All Forum Posts by: Matt R.

This is more of a personal preference, but I wouldn't paint the cabinets.  I just don't like the way painted cabinets look, especially if I can tell that they were originally stained wood.  (I know that if the cabinets are stained wood and are really beat, it's simpler to paint them than to sand them down and re-stain, so that's why it happens... I don't like how it looks, though.)

If you do decide to paint the cabinets, make sure you scrub them down pretty well before you paint, paying special attention to the areas around the knobs/handles/pulls.  They will have a little grease on them all over from cooking in general, and lots of grease/oil/stuff around the knobs, because people open cabinet doors while they're in the middle of cooking.

I am also not sure about painting the countertops.  I've heard of it, but I've never done it, so I don't know how long it lasts.

The only major thing I would change about that kitchen is the green countertops.  If I knew it was going to be a rental, I'd probably put in some new laminate countertops in a more up-to-date color, unless B rentals in your neighborhood demand granite.  Or, if you don't mind a construction project in the middle of your life, live with those green countertops while you scout a deal on granite, when you aren't constrained by having to have it rented out in 3 weeks.  If you get a deal, buy and install it while you live there, and then use it as a selling point when you rent it.

There is a principle: "Never attribute to malice that which can be attributed to stupidity".

Having said that... I wonder how often this lender shows that fee schedule to a client and the client just says "okay" and writes a check.  If that happens often enough, they can afford to discount the fees a little if somebody balks, and still make money.

Good luck!

I can't really speak to the "big" stuff, but here's my take on some of the "little" fees.  I am not a real estate agent or title person or anything like that... I've just bought houses in Jackson County before.

1) Cozy will pull the credit report of a prospective tenant for me for $25, so $69 for a credit report seems kind of high.  Okay, $47 isn't much when you're staring down the barrel of $80,000+... but every little bit helps.

2) Why are there two recording fees?  Maybe one for paying off the existing mortgage and then one for starting up the new one... but $164 still seems high.  FWIW, the cost to record a two-page warranty deed with Jackson County, MO was $24, two years ago.  The cost to record a one-page document for a different property was $21 in 2012, so I have a sneaking suspicion that it's $21 for the first page and $3 for each extra page.  (164-21)/3 is 47, which is a loooong document.

3) If it's not a condo, maybe don't pay anything that says "condo" next to it.  : )

I hope this helps!

Option 1 is the best.  Go get a nice Wooster or Purdy brush, which costs more, but you can clean it and use it for longer than a cheap brush.  My "nice" brush is a Wooster; the painters I have hired in the past seem to prefer Purdy.

If possible, plan your job a little so that you're not shaky.  Like, don't unload the pickup truck full of drywall for the bedroom before you try to paint.  Sometimes it helps to apply a solution of approximately 5 to 40% ethanol to the painter before working, but not all painters are compatible with this treatment.  :)

Option 2 takes a while but also works.  I really like the blue 3M masking tape, and the green Frog Tape (or similar from other manufacturers) works pretty well.  If you go along the edge of the tape that is going to be next to the wet paint and press it down to the surface really well - use your finger, a chip of wood, a popsicle stick, etc - you will find that a lot less paint sneaks under the tape.  Remove the tape while the last coat is still kind of wet - not 5 or 10 minutes after you paint it, but maybe 60 minutes after you paint it.

The only version of Option 3 I have used is the metal straightedge.  It works, but it will build up wet paint on the side facing you, and if you aren't careful, you will smear paint all over when you reposition the tool.  You must have a rag or some paper towels with you, and wipe the straightedge off every time you lift it away from the wall.  If you use a rag, get another one once the first one gets too much paint on it.  If wiping it off with a dry rag stops working, you need to use a wet rag to get the paint off, and then finish up with a dry rag.  Keep the rags or paper towels right there next to you as you work, so you don't have to walk around to find them.

