All Forum Posts by: Milad Razavi

Hello! I am doing a renovation project in Los Angeles, where the current HVAC system needs to be completely overhauled. Half of the contractors that come in say we have to go Heat Pump, often mentioning policy as well as repairing traditional HVAC systems becoming a pain claiming everyone is going Heat Pump, and the other half are saying we don't need to go heat pump and a traditional system (Goodman, Ruud, etc.) would do the job better.

It's been confusing to say the least, and before making this big investment, was wondering if the community had any insight on which path to commit to?

Hi BP community! 

I have a plot of land that I am looking to do my first build (to sell). I just read through J's Diary of a New Construction Project, and am currently trying to figure out whether to begin the process with a Design-Build firm or to work with separate firms for whole process (architect & separate contractors for different respective jobs). 

From an initial standpoint, it seems to me that one of the benefits of the Design-Build firm would be a reduction in project management logistics & coordination, which would hopefully also lead to somewhat of a reduction in the unexpected costs that seem to occur due to miscommunication while coordinating various separate contractors. However I could also see Design-Build firms costing more due to their convenience, and because you'd miss out on the opportunity of getting multiple bids for every step of the journey. Maybe the antidote to that is to get multiple Design-Build firms to bid against each other at the onset? Perhaps all my assumptions here are incorrect from the get go, is there anything I'm missing? And how would you recommend proceeding? 

I have a property that I am fixing up in Los Angeles, does anyone have recommendations on best practices for finding local contractors (from plumbing to floors to kitchen to landscaping)? Maybe some sort of an online marketplace or platform that compares rating, pricing, etc. 

Thank you!

I am brand new to the real estate rental space in Los Angeles! I have an older property that hasn't been lived in for several years, and needs some work done before it is ready to be rented. There seem to be all sorts of dimensions to a property, from the kitchen, to plumbing, to landscaping, and I want to try my best to ensure that I'm focusing on doing what is needed to prepare the property for rental. Are there any sort of established consultants or parties that could come check out the property with me and provide guidance on what kind of work needs to be done before being at a respectable standard for rental purposes? i.e. the kitchen needs to be updated, the plumbing needs to be checked, the front yard is okay, etc. 

Thank you so much!