All Forum Posts by: Manch Hon

@Account Closed And I am pretty suspicious what will be covered in earthquake insurance and what it won't. Earthquake damages are so rare I don't have a lot of data points on the strength of its coverage.

No, I don't buy earthquake insurance. 

@Amit M. When I asked my prefab guy last year about the permitting process, he just said Woodside is particularly difficult. I specifically asked him about the peninsula and Marin, he said process is manageable and it's a known beast. Woodside is a complete disaster. 

There was a story of how the great Steve Jobs spent 10 or 20 years trying to knock down his derelict Woodside property and only got permits to do so shortly before he died. 

@J. Martin Does the 250/ft cost include all the soft costs as well? And what grade will the building be? I talked to some prefab people and that's the number I got. I thought stick-built projects would be more costly?

Is the 0% down ARM not available for the SFR option? If so you can afford a bigger house and/or nicer area. Are the duplexes under rent control?

Which bank does your financing? I'd love to talk to them. :)

That someone is me. :) I was surprised by my find too.

Regarding new builds, I know people doing them in Sunnyvale. Another play is picking up something zoned higher than R1 and build condos. Per unit building cost is lower and you maximize the land value. You need to have 1M+ capital to deploy though. Definitely on my "When I grow up I want to do" list.

Yeah, anything on the hilly side of El Camino is kosher. Up in Burlingame even the wrong side is asking 1M for a not-so-large house. 

I was looking for warehouse space on CL and saw some listings of "industrial condos". They have maybe around 2k feet of warehouse space at the back with a small office up front. Saw some selling for 500K on the peninsula. This piques my interests. Anyone look into the appreciation and cash flow potentials of these? 

If you are buying for your own use I think you can finance 90% of purchase price with a SBA loan. Very high leverage play. 

@Account Closed It's on the good side of El Camino. 

Trading up makes sense if timing is right. Lower class buildings are much more volatile. They go down more but also go up more, percentage wise. Potentially someone could ride the rapid appreciation climb, capture the bulk of the price gain and then trade up. Makes sense?

Yes, 2M cash is hard to beat. :) You will get there Minh.

@Account Closed Where in RWC? Fair Oaks?