All Forum Posts by: Joel A.

@Manolo D. Actually, the rewire is the least expensive part of the equation, which came in the range of 2500-3000. The hard part is doing the trench and connecting the front building to the back building which has the garage units. I interviewed a lot of electricians (at least 10) and they all came in the range of 17-22k for everything. I did ask DWP several times as well as the building and  safety inspection department to keep the 2 separate drops as it is right now, but they refused and said we have to have one drop for the whole complex so that all the meters are in one location.  The thing about the trench is that not only is it 40 ft long, we have to cross a retaining wall with a drop of about 4 1/2 feet. What would you estimate on the cost of the trench? If you know any electricians who can do this for cheaper let me know. 

Thanks for chiming in Aaron. I forgot to mention the costs involved. Since I am also rewiring one of the units, the quotes I received with the 200 amp main panel upgrade+subpanels and trench were in the range of 17k-19k, and with the 400 amp the range came out to 19k-22k. Upgrading to 400amp would be nice, but it comes at a steep price. 

I am rehabbing an old fourplex in the Los Angeles area, consisting of two detached duplexes. The electric panels need upgrading and it is a huge cost since DWP is requiring that I put all the new meters (4+1 house panel) in one location, which requires a 40 ft trench to connect the two buildings. All 4 units are 1 bedroom units, with 4 separate garage spaces for each unit. I plan to upgrade all the appliances, add a washer dryer and a mini split ac/heater for each unit. I'm debating whether I should upgrade to 200 or 400 amp. I've had several differing opinions from electricians. The majority of them are saying I need a 400 amp, while a few are saying 200amp is sufficient. So my question is for all the fourplex/apartment owners and electricians/gcs out there, is a 200 amp main sufficient to serve 4 units+1 common area, or would i need to upgrade to 400amp? 5 gang 200 amp vs a 5 gang 400 amp main? 

I would check the Apartment Owner's Association of California (AOA) website under free forms. Also, Dennis Block who specializes in dealing with landlord/tenant/rent control issues in the LA area has a solid lease agreement on his website under free forms. 

The water bill at $100/ month seems pretty low, I pay anywhere between $180-220/month on my fourplex. Other expenses to consider are pest control- roughly $750/year, gardening - between $480-$1200/year, and taxes in LA are typically 1.25% of the purchase price- so in this case about $360/month. 

@Steve Brown

Hey Steve, welcome to the BP community. It's been a valuable resource in furthering my real estate education so far. I'm sure you'll find the same. Welcome and best of luck in your RE investing. 

The price for the house isn't too bad considering it's a newly built single family with some nice finishes, but I grew up in the Carson area and north Carson has always been known for having a seedy element to it. Probably not the best area to invest in if it's appreciation you're after. I have a friend who bought a new town home in the area a few years ago, only to see the value decline as more riff rafts moved into the neighborhood. The only upside to the area is the possibility of the new football stadium which would be built right off the 405 freeway. But even this isn't a guarantee as it would have to win the bid against Inglewood, not to mention whether LA will finally get a football team in the first place. For the same price of 575k you can probably get a better long term investment in neighboring Torrance, which has a better job base and closer proximity to the beach areas, Redondo/Hermosa/Manhattan.