All Forum Posts by: Jon L.

Thanks for all the great responses. We're going with vinyl or tile from now on. That clause is great and I'll be adding something similar to our contract. 

Good point about the HD pro account. Usually one would need to spend at least $1500 to get into that bid room/war room. I did it recently when our apartment burned down for drywall and insulation. We didn't get any discount on insulation but we did on drywall. A lot of people I know are going with vinyls over anything else for rentals, especially something as thick and strong as Lifeproof. I just don't like how it's made in China but it seems to be a very good product. 

Most things are turning to "plastics" these days. Our new TPO roof is plastic, pex is plastic, drain and vent lines are plastic, and now flooring. 

The most negative things I've heard about this is the cost. After tax and installation, you're at $5+ per sq foot. In a low income rental, that doesn't really make sense. We go between carpet, tile, laminates, and vinyl between our properties, depending on each situation. We still like tile, but only when we can get someone to do it for under $1.50/ sq ft. 

Our tenant just moved in 3 months ago and brought his personal/portable AC unit. It leaked water into the next unit, out to the exterior, and warped half the family room laminates, which were installed a week before he moved in. 

His deposit is $1200k but I don't want to take from that now since he has another 9 months left on his lease. Am I allowed to bill about $4/sq ft to replace the laminates and baseboards or do I have to just take it from the deposit when he moves out? This is in California

hello. I'm in Southern California (OC) Can I just give a 60 day notice to someone just because they're too dirty? they've been on a month to month for a few years. Also, what can I do about a unit that has a sex offender come visit everyday? there are lots of kids around as well. he also uses our trash bin to dump his stuff once in a while.

in addition to my rental contract, can I include an addendum that lists a whole bunch of items such as the following: -by signing this lease, you acknowledge that carbon monoxide and smoke alarms are installed in your unit. -$100 will be charged/deducted from your security deposit if damaged or removed -cars must be registered and in operable condition. cars may not be used for storage. management reserves the right to tow any cars not in compliance -management will pay for drain clearance once per year. tenants are responsible for any other clogs. management reserves the right to deduct this from the security deposit -if the unit is part of HUD(section 8) and the unit fails inspection for sanitary reasons, management reserves the right to hire a professional cleaner and deduct $200 from the security deposit. I just quickly came up w a few items and was wondering if it's easily allowed to be part of an "addendum to the rental agreement". do I need a lawyer to type it up or would that work? I'm in Orange county, California

how much should it cost to rip out a steel tub, plastic wall surround, and replace it with those plastic, 3/4 piece, acrylic tub and surround I see at Home Depot for about $300? I live in Orange county, CA.

I'm 29 and I live in Southern California. I want to acquire as many units as I can and retire at 45. I want at least $25k per month in cashflow when I retire. I currently have a SFR worth about $500k and I owe $360k on it. I will have $200k by the end of this year and want to buy something but the SoCal market is so expensive. Should I just wait for a down market or buy out of state like Texas(Houston?)

Thanks for all your input. 

The installer wants to use TWO, if not THREE tankless systems, so that can be about $12k vs $6k for a water heater. I just love how it's 90%+ efficient vs 65% for those huge tanks. Hopefully, prices come down in the future.

I'm going to stick with the 100gallon tank, include a recirculating pump, and use the gas company's "on demand" system. 

Best of luck to everyone!

I would definitely remove the old tile, most likely replace the concrete board behind it, REDGUARD IT with two coats, then re-tile using 24x12 or 18x18 inch porcelain tiles with 1/16 inch grout lines. Materials is literally under $350 or so. 

I don't like using caulking, but if you do, try Sashco's. 

I know you said you may not want to tile, but that MAY be your cheapest option depending where you live. Here in SoCal, I can find someone for under $700 for labor only. That shower wall should last 30+ years if done correctly. 

I'm new to this site! 

I manage 15 units and all of them are mostly original. Rents are at market prices and we still increase $50-100 per door, per year. No one has moved out in 4 years and no one is planning on it.

Sooner or later someone will, and since most everything is original(1965), I'm looking to redo everything. Each unit is about 750 sq feet, 1-2 bedrooms, while the family room and dining area total about 450 sq ft! 

I'm thinking of putting tile everywhere downstairs, and in bathrooms and kitchens upstairs. Upstairs will have carpet tiles or laminate flooring in non wet areas. 

The kitchens are currently 12 ft, by 8 ft, by 6 ft, which I think is pretty big. These tenants are mostly low income tenants. I'm thinking of making it an 8x8, L shaped kitchen since they only currently use 25% of their cabinets. I'm thinking of putting granite on solid plywood cabinets. 

I'll scrape ceilings, put in LED lights, and ceiling fans in bedrooms and family rooms. 

Bathroom vanities are currently 6 feet long(again, way too big). I'm thinking of re-tiling and putting in a 30-36 inch vanity. Showers are all cast iron tubs so I'll re-tile the shower surround, then professionally spray the cast iron tubs.

The whole building has been re-roofed with a TPO roof and all windows have been upgraded to dual pane vinyl windows. 

Each unit has a wall heater that's original. I don't know much about these but want to replace them.  

How does this sound and do you have any advice?

Thank you all and best of luck to everyone!