All Forum Posts by: Michael King

For the cost of an exterminator, you can get someone from the bee preservation organization to take them away. 

I had bees move into the eaves by the front door. Cost me $100 to get an exterminator to make multiple visits. It would have cost thousands to get the preservation people, as they would have damaged my house to get them out. Then the dang things moved back in a couple of months later.

Mark if it makes you feel any better, the house I'm in cost me $325K. The previous owner had painted over a ton of mold in the downstairs/walkout basement area. And naturally lied about it, and pretended to have not known about any mold. He is apparently one of the area's 'elite' custom home builders (choke on my own vomit). I have repairs in the sheetrock around the showers which were made with huge globs of silicone and painted over. Many other things, but probably the worst of all was when he poured the basement walls, there was a large air pocket about the size of a football at the floor level. You can see all the way through to the dirt on the other side. He built a wall over the top of it and every time it rains, water leaks in. Over time, the entire base plate had rotted to nothing and mold was rampant.

It's been a voyage of discovery at my house. My agent said I've got a pretty good case against the former owner...but I'm just focussing my attention on fixing it at my expense. I had to replace 5 external doors to the tune of $6K, and next project is digging a rubble drain in the basement to the tune of $3K. After that, who knows?

It's tough. Every house I've ever bought, the owner has lied through their teeth with obvious things. A sellers disclosure is not worth the paper it's printed on, with the exception it may have the gas company's phone number on it.  

And then, when I've been honest and open about stuff during selling, people have threatened to sue me. Even a lawyer who was buying my house wanted to sue. He must've been a big shot, called himself esquire. But a carefully worded letter back to him and never heard from that bully again.

I don't think you've got much hope of litigation, since you did tour the house before buying. 

Yeah I feel your pain and I've been there. I'd save yourself the money going after her, chalk it up to a learning experience and put the money saved into getting it back to where you want the house at. Get rid of any carpet still there. Remove baseboards. And without knowing the type of flooring, I'd start pulling that up. I can't imagine that the AC ducts are contaminated, but possible if they're floor mounted. Refocus your energy into getting it fixed. 

All this is easy to say from a keyboard, right? Good luck. Keep posting if you need help.

I would just do it to provide peace and happiness for the tenant. Unless you don't like them. Small price to pay I think. 

It's a good house. For now. They may trash the joint as they're leaving. They sound cuckoo. If they'd paid, they could have stayed.

Edit. Obviously not a helpful comment from me, sorry. I'll try again...I think you'll be fine buying, but I do understand it can be challenging to get someone out in that circumstance.

As seems to happen every time I sell a house, the buyer gets pissed for some reason or other then starts making noises about getting a lawyer. There was one that wondered why, if the bath tub overflowed on the second story, that water would pour through the floor and ceiling of the kitchen directly below. I had to explain what happens when water gets on the floor and where it goes from there. 

A house I bought in 2016, the seller's disclosure said they had no pets. Apparently the 3 large dogs and 1 cat are not considered pets to some. They urinated everywhere. Cost me $4000 to replace the carpet. Then another couple of grand tearing up tiles, baseboards, etc and replacing the same. 

You'll find the baseboards will retain the smell because when they pee against the wall, it trickles down behind the baseboard and gets soaked into the unpainted wood. 

Your agent is not responsible. If anything, revisit the sellers disclosure or try expressing your outrage toward the seller. 

For the experts here, is there a time limit after buying that you have to wait before transferring a property to an LLC? My banker suggested there was a 1 year time limit.

Scott where was this and you say he got taxed, so he stuck with it in his name. So did he actually get a tax bill? And if so, then that would only have occurred after transferring to the LLC, and not before, right? Surely the jurisdiction (are you talking a city, county, state?) didn't send him a tax bill before he transferred title. I'm confused as all get out, can you clarify your post for me please? I'm about to transfer 5 properties and don't need an $85,000 tax bill.

If AOC has her way, illegals will be able to claim ownership to your property.

That's right @Freeman Schultz. Find an accountant up there to get an understanding of what deductions you can claim. Mortgage interest is probably the largest, I think behind depreciation.