All Forum Posts by: Matt Vaughn

So I'm in the Washington D.C. area and have MLS access through my real estate agent's site, listingbook.com and frankly, I think it's lousy. I'm very aware that common consensus is that the MLS beats other websites, but I still much prefer doing my work on sites like Redfin or Trulia. Am I crazy here for not using my MLS site?

I understand that the MLS is going to have more accurate information (an obvious plus :) ), but this particular site doesn't have a lot of the features that I appreciate elsewhere (school ratings, easier map navigation, ability to set up multiple saved searches/alerts).

So here are my questions:

1. Am I crazy?

2. Are there different MLS tools out there that vary in quality?

3. What determines which tool you can use? If there is a great MLS tool out there, how can I get access to it?

Matt, essentially it's a dew point issue, and it can be an issue in most climates. Picture a Coke can. If the hot air outside hits your cold home inside at the roof line, your cold roof (cold because it's not insulated and your A/C is cooling it) can cause the air to drop in temperature. Colder air cannot hold as much moisture and can cause parts of your roof to sweat. Insulation at the rafters will keep the thermal barrier inside the house and allow the roof itself to be the same temperature as the outside, reducing the likelihood of this problem.

I hope this makes sense. Building science can get a little harry, but that's the simple answer. Ask a roofer about this, and he should be able to out specific to your area. Of course, I'm happy to answer more questions if you have them.

Hey, just to re-state, if the house is insulated at the ceiling and not directly under the roof, you'll experience significant heat loss/gain by taking out the ceiling. This could expand into a moisture issues as well by introducing a big temperature change at the roof line. I would budget in cost for insulating inside the rafters.

Hope that helps.

J Scott, specifically, I want to know if the Chesapeake Beach/Owings/Calvert Co. market is expressing similar growth compared to other D.C. suburb markets or if it's a slower growth area. Are you aware of anything that may make this market a good or bad location to invest? Also, if the rental market has any strength (is there demand for rentals in this area?).

While we like the area (from the perspective of homeowners), I want to make sure I'd have some reasonable ability to sell or rent the property within the next couple of years.

I'm a large commerical general contractor (Clark Construction), but I'm only recently educating myself on real estate investment. I'm trying to find a deal that I can lightly rehab and build some equity into. On the MLS, most of the deals I'm finding (in safe, good areas) will give me 5-15% equity after repairs - nothing really fantastic, but I've convinced myself that this may be the best I can expect. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions?

All, in my own personal house hunt I've been recently turned onto the Chesapeake Beach/Owings area about 50 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. It seems like a great area but I don't have a good feel for the strength or the trends in that housing market. Does anybody have any insights? How's the rental market? Is the area growing steadily, similar to most other D.C. Suburbs? Other options for me are the Annapolis area or Frederick Area.

Ned, that's excellent advice - so simple that I've overlooked it!

Thanks for the suggestion @Mehran Kamari. I'll let you know how things turn out.

I'm new to this investing thing myself, but from my experience as a construction manager, getting an accurate estimate on an extensive rehab can be tricky without a lot of experience. If I were you, I would rack my brain to see if there's anybody I knew that had some good construction experience to help me walk through the house.

Also, I hear BP has a good book on rehab costs.

Matt D is right on. That's exactly what the pro's use. I would add that you may want to pick unscented kitty litter. Alternatively, fine sawdust works almost as well.

Once you've done as he suggests, I'd mix Dawn with very hot water and scrub out the remaining stain that's absorbed into the concrete.

Hello all, my name's Matt Vaughn, and I'm brand new to Bigger Pockets. I'm 28, and my family of three currently lives in Alexandria. By profession, I'm a large commercial construction manager - building highly complex projects for the US Government. There's a lot I don't know about investing, but the rehab work is pretty familiar and comfortable.

I took a handful of real estate classes in college (Brigham Young University), and I've have since known that real estate would be my end game and retirement plan.

Mid-term, I'm interested in buy-and-holds, but Step 1 for us is our first home, for which I'm contemplating one of three strategies:

1. SFH, converting the basement into an accessory apartment. It appears that permitting for this may be a challenge in my area, and I haven't yet connected with an expert who has experience with this locally.
2. Duplex (bought or new construction) and living in one unit.
3. Fixer-upper.

Any other clever suggestions or feedback on these options?

I look forward to contributing to the community in every way I can and getting to know each of you. Hopefully I can be an asset in my area of expertise just as you guys are a great asset to me!