All Forum Posts by: Kristie Giles

I paid around $2.50 per square ft back in 2018. That was the lowest of 3 quotes. The highest quote was around $4.50 per square foot. But the unit had no ducting, which made it cheaper, and I'm sure prices have gone up since then. I think the guys I used may have done a bit more damage than the more expensive people would have. They used a pressure washer on a low setting instead of a paint sprayer. There was tons of paint bubbling everywhere afterwards that took forever to fix. 

I'd say it's sixes then, doesn't matter too much either way unless you really need the $10k. You might spend an extra $3k or something on interest the first year if rates stay high with bank 2. You might want to consider other factors like closing costs, early payoff penalties, and the max your rate can adjust to. For example, I have a HELOC that can adjust to 20% and an ARM that can adjust to a max of 10%. The 10% cap is nice because it's helpful when running numbers to make sure it still works in a worst case scenario.

You didn't mention the HELOC rates (usually a percentage over prime), but assuming they are the same, I'd probably stick with bank 1. It is convenient to have all your loans with a bank you like and have a good relationship with, and I wouldn't want to exchange the 5.5% rate on the $48k for a higher variable rate HELOC just to get an extra $10k cash.

Absolutely not

Top floor 2br ski in/ski out condo at my local ski resort that I could live in during the winter and STR to people visiting for weddings in the summer. I could buy one if I really wanted, but the high property taxes and $700/month HOA would make it really hard to not lose money. So I will continue dealing with traffic and parking like everyone else unless I somehow become a decamillionaire or we get a 50% RE crash.

I paint everything the same off white, but different sheens (low sheen or eggshell on walls, semigloss on trim, satin on cabinets and doors). We used a sprayer on a property with heavily textured walls and ceilings, and we just sprayed the walls and ceiling all the same white (low sheen) and then brush painted the trim with semigloss. My primary residence is also 90% the same shade of white but different sheens. 

I own two properties built in 1900 and one built in 1940, and none of them are level. Expect a room to be at least an inch or so out of level in a house that old, but if it's like 4" out, run away. You can stabilize a foundation that has settled with expensive piering and jack up individual floor joists, but you will never get it perfectly level. That is the biggest problem, IMO. You can fix the electrical and plumbing and replace the plaster with drywall if you need to, etc., etc., but it may not be worth dumping a lot of money into remodeling a house with foundation issues if it's still going to be noticeably tilted when everything is done. 

It's more like .5% now. Not a great market to invest in if your strategy is based on positive cash flow.

I, personally, am obsessed with old house details and hate all the flips where people tear out original 1920s bathrooms and replace them with particle board vanities, builder grade fixtures, and cheap Home Depot tile. As a buyer, I'd almost always prefer the "touch up" or "just replace the plumbing with pex" treatment, especially if it's a pre-war home.

My renters (single guys) care way more about things like the height of the shower head and how loud the ceiling fan is than what anything looks like.

I've always done own taxes and just claimed the standard deduction, but now that I have rental property I'm dumping a lot of money into, I'd like to outsource that to a professional. Can anyone recommend someone who has experience with real estate investors?