All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Leland Smith ok, photos 4 and 5 look really bad. The first couple not so bad, just your floor joists are probably spanning too far (general rule 1” thickness for every 1’ of span, sometimes floorjoists can span a little further than a beam on this rule). Changing your floor joists to 2x8 or 2x10 is a total blowout. That huge beam on photo 4 and 5 is not needed as it has all the door framing and studs breaking up the span. I want to just drive over there and straighten this thing out for you without blowing out the whole job! Don’t spend too much on this crap. Framing is the easy part and finish takes longer. With inspections it has to look good and follow the general correct way to do things. You might have to see if you can get away with those joists, and if not, you’ll have to put more beams :). The recessed beam is nice, but you might be able to get away without installing them because you’ll need a few if you’re going that road. The big openings aren’t as jacked up as that stuff going over your doorways. I understand it’s hard to know the proper way to make it all look good for code, but someone who knows framing can straighten this out by removing the giant beam on photos 4-5 that sits too low and isn’t framed correctly. Hope you don’t have to pay too much for someone who knows how, and I would get rid of the first guy. He’s probably a cool guy, just doesn’t know how to frame correctly. If I was doing a basic framing correction like that I’d probably charge $1200 materials included on the doorway stuff and other little stuff. Try your best to not redo it all! Talk to a framing company. Probably don’t waist too much on GC title or engineer title. Let me know if you have more questions.

@Vincent Harris Zillow, city data, google street view. Local agents. Zillow every couple days, check everything with your filtered criteria. Get to where you know the market and know a good deal when they pop up. A good deal won’t sit long. Look at all the recently sold. Keep looking at them til you know you have to put an offer on some. I look for prices reducing. Foreclosed. You can see desperation by checking price history to see when someone looks like they’ll likely accept a worthy low offer. I only look at low coating stuff they needs lots of work usually, so that’s all I have to offer. I’m sure experienced investors will chime in with better advice, just wanted to join the discussion

@Jonathan Greer. Might I add my agent didn’t tell me they were going on vacation out of the country when I would need them most. I close Monday and have no guidance on my contract, and honestly the deal came up so fast I’m just rolling with the punches hoping people are doing me right because I have so much construction to finish for people’s Christmas deadlines!

Hi, I’m closing on a 15k forclosure SFR. The bank has their title co that I used due to free title report and insurance offered and a 20 day time limit to close. I was thinking the settlement closing statement would put me real cheap on closing fees but thy want $450 to their company plus the other fees total $577. Is their $450 high which doesn’t include the title insurance etc.? Also, I’m so busy hustling with work and family and commuting that this thing is like a big wave that is tossing me and I don’t understand 1/2 the pp work. The settlement says HUD. Is that good? I thought it wasn’t HUD, but does that mean I’m limited to HUD regs? Any help is appreciated.

@Jim K. Stop offending people with short sighted pride. You might be right on some stuff, but that’s no excuse to be so foolishly proud and insult morals, ethics, the Bible, and common sense. Doing things right really seams to offend you. It’s amaizing how excited people get to mock and attack other people’s values.

@Thyra Dixon good question, maybe the other two besides cash was two length of terms on their financing. 3 year pay all or 10 year financing?? Pay less for 3 years and pay more for 10 years. Obviously interest would be more naturally on 10 years..

@Abner Gomez my bad if you’re not planning to do the work yourself, but this might help you get a better understanding and hire good guys that can learn.

@Abner Gomez you got this Abner! Sounds like you are looking for really distressed properties if you have to do demolition. I’ve done a lot of these and am still learning better ways. First off, construction is not too hard and you can watch you tube if you can’t figure something out. I’d say everything from electrical to plumbing can be figured out if you really want to do it. Ask questions, find someone to come in and do a few things for you, pay an electrician for a few hours to do some stuff and teach you. Just start doing it and you’ll get it. There’s always better ways to do things, and you have to learn the best ways to compete as a contractor, but if you’re buying your own home to flip, you can figure it out by talking to electricians and plumbers. When it comes to finishing things, that’s where you have to look around for someone with a good finish eye. If you can get a good painter/ drywall finisher to work for you and teach you for a week, you will learn so much from these guys just by hiring someone really good for a week or so. This might be the best way to learn the specialty trades, buying your own house, then doing the work and hiring specialty guys to show you how it’s done! After demo you should be looking at windows, any framing changes, electrical, foundation work, plumbing changes like replacing a tub, insulation, making sure the roof is good, siding, door framing . Install drywall before doors if you can. Maybe one of be BP books covers a list of these things.. probably one of Brandon Turner’s. Anybody?

@Jaron Smith I agree with the idea of putting a mortar over this rock. I would personally start by taking a hammer and breaking all the rocks that stick out further than the other ones. Rocks will break with the right hit. Finding the right guy to do this will be important. Some Mexicans (guys from Mexico) have crazy experience in rock work and know how to do this stuff in their sleep. They break rocks and make walls and concrete/ stucco everything. Process: STRATEGICALLY hit rocks that stick out more than others with hammer to break protruding edges. Then pressure wash etc. to prepare for mortar. Mix up some Type S mortar (used for stones, brick etc) and start filling in the deep spots. You might have to start with a grout bag to squeeze it into the holes. Then do another layer of type S until you’re close to level/straight. Once you get your walls evened out, (a good stucco guy with a CAN DO attitude can pull this off) then you can stucco whatever texture finish you want onto a straight wall. You will want to do some slanted angles around windows to allow water to flow away and you will have to put a proper metal flashing above the rock/stucco that laps behind the siding. I wouldn’t frame anything beyond the rock, nor would I try to mess with removing that stuff. I think everyone’s input is respected here, because you gotta do something..

@James Allen It’s not high given he will need to switch to semi gloss sheen on bathrooms and kitchens.. If there are different colors, this costs time. Also, do you want blotches on your ceiling if it’s a different wall color? You’re going to want the trim painted well. Does he have to tape all the baseboard between carpet? He will probably supply $200 of material in drop cloth, tape etc even if you buy material. Doors too?? How much stuff is in the bathrooms? There’s a lot more to this stuff than you think on the finishing side of things for quality work. And is he available and recommended? California is higher, bottom line.