property and have it ready for sale. The problem is, by being self-employed the banks see me as a risk even though I have been in business for several years and produce a decent living for myself. I can get a signature loan at a high interest rate but if I do that then I may as well look at using hard money, I don’t want to go the hard money route.

What I was thinking about doing was teaming up with a financial investor (100% of the funds) and I rehab the property using my company to do this. In other words, my company would get paid to rehab the property which I would make money on and take part in the split of the profits. Here is my dilemma: is it fair of me to ask someone to put forth the funds to acquire the property that I will rehab at a cost and expect a fair split on the flip? And, what would the split look like? 50/50, 60/40???

If I were the investor I am not sure if I would go for this kind of a deal because I would feel the other guy (me) doesn’t have any real skin in the game. On the other hand, should I be expected to provide the rehabbing at costs? As a business owner I could not do this since I have direct and indirect overhead costs. And, someone has to be paid to do the work and I am sure they would make a profit so why not me???

From an investor stand point I would be thinking: “Okay, you get paid to remodel and you want half the split on the sale? What if it doesn’t sale or sales for way less than projected? I put my money on the line and might not make anything but you make money on the remodel? I DON’T THINK SO SCOOTER!” I have kicked this around for a while and cannot come up with the answer that feels right for both sides. Obviously I’m trying to be fair but at the same time if I am going to put my staff on a project for 60-90 days I need to generate a profit so I can pay them and myself. What do I do?

I would like for anyone that has been in this type of situation to chime in and tell me how you structured your deal. Of course, I can keep doing the “buy one house at a time, rehab and rent it out” but it is too slow. Anyway, here is some additional information that will be important to know for your analysis:

  • -I currently own 3 units with 2 of the 3 producing income. The third is going to get some minor rehab and be rented out within 60 days. I use the rents to pay off rehab costs (credit cards and such) which will be paid within 18-24 months. Rents total $1500-$2000 a month and the remaining unit should rent for around $750 when it is ready in a few months. Any money goes directly to paying off debt and building for next acquisition.
  • -Bought my first property 3 years ago.
  • -I do not have a mortgage on any of the properties but I do have a signature loan of 15k on my most recent acquisition that will be ready in 60 days.

Thanks to all of you that post to this and trying to assist me. I look forward to your constructive input 

Post: Home Depot Cabinet in Unfinished Oak

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5

Alan, I use these cabinets in my rentals for a few reasons. First they are inexpensive and the face frame along with the door is oak. I have not painted any of these oak cabinets but I have stained them with success. The primary reason for using them (besides cost) is once they get damaged I can easily run to the store and buy another cabinet and I have instant parts. I can do this myself without hiring anyone and since I use a Min-wax stain product the I keep a record of I can easily stain the replacement part and I am back in business within hours. One piece of advice, if you choose to use the 36" wide base cabinet remove the drawer and use some construction adhesive around the perimeter of the drawer bottom. This drawer is so big and weak it will collapse once the tenant loads it up.

Post: New member in Columbus, OH

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5

Welcome to Bigger pockets! Be sure to download the app and listen to the podcasts.

Post: New Member from Ohio

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5

Welcome to Bigger Pockets! Be sure to load the app onto your phone and listen to all the great podcasts.

Post: Best new flooring for this rental - Chicago area

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5
Originally posted by @Alan K Auman:

I use vinyl plank flooring in my rental and it has multiple benefits. Unlike laminate wood or real wood it's not affected by water, unlike ceramic you don't have to worry about cracking or chips or grout getting nasty. The tenants don't have to worry about damaging the flooring either which is added peace of mind for them and most of all it's easy to install, looks great, and feels and sounds good unlike laminate. It's like the stuff was made for rental units. Granted it may not be appropriate in very high end rentals but make no mistake....the stuff is not cheap. It's quality flooring and it's durable as can be but you'll pay for it for sure. Worth it though for the peace of mind it offers me for years to come. 

 I agree on the vinyl plank floor. I differ with Alan on the costs as I feel it is a great item and cost is cheap when you consider that just about ANYONE can install this so you don't need to hire any contractors to do the work for you. http://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMASTER-Allure-6-...

I provided a link above to the product I use and it is super nice material and easy to install. At $1.50 SF I think it is a bargain!!! Now, I never use carpet in my rentals instead (make sure you are sitting down) I paint my floors with a nice dark (like a chocolate) brown paint. I use a nice deep color on the walls, bright white on the trim including the baseboards and when I am done the look just knock your eyes out! When the tenants move out I go in clean everything and then I get a gallon of high quality paint and pour some on the floor and roll it out evenly. I then put on the heat at 72 degrees and leave for about 3 days, once back it is ready to go! Now keep in mind this is a old house with beat up old wood floors that are beyond refinishing. You wouldn't paint over plywood and get the same effect and be sure to clean multiple times before you paint once a tenant moves out. This also good at eliminating odors.

Post: My $52,996.25 wholesale deal complete!

Jerry SextonPosted
  • Investor
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 5
Originally posted by @Fitzgerald Hall:

@James Wise Thanks James for your reply, but maybe you should ask more questions instead of assuming. One thing I did forget to mention is that, without me they would have lost the house. When the owner first contacted me, they were days away from losing their house to a tax sale. In the city of Decatur it would have been gone in a heart beat. They wouldn't have gotten anything, zilch, zero, nadda. I took a huge chance and paid their tax bill. A number of things could have gone wrong that would have caused me to lose my 5k. On top of that I paid for the probate as well, which they would not have been able to pay for without me. What realtor do you know would have gone to such lengths to help a seller? I could have gotten much more on the back end from a buyer but I chose not to. Im not a greedy person and my buyer recognizes that. Also, I never even negotiated a price with the seller, they told me what they wanted and I agreed. I literally went above and beyond to help this seller, much more than any relator I know would have. Theres a lot that went on in this story that I didn't write about due to the length of my post. But overall my concusses is clear and I have a great relationship with the seller and It was truly a win win for everyone involved. 

 Don't let the negative people get you down, they are upset because they didn't do such a deal. Anytime you do a deal and don't need a realtor expect to get picked on.