All Forum Posts by: Matt A.

I want to buy some residential investment properties in Atlanta, GA (probably single-family homes and/or 2-4 unit multifamily buildings).

For various privacy reasons, I'd highly prefer my personal name not to be on any public records showing I own the properties. Is this possible? For instance, if I buy them through an LLC, would my personal name not be on any public records showing I own the properties?

Furthermore, I would be buying the properties through mortgages. I’m not sure if buying them through mortgages (instead of through cash) would make it more difficult for public records to not show my personal name as the owner.

The two main privacy reasons I’d like to keep my personal name private are as follows:

1. I’m a relatively humble/modest person and therefore prefer friends, family, and the world in general not to be able to know exactly how much property I own.

2. I'd prefer my tenants don't know my personal name in case some sort of dispute comes up. I'd hate for them to be able to show up on my doorstep or write slanderous things about me on the internet if a dispute comes up. I figure it is fine if the tenants know the name of the management company I hire to manage the properties or the name of the LLC I own the properties through, but prefer them not knowing my personal name if possible.

Also, is the answer the same for virtually every state and city in the USA? Or does each city and state in the USA have a different policy regarding this?

I own a one single unit condo in Oakland, CA and am having trouble finding an attorney to hire to assist me with the following three things. The ones I reached out to only seem to work on large multi-unit buildings, not single unit condos. Any recommendations toward an attorney I can hire for a small single unit condo project like this?

1. Review contractor's contract (before I sign it) for the renovation I plan to have done on my condo. The review is mainly to verify the contractor can't charge me more than the amount I believe I agreed upon with them.

2. Verify that once the above renovation is done (and I've installed various appliances I have in mind), the condo will be up to code enough to be able to rent out to a tenant. If  the attorney can not verify this themself, I'd probably have them verify whichever property management company I hire is certified to verify this.

3. Verify I'm using the correct lease paperwork to rent out the unit. If the attorney can not verify this themself, I'd probably have them verify whichever property management company I hire is certified to verify this.

Thank you!

Hey Bruce, I guess "cheap" and "cost effective" were the wrong phrases for the type of general contractor I'm looking for. I should have used different wording.
What I'm looking for is one that deeply understands how to maximize renovation/remodeling "return on investment" and can build things in a way that make it hard for renters to inadvertently damage. These skills don't matter when working on units owners intend to live in indefinitely, but mean everything when working on investment units.

Any recomendations toward a general contractor (or how to find one) with these skills that can do work on a condo in zip Oakland, CA zip 94612?

Thanks John! Any tips on the best way to find a licensed general contractor I can hire to work on my investment condo in Oakland, CA (zip 94612)? Or even specific recs toward a general contractor? Feel free to PM me for more details on the work I need done if you need more specifics.
I've reached out to a couple general contractors on Yelp and got the sense they do quality work, but that their pricing is geared more toward owner occupied units rather than investment units. For instance, I got the sense that for each $1 of work they'd do the condo would rise less than $1 in value (even though the work is high quality). This would be fine if I intended to live in the unit indefinitely, but is not preferable since this is a condo I intend to rent out and eventually sell.

I plan to have some remodeling/rehab/renovation work done on a condo I bought in Oakland, California. 

I've heard differing opinions on what parts of this work I can legally have a handyman do vs what parts I'd need a licensed General Contractor (or other type of licensed contractor) to do. Does anyone have an official answer on this? Or is it a grey legal area?

I'm sure the official answer is different for every city, but my question is specific to Oakland, California.

Thanks Brian. Do you have a contractor recommendation that would be a good fit for my needs?

Any recommendations toward (or advice on how to find) a cost efficient general contractor to remodel/rehab/fix-up a 1 bedroom investment condo in Oakland, California (zip 94612)?

Since this condo is an investment, every $1 I invest into its remodel/rehab/fix-up must make it worth (way) more than a $1. I reached out to a handful of general contractors on Yelp and I did not get the sense they knew how to do work with this concept in mind; they seemed to specialize in remodels/rehabs/fix-ups where the owner will live in it indefinitely, in which case it would not really matter if each $1 spent made it worth over a $1 more.

The general contractor I'm looking for should also know cost efficient ways to make the condo look beautiful/luxurious, but hard for renters to damage. For instance, a marble countertop may look great, but it seems like marble is a somewhat delicate material a renter may easily damage without meaning to. I figure it is best to use a material for the countertop that looks like some sort of marble/natural-stone, yet is as damage proof as possible.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks Chris. Why don't locals get earthquake insurance here? Is it because buildings here are typically built to withstand earthquakes?

Do San Francisco real estate investors usually get earthquake insurance? If not, what is their strategy for preventing financial loss on their investment in the event of a big earthquake? For instance, instead of getting earthquake insurance, do they instead rely on the physical building/home being built in a way that it can withstand a big earthquake?

Do most Oakland, California real estate investors get earthquake insurance? If not, what is their strategy for preventing financial loss on their investment in the event of a big earthquake? For instance, instead of getting earthquake insurance, do they instead rely on the physical building/home being built in a way that it can withstand a big earthquake?