All Forum Posts by: Jimmy Dudley

I have used Chomp Wallpaper Stripper in about a half dozen houses. It is a spray on product you can pick it up at Home Depot. It may save your drywall underneath depending on type of wallpaper and length of time it has been up. 

Guys it shouldn't be called the 2% rule. Its a concept that only applies to low value properties. If you are talking a sub $100K property then break out the "rule." Otherwise look at the deal in front of you. If it makes sense and you want it . Buy it. 

Call your attorney and look at legal remedies. Call the police file a report. Call your insurance agent file a report. 

You have to set it up like any other tenant situation. Except lucky you, you get to share a refrigerator with someone you don't really know. I would suggest you be very careful about who you bring into your home. Pay close attention to where you found them. If there is a problem, it is your problem, because it is in your home. 

The easier thing is to not rent to people with pets. If you choose to you will probably regret it. The animals can do more damage than you will make up for with a larger deposit or a small monthly fee. Then there is the liability issue. Dogs bite. 

This may sound crazy but all over Japan people use Kerosene heaters to heat their homes. All you need is for the gas guy to turn your gas back on? Buy a kerosene heater from Walmart and he can relax and turn your gas back on. Unless there are livability codes that require something different the wall unit you have now seems to be fine.

Fill it in. Pools are great for homeowners who don't have children, don't have children in their neighborhood, don't have grandchildren and don't have friends with children. Other than that pools are a liability and they are cheap and easy to fill in. 

If you have a signed contract you should contact an attorney and sue for specific performance. Don't worry about clouding the title or filing a lien get a judge to force them to abide by their contract. 

I know people hate to hear this but pay for an hour of time with an attorney and talk it over. Plumbing is not a big deal but electrical can kill people. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a home with known defects if the deal was right but depending on what the defects were I wouldn't live there or allow tenants to live there.  Maybe have a trusted electrician give you some estimates on how fast it can be brought up to code and how much it would cost before you move any further. 

I agree with @Russell Brazil. Unless you are willing to go into a "D" class area your budget is not close. Bear in mind these "D" areas may be nice one day. But that day is not today or tomorrow or this year.