All Forum Posts by: Kevin Phu

 I've been looking into turnkey as well for a somewhat more hands off approach. My W-2 keeps me on the road a lot and often without very limited connection to the outside world at a week or two at a time. I just need to find a good and stable market to research. CA is way too expensive at the moment. 

Been using Cozy for about 5 months. Very simple and easy to use platform. It's also free!!!

Any recommendations for a house hack/REI savvy CPA preferably in the Ventura County area? Open to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara areas as well as remote.

I am currently doing the same thing. House hacking a 4BR SFR that is also my primary residence. This will be my first year filing taxes for this so I definitely also need a tax specialist who knows how to deal with a house hack.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a REI CPA that I could reach out to in the Ventura County (Oxnard), California area? Los Angeles or Santa Barbara would be fine with me too.

@Lee Haenschen do you have any employees specifically assigned to meeting with clients or make the sales calls? It sounds a lot like your spending majority of your time working for your company instead of running your company. If business is good (which it sounds like it is from how busy you are), why do you continue to wear all those hats when it's impacting your goals?

@Lee Haenschen could you possibly hire a part time employee to help you with things in the landscaping business? This could free up several hours a week and allow you to put more focus on your REI learning curve.

@Jaysen Medhurst @Jim D.

Great suggestions/advice from both! Thank you. I have considered selling my house but I don't like the idea of a significantly higher mortgage (yet) due to getting a 2-4 units vice SFR. I would most likely have to pay top dollar since VA loans are so strict regarding the condition of the property. I would LOVE to get a place that has projects but the problem lies with the VA's strict guidelines. That's not to say that it isn't possible though.

Regarding moving out of my SFR and renting out the master; I don't think I'd have a problem finding roommates who get along. The 3 people I rent to know are all federal government employees at my agency. 2 out of the 3 I know personally or through mutual friends and they are mature professionals. 3rd one was my mistake tenant that I have learned from and he's on his way out at the end of this month. I have a decent pool of referrals who want to live there.

Were the 5 properties you house hacked SFR, MFR, or a mix of both? How were you able to get the banks to keep giving you loans?

I currently live in a 4BR SFR that I purchased with a 0% down VA loan and have 3 of the bedrooms rented out while I live in the master. I've met the VA's primary residence requirement and I am trying to sort out my next move but I'm feeling stuck.

Should I look into buying a MFR using an FHA loan? I don't have enough for 20% down or to refi my VA loan into a conventional to be able to reinstate my full VA loan. I think it would be fairly easy to rent out the master bedroom if I were to move out and I would cash flow on the property. We have a lot of military and college graduates who work for the DOD that don't make a lot and are always looking for a room.

Just got informed by my roommate that a portion of my backyard fence has fallen down. I'm guessing it's due to a combination of age and the Santa Ana winds. How do I go about getting this repaired/replaced? It couldn't have come at a worst time as I'm across the country dealing with a serious family emergency.

Do we split the costs of repairs? What if the rest of the fence is in pretty bad shape and I recommend it be replaced with a new fence? Am I responsible for it? Can this be an insurance claim?

My neighbor is an elderly lady who lives alone. Her husband built the house in the 1960's. She has family (I assume it's family) visit her occasionally. Should I get a hold of them to work it out? I'm also pretty okay with footing most of the bill if it makes the resolution smoother. After all, she is a neighbor and she's nice. 

Lastly, anyone have any recommendations for fence repair in Ventura county (Oxnard)?

Hey BPers,

Looking for some advice here on moving forward with a lease termination properly. I have a tenant that moved into one of my rooms on Sep 1 on a M2M lease. Attached to the lease is also a property rules document that covers things liek cleanliness, peace and quiet, etc. 

Since he's moved in, another tenant complained to me that he was eating his food without asking, yelling loudly when he's gaming during the day and night. I myself have had to talk to him too about the yelling and cleaning the kitchen up after himself. I also came home one day to an ethernet cable running on the ground from the living room through the dining area and hallway into his room. I asked him to remove it as it is unsightly and poses a tripping hazard. He removed it but then when I left for a few days and came back, he had put the cable back out.

I woudl like to terminate his lease due to these violations. I know I have to give at least 30 day notice but do I have to provide him with the reasons are have it documented?