All Forum Posts by: Leonard Sanford Jr

@Mike McCarthy Sound advice, thank you very much sir. Minus the bathroom, everything else is pretty new. My offer does include seller concessions for new refrigerator and washer/dryer hookups, so hopefully they are receptive to that. After reading some of the other replies, it seems that this actually could be a "good problem", as it is an opportunity to add some value to the property! Would you recommend that this is a job that should be done while I am away? 

@Mike McCarthy Sound advice, thank you very much sir. Minus the bathroom, everything else is pretty new. My offer does include seller concessions for new refrigerator and washer/dryer hookups, so hopefully they are receptive to that. After reading some of the other replies, it seems that this actually could be a "good problem", as it is an opportunity to add some value to the property! Would you recommend that this is a job that should be done while I am away? 

@Jim K. Thank you sir for the feedback! That is great perspective for sure. I'll definitely be sure to keep that in mind. I see that you are a handyman, have you had any experience with bathroom reno? If so, how long does this process take? It is a smaller bathroom, definitely not a master sized one. 

@Jonathan Greene Great advice, thank you very much sir. Given that there's nothing wrong with the bathoom, minus how it "looks" I think that I will be following this. Have you had any personal experience with bathroom reno? 

@Alan Feldman thank you for the sound advice sir! The bathroom is definitely functional and will serve its purpose over the course of the next year or so for sure. 

Hello All!

Brand new REI here and I am looking to acquire my first house hack. Everything about the property fits my criteria, and I am optimistic that my offer will be accepted!

During an initial showing, I noticed that the bathroom in the unit I’d be occupying is pretty outdated, has a 1970’s vibe according to my dad :) That being said, I am wondering if anyone has any tips for success with performing renovations on your existing living space in a house hack? Would it be best to pay for these renovations out of my own pocket? Or seek a renovation loan or personal loan from a lender? Thank you all in advance for taking time to read this post!

@Ashley Mitchell Hi Ashley! Based on the discussions I've had with my dad, agent and countless others in the BP community, Credit Unions typically offer better terms and rates on mortgages. Since I opened my first checking/savings accounts a few years ago, I have always been with a CU thanks to proper parental guidance. 

 I'm so sorry that you're experiencing some difficulty with your bank and getting your pre approval letter back. Once I submitted the application, I worked with the Loan Officer (LO) and my agent and I both had a copy of the letter in less than a day. I'm not very familiar with North Carolina as a whole, but if there are reputable credit unions in your area I would say they're certainly worth a shot. Also, you don't necessarily have to be a member of the CU in order to apply for a mortgage/loan with them. I hope this helps! If you need any other support please don't hesitate to reach out :) 

@John Boyd

Thank you for starting this thread. Best of luck through you on your walk through! I just got my pre approval letter from my credit union, and am getting ready to make an offer on a duplex that I'm looking to House Hack this weekend. Would be very interested in connecting and helping each other on this journey. 

Sounds great Stephen!