All Forum Posts by: Jonathan Harris

@Matt Anton is there a link for the webinar that you listened to? 

This is a great thread, lots of the same thoughts I've been having over the last few months.

See if the Atlanta groups have meetups and go introduce yourself to the investors and whoever may be there. I've always found word of mouth to be a great way to promote myself in this industry and since BP isn't a place to directly market that's the next best way.

Usually about $5.50 to 6.50 per square foot of stucco. Price can vary depending on application type and how much underlayment work is needed and a few other factors.

Dimitri at DAZ Construction has always done great work for me. Shoot me a message and I'll send you his contact info.

As a GC I wouldn't use an estimate provided to me by someone else. I  wouldn't be able to trust it because I don't know where their numbers came from or what materials they planned on using or what subs they based their labor numbers on. I usually do estimates pretty quickly for investors that I work with on a regular basis and they are often experienced enough that they have a pretty close rough number before I even see the house.

- Jon

Word of mouth is usually best since they are essentially being vouched for at the same time. Also you can try Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor as well but remember that contractors have to pay for those leads so be serious with your intentions before you throw out requests so you aren't wasting their time and money.

@David Lowe GC's definitely have different styles based on their background and their upbringing in this industry. But for the most part most of us don't like to be micro-managed and its for multiple reasons. A lot of GC's have been doing this a long time and generally know the right things to do so when a client tries to micromanage it's like saying "I don't trust you to do the job that I hired you for so I am going to hover." It's also because most of us in big market areas right now are crazy busy and have more than one client at a time and if there is one investor who is constantly calling they are taking time away from our other clients. 

As far as knowing what you want and verbalizing it, from my experience the investors who don't have a solid plan for a house going in are the ones who lose time and money. Making lots of changes or being indecisive can be detrimental to both the budget and the schedule. The investors who set forth a solid plan and let their GC execute are the ones who get to market faster and on or under budget. The other thing is, and I don't want to speak for all GC's here but, I am not a designer, I am a builder, I facilitate getting things done, that is my role. The more you ask me to make your plans for you, the more frustrated I get. That being said there are plenty of design build firms out there that are capable of that but don't expect all GC's to be ready to design your project for you. 

These are great questions you are asking and like @Account Closed said there are far too many people who think of GC's as expendable commodities and don't appreciate the amount of work that goes in to even the most modest of rehab projects, so the more you try and understand your business partners the better off you'll be. 

Ok off the soap box now.

@John Anderson ability to pay is definitely up there. 

But there are lots of things, if I am going to take a project with an experienced investor I will expect different things than a newer investor or a custom client who has never built anything. The best clients are the ones who know what they want, can verbalize it, and can let go a little bit. Most GC's, myself included, don't like to be micro-managed. 

An orange peel texture should be running closer to $55-58 per board in my experience. I am paying $62-65 for a very good level 4 at the moment. If you have the time I would collect a few more quotes. 

Welcome to BP and to Denver. It's a great place to live and work. When you get here check other one of the BP meetups, I went to my first last month and it was full of good people all interested in RE.