All Forum Posts by: Luke MacDougall

Hey everyone - I am looking at a property in Syracuse, NY.  It is a corner lot.  There is a city sidewalk along the perimeter of the yard that is adjacent to the street.  There is also a concrete sidewalk from the front door of the house to the city sidewalk.  Both areas have sections of sidewalk that have lifted and produce trip hazards (pretty minor in my opinion).  I have a few questions.

1. Does the City of Syracuse inspect sidewalks and can you be cited for this if you do not repair?  Do you know how often this inspection occurs?  Will they inspect both the city sidewalk and the sidewalk on the property that leads from the front door to the city sidewalk section?

2. For the section that is city sidewalk, if I buy the property am I on the hook for any future repairs to the concrete?  I'm aware I will be responsible for snow removal, etc. but curious about actual sidewalk repairs.

If it comes down to it, the fix should not be too bad to grind the concrete down that is high, I would not expect to immediately replace it.  Thanks!

Welcome to BP @Todd Konifka !  I am also an investor looking to get started in the Syracuse area.  I'm hoping to put an offer on a multi family in the next couple weeks.  Best of luck and thanks for your service!

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to purchase my first property and have run into an issue with the financing.  Some of the copper plumbing for the 2nd floor bathroom was removed from the property.  Based on what the agent is telling me, the repairs should run around $2,000-2,500 which I am not too concerned about.  I have been approved for a mortgage but the issue is that the lender will not finance the property in its current condition with the missing plumbing.  The seller also does not appear ready to pay for the repairs.

Is there a creative way where I can get the property under contact so that I can make the repairs so that I can still use conventional financing?  I appreciate any feedback!

@Brandon Turner @Claudette K. @Mike D'Arrigo Thanks for the welcome! Looking forward to getting involved on the forum.

@Brandon Turner Thanks for the welcome. I've read the Beginner's Guide and look forward to getting into the other resources!

@Darren Sager @John Moore @Gary Dubovick Thanks for the welcome and the input!

Hi everyone! My name is Luke MacDougall and I'm a young professional living in New York City. I don't have prior real estate experience, but have worked for a general contractor for the last year and 8 months and love everything about architecture, design, construction and real estate. I came across the Bigger Pockets website recently when doing some research on real estate and can already tell this site is a tremendous resource and has many experienced investors willing to offer advice to the newbies like myself. I'm a person who loves learning as much as possible so I look forward to being a part of the community, learning from the other members and hopefully being able to offer some useful advice as well. My short term goal in real estate is to purchase a property to rehab and sell and see where the road takes me from there. Cheers!