All Forum Posts by: Joseph Abad

Any work done under the 203k loan has to be from a certified General Contractor. You can do more work yourself after the general contractor has completed the base construction work but all of that won't be financed under the 203k loan. 

I've been using legalzoom. They have a yearly service fee that allows you to get attorney consultation. It might be a good route to try. I think they also have a 30 day money back guarantee. 

@Sarah Kuppert

It will be hard to generalize what to look for. Your best bet is an inspector. 

You can do a quick check of simple things like (i.e. HVAC turns on, water runs okay) but that information will only bring little weight. An inspector can give you a list of items that need to be repaired/addressed. From there you will then need to reach out to several contractors to get bids on how much a repair would cost. 

I would suggest asking the agent on how familiar he is with the area you would like to buy in. I was locked into a agent previously and the downside was the agent was pretty much useless except for the offers we told him to put in. He was unfamiliar with what the rents would go for in the area and what to look for when buying a new property. He was also pretty new so I couldn't fault him on his mistakes. In the end it was my fault for not reading more into the contract I signed with him and not doing any due diligence on how long he's been an agent. 

 Sorry I haven't any experience with this. If you are able to get this work I am interested to know what the process was like for you. 

Hi @Ken Wang

You are correct. Only 2 unrelated people are allowed to stay in a single unit in Baltimore County. The only way around it is to register it as a boarding house. Baltimore City has a different set of regulations. 

@Account Closed thanks for the suggestion. I will try running a ad for a handyman along with looking into Michael and Sons. 

I have a partner in the area who is able to meet with local contractors. We are just having a difficult time getting contractors to actually show up. This is most likely due to the fact that the job is small. Trying to find a handyman is probably the best course of action. 

@Sam Rispaud You also might want to check with zoning first if they will allow this. Sometimes they are stringent on where a driveway can go. 

@Alex Applebee

I have been using cozy for the past 6 months and also have had no issue. I think once the hurdle of getting it setup is done then it's pretty smooth sailing. 

Sounds like it's just been bad luck. 

I am interested to know what you will be using next. When I did my research of getting automated payments from tenants this one seemed like the best option. I am always open to trying a different system if it helps make things easier. 

Hi

I am looking for a contractor located in Baltimore County close to Towson University who can install a new washer/dryer hookup. So far I have gotten two contractor bids. 

• One of them is only able to do the waterline hook up and can not do a new electrical hook up. Their quote came out to around $2500. 
• The second one is able to do the whole thing and their quote came out to around $8k

I've tried reaching out to more contractors but a lot of the contractors in the area have been really flaky. Does anyone in the area have any recommendations on a contractor? I am having a hard time gauging whether or not the quotes are too high because I can't even get a contractor to come out to give me a quote.