All Forum Posts by: Lisa Thoele

@John Acheson I love all of these ideas and have kicked them all around. Yes and yes. I need to pick a strategy and start down the road.

@Marti Dowdy

So here is my experience- other people could have different opinions. If you are hiring one general contractor and they are hiring subcontractors and running the project, it is common for them to pull permits and take care of all the inspections. This should be all set out in the contract. If you are coordinating subcontractors and running the project or are doing a multi phase project with different contractors you, as the hone owner, would most likely be responsible. I run my own flips and pull my own permits but for instance my electrician always takes care of the electrical permits . You know the saying - if you want it done right you have to to do it yourself. Ultimately even if someone else pulls it I am always checking. Best of luck with this - I don't know about the city of Portland but a while ago a client had a similar situation in Washington County and they worked with her to get it solved.

@John Acheson I love this idea soooo much. I live in Newberg so not far from you. A few years ago I tried to find some land to put a tiny house park on. My plan was to start small but keep the costs low - just charge enough to self fund the project and ongoing maintenance and repairs. I really came to the conclusion in Oregon that I needed to buy a mobile home park or RV park. In our area those are in the millions so I stalled out. I am probably not well enough connected to pull it off but it's still rolling around in the back of my mind.

@Jeff Taylor you should definitely check out Rarebird - myrarebird.com - I think it's a great group of really active investors!

@Kim Lochridge I live between Newberg and Carlton. I think you could sell an Airbnb making that kind of income in the wine country for that price range easily. That might not help your decision? $50,000 is far above what you would get from a month-to-month rental unless your house is on acreage or very large. Sounds like you have built a really good business around it. You might market it for sale to PDX investors as I know a few have mentioned wanting a property in wine country. Let me know we if you keep it and you need any management help. Good luck!

@Jessica S. We pay a desk fee up front once a year so we can do what we want with our commissions - I try to always take it as a credit because if the tax consequences mentioned above - unless I need the cash. As mentioned you need to check with your brokerage.

@Cori Leste is it Tanglewood in L.O.? Those condos have struggled to fix their problems for years! Multiple special assessments. I have never invested in condos but when I was working with buyers I sold a fair amount. Some things to keep in mind. There are often restrictions on how many rentals are allowed. If there aren't then its probably not FHA approved and may be more difficult to resell. You absolutely have to get involved with the board on some level as their decisions good or bad are going to have a huge impact on your investment. Always be on the look out for special assessments or impending special assessments.

@Tasia Turner. Finish work is where a lot of general contractors fail. If you are working with people who treat you poorly because you are a woman, don't hire them again. I think as women we sometimes are more concerned with being "nice" than getting what we want. When I feel myself stopping speaking up for want I want - which can be done in a professional way - I know if things don't turn out that's on me. Push thru whatever emotion is stopping you from having the difficult conversation and start asking questions about what he thinks of the quality of work. That should open up a conversation where he hopefully won't get defensive. If he does I would definitely not work with him again. Good luck and keep going!

@Carl Ohai they are all pretty equal. You just need to put the time in, pass the test. The real education starts when you are licensed so find a place you feel good about to hang your license.

@Ethan Patterson I believe a few years ago the City of Portland ruled to allow RVs or tiny homes to be parked and used on single family zoned lots because of the housing crisis. Of course do your own research. So I am pretty sure your idea would fly with the city.