All Forum Posts by: John Clark

Work deal/closing numbers as two flat.

Ask attorney cost to upgrade/variance to three flat

Work numbers again.

Ask attorney about potential fines -- including retroactive ones -- for illegal apartment

Work numbers again.

Ask attorney/other land owners/"people" about bribes [a/k/a "campaign contributions"] to aldermen to agree to zoning change, preferably retroactive or with only modest fine.

Work numbers again.

Close or not, as you see fit.

Just business advice, nothing else.

You have to make reasonable accommodation, so the size of the animal vs. the square footage of the apartment is a factor. The particular history of the particular animal is a factor. The wear and tear on the apartment is a factor. Allergies of other tenants is a factor. The ability of the tenant to take care of the animal's hygiene is a factor (and just how do you intend to clean up the cow flops every day, ms. applicant?). Animal noise is a factor. 

Insurance may or may not be a factor. Shop around for insurance policies. Get quotes for policies with and without breed restrictions. Know what your financial hit might be to switch policies or have lower coverage, as that will go into the question of reasonable accommodation.

Just make sure everything is established and documented BEFORE you start taking applicants with ESA issues.

"Also, is anyone using permit expeditors? If so, how much time does it shave off and how much are you paying for one?"

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Here in Chicago expediters are called "Aldermen" and the more you pay the faster you can get something done. Call Alderman Burke's office and arrange a tutorial.

"How do i get in their circle without Proof of Funds?"

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You can't. As other posters have said, you have to close deals. So you have to either have proof of funds, or proof of influence over those who have funds.  You bring the people in your circle (those with funds), to the broker.

Otherwise you are just wasting the broker's time, and he doesn't need that. So IF you have people you can deliver, then find out from them what their criteria are for deals, figure out their financial wherewithal, and then go to brokers and say "I have X type of buyers who are interested in Y type of deals. Do you have any such deals?"

The broker will try to learn the identity of the buyers so he can cut you out.  You say no, as your buyers are depending on you to screen the deals for them. If the broker persists in not telling you about deals meeting your announced criteria, move on to the next broker.

As other posters have said, however, then you HAVE to close. Otherwise you will be written off as a time waster. So don't look for super deals and then try to flog them on. Look for super investors and cater to their needs as a screener. THEN the brokers will start coming around.

@Brie Schmidt "Prior to 2009 we did not have water meters, nor is it a mandatory program in Chicago. "

@Ray Harrell "if it turns out I don't have an RF meter, you owe me donuts!! I like Dunkin Boston Cream...2 dozen please!"

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I'll take the $24 in used, unmarked, small denomination bills, Ray (I do confess to a weakness for Boston Creme from Dunkin DOUGHNUTS (never should have changed the name)).

Thanks, Brie!

"I would imagine my meter is not a "new" one, but an old mechanical meter that requires a physical reading (expand your thinking)."

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My impression was that the City went from unmetered accounts to metered with RFID capability. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have dollars to doughnuts that you have a meter that should be sending a signal and isn't. 

It's always worth getting an RF meter installed. Why? Two reasons. As one poster noted, it will save on a huge back bill when the water department catches up with you, AND, as a businessman, how can you not want to know what your costs are?

"I'm billed every two months so presumably I have a meter, but all my bills say estimated."

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"Presumably"????!!!! You don't know?

First, look at the bill. It should say whether your account is metered or unmetered.

Second, IF you have a meter, something is very, very wrong with getting bills that are estimated. The whole point of having a meter is that it gives you precise readings. The Water department drives a truck around and it does a radio query to each meter and pulls the precise usage information. Estimated bills should be very rare.

Contact the Water department (call 311? web site? Dunno.) and find out if account is metered or unmetered and ask why bills are estimated. They'll probably have to send someone out. Maybe the receiving/sending antenna on the meter is broken. Never know until you look.

"What advice do you guys have for your 20 year old self? How can I be productive and make the most out of this period in my life?"

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Go back to college, get your degree, and stop being a short-term-horizon idiot.

That said, when you go back to college, make sure you take plenty of math, bookkeeeping, and business courses, and make time for the arts. Be well rounded, with a strong grounding in math and finance. The humanities/arts will make you a more interesting person. The finance and math? As Duke Ellington observed in one of his songs; "Romance without finance, ain't got a chance."

Go back to school.

You can still advertise pet friendly and not allow agressive dogs by putting a 20-pound-mature-weight limit on any single animal and a 25-pound-combined-weight limit (cat and dog, for example) for all animals.

Charge a pet rent, too, unless it's a declawed cat or a goldfish.

"When I did my research and found his name, he had already placed my property address as his on the RSO registry summer of last year."

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Double check the law. Does your apartment qualify as a residence for registered sex offenders? Some states require that the offender not live within X number of feet of a school or park, for instance, and if you can show that the residence can qualify, the