All Forum Posts by: Matthew Paul

I have a parcel across the street thats 1 acre. There is no tax id number , its not on the record books . It is on the plat , I have a name from about 40 years ago . is there a way to get this property , I havent found a deed as of yet . There is no house . any suggestions?

As a Contractor

We always get 1/3 down at contract signing no exceptions

We get the second third after the first day on the job . As allowed by Md. law

We get our final 1/3 when completed .

All changes are in writing .......period.

We do not finance our customers jobs , we get a signed certificate of completion , we give all lien releases to the customer . If payment is delayed we file liens the next day . Our contract is 5 pages long and covers just about everything but not all ., and yes it favors us. .Being a contractor is like being a landlord , the longer you wait the harder it is to collect .

As a contractor , I dont care about the customers draws , if he is or isnt making money on the project .

Over budget , blame the guy who did the budget , not the contractor doing the work.

Customer supplied materials ...........We do not give any warranty

All we do on price then is subtract OUR cost on materials for the price , not what the customer paid for materials . There is a BIG difference.

Contractor supplies materials ......... Full warranty materials and labor

Now we rarely do work for flippers or low end rentals because we are not cheap ,we have looked at jobs for rehabs and have found that most ,but not all ,want top quality work at bargain basement prices , done quickly , and want to pay in 90 days . Most of our work is on medium to high end residential $350,000 and up.

Once you find a good contractor , pay him good , pay him fast , when YOU call he will fit you in .

Someone replied to a craigslist ad and asked " Do you rent to dogs? "

I had to reply , my answer " I dont care how ugly you are "

I am a contractor , all damage caused by the tenant is time and materials paid by the tenant . The tenant is forbidden in the lease from doing any repairs . I had a tenant once added some ceiling fans and tried to give me a bill for his labor and a hefty mark up on the fans . He was month to month , The bill was like $ 250 , so I told him " I am thinking of raising the rent $ 200. a month " He decided he didnt want to be paid for the fans , funny thing he is still there today 16 years later great tenant .

Does the second contract holder even know that there is a another contract?

Imagine their reaction after they spent time and money and they find out it was sold out from under THEM . I see legal trouble ahead .

I would do the landscape maintenance part only , add the cost to the rent . Have the landscaper do a monthly report on the outside condition of the house , this is helpful especially if you are not local .

2 ft off the property line trench 2 ft down and pour concrete , on the other side near the property line plant spreading BAMBOO , great fence , the concrete keeps it from invading your property . I have seen the results , not pretty

I just threaten them verbally , nothing in writing , I am not worried about them sending me a 1099 , 99% of the time I have to explain to them that If I do this the tax man sends their refund to me and they have to refile and pay more taxes . Since I am dealing with not the brightest light bulb it gets me paid .

Contact the guy , offer him $100 for the car , tell him to bring the title . Mention the scrap man is coming at the end of the week . Tell him you dont care about the car its a POS and its off your property 1 way or another .

I started a bit late also , I am 52 , my youngest is 5 and oldest is 8 years old ...as far as investing just had 2 great deals fall in my lap in 10 months , A duplex , aand a 4acre farm . I just kept every house I bought as I moved up to bigger and better . I will be busy rehabing to rent all winter