All Forum Posts by: David Doyle

George this is kind of a weird one,,,

There may be a problem with the horizontal drain pipe that picks  up the bathroom fixtures lacking sufficient grade.In fact it may be level or negative grade.In plain language "Ya cna't make a water drain "uphill".I would open enough wall up to put a small 6"  torpedo level on the drain and check grade.

Secondly it might be a vented issue.If the individual fixtures in the basement bathroom are not vented properly ,you will have a problem draining fixtures quickly,hence,,,the soap suds may linger in the horizontal pipe and bubble up and out the lav sink and toilet,

Sorry guys "connected investors" smells bad,,,,,

Not a "good report card either"

DD

Hello Robert

You will learn a Hell of alot here on Bigger Pockets so stick around

From what I can see Duncan does not have a very good report card,,,

Having said that check out the reputation of any coach or course here on BP or simply Google the guys name like this "Joe Shmow Reviews" you'll get the good ,the bad and the ugly real fast

I hate to say it but I have literally spent days on Craiglist trying to find that "motivated seller" with a fixer house for sale.Sadly I havent had much success .I have even recruited and paid for VA's in the Phillipines to scrub filter.call and pre qualify these "sellers" again without much success.

Its interesting as some guys like Joe McCall build the whole focus of their marketing for their Lease Option and Wholesaling courses on fishin the Craigslist ads for sellers.

That may have worked 3 years ago ,,,Im not so sure about today.

Why? 

The simple fact is most of these guys with FSBO's on Craigslist anywhere in the country are marketing houses they have bought and rehabbed,,,they are investors like you trying to do what you want to do!! Thats cool,,but theres no deal there!!!

The second kind of seller is someone whos selling their personal residence at retail value or more with out the help of a Realtor.Usually they want a premium for their property,As my Grandpa would say "their price is Too Dear" which was an old school way of saying "They want to Damn Much for what they Got!!!"

I still think a well thought out direct mail program is they way to go for marketing

As far as education you cant beat Josh and Brandons "Beginners Guide to REI" found here on BP

Another guy I reccomend Highly is Justin Williams at www.houseflippingHQ.com

He has a course called FFF which is excellent and he sells for peanuts,,,plus hes a honest squared away going doing the business full time,,,,

In time youll find REI is a tough little nut to crack ,,but it is worth all the effort if you stick to your guns and press on

Hope this helps,,,I wish you ther post.Im a contractor and I post here about plumbing and contractor issues from time to time.I love BP and all the gang here and I try to help and do my part

Good Luck Robert

DD in Los Angeles

Affirmative Steve

If you take your time, get a small torpedo level out ,add hangers every 6 to 10 linear feet ,with no bellys or dips at 1/4" grade per foot ABS drainpipe works just fine,,,,,

DD

Yo Jerry ,,,hope all is well up in "Gods Country"

About your project;

The easy answer is .when dealing with decomposed,rotten or failing pipe especially "rough cast iron drain pipe" it is best to simply remove and replace the original bad material.You want clean smooth surfaces on your drain lines especially if this is a rental,,it assures proper draining and trouble free service .In this case,Jerry I would take my time and do a thorough analysis and inspection of these original drain lines.I would certainly invite a competent local family owned and operated plumbing company to perform a sewer video camera inspection and make you a dvd showing the condition of the drainlines.If you have cracked cast iron pipe above ground its very likely you have more of it along with cracked 4" red clay drainpipe underground.If this is the case ,you must bite the bullet and have it replaced.Cracked pipe can be saved with epoxy "lining systems" but I'm not crazy about them.Yeah they are OK if done right,but at the end of the day you still have cracked crummy pipe with a liner.I like to dig up ,remove and replace bad drainpipe.Another better alternative is Trenchless Pipe Replacement or "Pipe Bursting" ,,,with this process you break the original cracked pipe out of the way and actually "pull " new PE polyurethane drainpipe using the old pipe as a guide or conduit.Check out the many excellent animated and real video footage  demos of the process on You Tube,,,,,

I dont like mixing cast iron with the black ABS plastic drain pipe.I like one or the other.No hub cast iron pipe is much more durable than ABS but really doesnt cost much more.However ABS will work fine if properly installed,that means pipe and fittings are glued properly and horzontal pipe is installed and "hung" at a 1/4" inch per foot grade.