Another thing that can happen with a really old door is that the hinge pins can get worn.  If the hinges on your door are from before WWII, that qualifies as "really old" to me.  If the hinge pins are worn, the door can move a little bit left and right in the frame - imagine that the door is closed and you are pushing sideways on the door knob, pushing the knob towards the frame, as if it were a sliding door - that's the direction it would move in.

To check the pins, you can either use a screwdriver to pry the hinge pin up a little and then pliers to remove it the rest of the way, or use a hammer and a nail to knock the hinge pin out of the hinge.  Wipe the hinge pin off with a rag or paper towel and look at it.  It may have marks on it where the two halves of the hinge swing, but it shouldn't have notches or grooves.

If the pin does have notches or grooves, you can try replacing the pin, if you can find a modern one of the same diameter.  The trouble is that you probably need to take the old hinge pin with you to the hardware store so you can match it up, so the tenant doesn't have a door while you are shopping.  You may have to buy an entire new hinge and just use the pin out of it.

You can also try replacing the old hinge.  You might be able to find a new hinge that will fit the same recesses in the door and the same screw holes, but again, it helps a lot if you take the old hinge to the store when you shop.  It might also help to shop at a place like a Habitat ReStore - they often have hardware that came out of older houses, so it's a little more likely to find a match there.  You may be able to find an old hinge that is the same shape and size as yours, but in better condition.  If you have a choice, shop at the ReStore that's closest to a neighborhood with houses the same age as yours - the ReStore tends to have items that came out of houses in the neighborhood around it.

I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned.

I hope this helps!

You might be able to get away with removing that left section of railing (in front of the windows), but I don't think you can get rid of the right section (in front of the door), due to the height of the drop from the front porch to the front yard.  Either look in the local building code or ask your insurance agent about how much distance there can be before you need a railing.

I think this might be a good place for painting either the front door or the railings a bright, contrasting color... some version of blue, green, or red.  Not super-saturated, but something on the brighter end of the scale... teal/cyan, kelly green, ruby.  Not sure if it works better to leave the front door white or light-colored and paint the railings a bright color, or to do the front door *and* the railings in the same contrasting color.

Another idea: Do all the shutters in something like the color of a manila folder - similar to the color that's on the siding around the front door and window now.  Do that siding in a darker color.  Leave the door and railings white, or maybe a less-intense version of blue or green - like sky blue or mint green.

Disclaimer: I've bought one house that already had some work done on the foundation, and looked at a few more that needed it.  I don't work in the foundation stabilizing / basement waterproofing / piering industry.

"Stabilizing" can mean different things.  Sometimes it means installing vertical steel beams (I-beams) on the inside of the foundation walls, to help keep them from bowing in towards the basement.  Sometimes it means installing piers *underneath* the foundation, which are usually long enough to go through unstable soil and either hit rock or more solid soil.  Sometimes it means drilling holes in the basement walls and installing anchors that go out horizontally from the walls (essentially, you're driving a giant screw through the basement wall into the earth).

If it has a basement and you are getting water in there, you may also have to add a sump pump to any of the above items.

It depends on the size of the house and how bad it is and lots of other factors, but I would figure that it would be hard to get out of this for less than a few thousand dollars.  If that's enough to kill the deal, then look at a different property.

If not, and if you have the ability to do inspections, call the big foundation company that advertises a lot on TV in your market (and is probably a national franchise).  Have them come out, look at the house, and write you up a quote.  If the deal is so good that you can still make money after paying them, just hire them.  If not, look around for a smaller, local contractor... you can *probably* get it done for less than the quote from the big company.  You won't get it done for 50% off of that first quote, but 10-20% off isn't hard, and a little more might be possible.

I hope this helps!

I've always hired it done, or watched someone else do it.  Observations from those times...

@JD Martin has some good advice, especially about using a jack/elevator/lift. Remember, each package of shingles weighs something like 70 to 90 pounds.  You may be able to rent a ladder that comes with a lift sled on it - you put some shingles on the sled, stand on the ground, and pull a rope.

