All Forum Posts by: Jessica S.

I'm an absentee landlord with properties in Berkeley and Oakland.  One of my properties is due for a new roof.  Can anyone recommend a good roofing company in the East Bay?  I need someone trustworthy and reliable since I won't be there to supervise the job.

Thanks BP community!

Sure : )  

Where?

Hi Steven,

What type of joint venture are you asking about?  

My husband and I partnered with another couple on two flips this year, and were recently approached by someone else who wants to collaborate with us on another project.

I think I would probably only work with people I know.  Partnering with friends can be difficult, but partnering with strangers sounds too risky.

A contractor told me that it's difficult to work in Lake Oswego because their building department is so restrictive.  He said he no longer accepts jobs there because of it.  Anyone with more local knowledge care to chime in?

Here is what I did: 

I own a duplex that only has one meter and one furnace for both units.  Because of this I include the cost of utilities in the rent.  A few years ago I got new tenants in the upstairs unit and my utility bills suddenly got really expensive.  After a few months of doing nothing but feel resentful, I approached them about the situation and offered them two options.

Option A) I would do a month by month comparison of their power bills to the bills from the previous year.  If the usage was lower than it had been that month in the previous year I would credit them the difference, but if it was higher I would charge them the extra.

Option B) I would do the same comparison except that we would split any savings equally and I wouldn't charge them for overages.

I guess they were nervous about overages because they chose option B.  As it turns out they've gotten a rent reduction every month since we started the system.  Every month I take a few minutes to do the calculations and then send an email saying how much we've both saved.  I think this incentivizes them to save even further since the bill has  been reduced by as much as $90.

Maybe you could try something similar.

The house looks great.  I especially like the exterior and the foyer.  I had to laugh when I saw that you'd  suggested hiring professionals to install the garage door.  Just a few weeks ago I watched my husband and his partner struggle with a garage door for two full days. They are both highly skilled contractors but the garage door install nearly brought them to their knees.

Thanks for the great referrals, everyone.  I will probably call all three agents for quotes, will be sure to mention your names when I do.

You might want to edit your post to say, "I have a property under contract in Reading, Pennsylvania..." (Or wherever it's located)

This might draw out some investors in your area.

I don't think this would be breaking the rules of Bigger Pockets (Or would it?)