You asking me about burying Fernco rubber "boot" fittings underground.I dont like them .Burying a UPC code approved "No Hub Coupling" which is a black neoprene sleeve covered by a pliable stainless steel jacket is fine.Again if its installed properly.Youll need whats called a no hub torque wrench and you tighten these suckers up to 72 inch pounds.Your friendly counterman at the local Plumbing Supply House will show you how they work.But while you there,,,I would make friends with that counterman and at least ask for a referal to a competent local plumber that takes on small projects invite him to look at your job and get an honest opinion of the condition of your drainlines and whats needed to correct things.

Then youll know without a doubt whether its a DYI project or a case where your better off hiring a pro,

Good luck Jerry and hope this helps

DD in L.A 

There is a big buzz lately about the benefits and merits of "Co Wholesaling these days.

Honestly,,,it sounds great and as a practical matter it seems like a great way for a Newbie or novice investor to get started.For that matter ,,Im sure even an experienced investor would love to split a wholesale fee with a wholesaler if they were in agreement and the partner brought in the exact buyer the wholesaler wanted in the first place.

But I have some healthy skepticism about the whole concept

01 Wouldnt you think a killer wholesaler even with only 1 or 2 years in the biz would have a healthy bonafide buyers list already,,those 4 0r 5 people that have already bought from him and tell him "bring me the next deal you get across your desk,,it doesnt even need to be a great deal"

02 We are all busy,,,lets be honest and all the succesful wholesalers I know,,,as nice as they are as people,they really dont have time to mess around and train or hold hands with a well intended "buyer finder" there is still a learning curve

03 From what I see it takes a lot of time and MONEY spent on marketing to shake out a deal from the trees these days.Ive heard stories of some individuals spending 5 to10K on marketing a month. I would think these folks are not  jumping for joy wanting to split a wholesale fee 50/50 with a possible co wholesaler just cause they brought him a buyer ,even a qualified buyer thats ready to sign hard on a contract,,,,,am I wrong? 

Please gang chime in on this one,,,any help appreciated,,,,

And yes I am interested in becoming a co wholesaler ,finding buyers and getting on an established wholesalers team

Best Regards

Dave Doyle

Los Angeles

Wow Neil

-5 overnight,,,,,now dats cold!!

I guess I'll stay here with the smog and the freeways,,,

And crazy house prices,,,,lol

Good luck with that Cryo -tek stuff ya hear

Keep in touch

DD in L.A.

Sorry gang ,,,in regards to my recent post on Oct 03 I meant to write;

"Having said that ,most competent firms will insist on providing their own material as they know what they like and make a small profit on its mark up."

Cheers

DD in L.A.

Boy Jody,,,

This is tricky,,,

The easy answer is "It depends"

If the drainline is enbedded in concrete ,forget it you need a pro do dig it up replace the line and install it to grade,then replace the concrete,,,and make sure that pesky inspector inspects the job and signs it off before the concrete work,,,,Yeah!! .Ideal grade is one 1/4" drop for every foot.That is you slope or tilt the pipe downwards a 1/4" inch for every foot in length of the actual drainline.

If the pipe is exposed or "hung" in a crawl space under the house ,and if you have the guts and experience to rehang that pipe,go for it.Attention,,,dont even think about doing that work unless you have several years experience working around electrical lines in a confined space like a 18-24 inch crawl space under a house.Again in these cases you want to hire a licensed plumber.stick to rebuilding faucets and hanging lavatories stuff where you wont get hurt,,,

Hope this helps Jody

DD in L.A.

Hey Matthew

If I were you ,I would get all my facts together along with some Iphone photos and I would contact several [ie 1 to 3] licensed ,father and son HVAC compainies in Philly to look at your job and get a firm price quote,,,If they are nice and cooperative on the telephone ,,,theyll probably be the same way with boots on the ground at your jobsite,,,,

Also,,,

Again identify and visit a few local HVAC Supply houses in the area and ask the counterman "Hey can you guys recomend an honest reputable family owned HVAC  contractor who pays their material bills on time,,,who buy a lot of material each month ,who are friendly and courteous in their dealings with you,well groomed and have nice clean trucks and have a helpful ,positive demenor.They will be happy to give you 1 or 2 refferals,,

Try those folks out,,,have them look at your project ,,,you'lll be on the right track

Hope this helps out Philly way Matthew

Best Regards

Dave Doyle in L.A.