When I had the roof on my residence done, the shingles showed up the day before the roofers came.  A flatbed truck from the roofing supply company, with two guys and an articulated conveyor belt, appeared in my driveway.  One guy rode the conveyor belt to the roof (OSHA? Never heard of 'em) and then stood on the roof.  The other guy stood on the flatbed and loaded bundles of shingles on the belt, which the guy on the roof took off and stacked.  They moved the belt a couple of times to distribute the shingles around the roof.  When they were done, the roof guy rode the conveyor back down, I signed the delivery sheet, and that was that.    

If you're doing the tearoff yourself, you'll need to rent a dumpster.  Usually you get an open-topped dumpster and put it in the driveway or maybe along the street.  Ask the dumpster company what size you need, based on either the square feet or roofing squares - they will be familiar with this.  Before you call, you might need to get on a ladder and (gently) check a corner or an edge - sometimes a new roof gets installed over an existing roof, so you might have two layers of shingles.  Ask the dumpster company how much weight comes "for free" with the dumpster, and what the cost per ton is for going over that weight.  If you're having the roofers come in after you do the tearoff, make sure the dumpster is there for them as well... they'll have cut pieces of new shingles and similar stuff to get rid of.

I have also seen a couple of dumpster companies that offer a lower rate if all you're putting in it is shingles, no general trash - I suspect they are hauling it to either a recycling plant or a construction and demolition landfill, which is cheaper for them than a general-purpose landfill.  If you get a deal like this, and you hire roofers, you may need to check the dumpster before you call to get it hauled off to make sure it's only got shingles in it.  On the other hand, if you also have some interior demo to do, it may be cheaper to pay the higher "garbage is OK" price for the dumpster and just rent it once.

I would plan on new flashing around the plumbing vents.  Bright aluminum is always available, but if you look around a little, you can probably also get dark brown or black, if that matches your shingles better.  For the plumbing you can usually get a one-piece boot that slides down over the top of the pipe.  If the electric service comes through the roof, you can get a split boot that can be installed around the conduit, so you don't have to have the wires disconnected.

If there are vents on the roof, you might think about replacing them as well.  Again, you can always get silver, and sometimes you can get darker ones to match the shingles.

I've had a roofer offer to paint the exposed part of the vent pipes to match the new shingles.  If the pipes are metal, this works.  If they're plastic, it'll work for a while, but PVC and ABS are hard to get paint to stick to on a long-term basis.

If there's a satellite dish on the roof, you may have to disconnect it temporarily while roofing.  If the house is occupied, make sure the tenants know that their TV will be out for a little while.

If you hire roofers, they should make some effort to sweep up the driveway and maybe rake the yard when they finish.  However, if you go around after they're done, you will always find more nails and bits of shingles and stuff.  Try to look when that part of the yard is in the sun.  Put an old hard drive magnet on the end of a 1x2 and swing it through the yard, or get one of those fancy magnetic rollers from the hardware store.  The tire or lawnmower blade you save may be your own!

Try not to fall off.  :D  If you're going to be working alone, and if the tenants are home or there are neighbors at home nearby, hollering for help if you fall off is a time-honored plan.  If you're all alone, you might arrange for somebody to call you every hour or two, to make sure you're not lying in a heap in the yard.    

I hope this helps!

Like I said, I gave the 10 second version.  :)  The veneer should come with a sheet of directions (or you can download one) that explains what to do in more detail.  Everybody reads the directions first, right?

Welcome to buying a house.  :)  Since you're trying to spend $50,000 to $250,000 or more in one shot, all kinds of people you've never heard of before will pop up and want $100 for this and $200 for that.  These people have figured out how to get their fees to hold up a big purchase, so a lot of buyers will just go ahead and pay them to make them go away.

I personally figure that if I end up spending less than $1,000 on random no-value-added fees when I'm trying to buy a house, I'm doing pretty good.