All Forum Posts by: Michael Woodward

This is my favorite color scheme....  Beige walls, white trim, burgundy accents.  I use it all the time.

@Michael Owens , Just a word of caution..... doing your first project out of state can be incredibly risky.  Investors with many years of experience that are doing deals in their local market still have to be very careful to do everything just right or the deal will turn into a loss.  Hopefully you've spent LOTS of time educating yourself before you pulled the trigger. The initial launch is the hardest and most risky part of the journey.  Get it right and you'll have a chance to succeed (no guarantees).  Get it wrong and it can haunt you financially for years.  Good luck!

@Mike Landry  I don't know about what it would cost but I would start by calling some local concrete contractors.  I'm sure most of them either do this kind of service or know someone that does.

@Jamie Wooley  I agree that nowcashforhomes.com is probably the better choice for web address for all the reasons already mentioned.  Keep in mind that you can keep your company name (W Streets) but use the website to get people there.  I've seen many companies do that.  Just a thought.

@Tony Gunter  You probably don't need to worry about replacing the sub-floor that's under the walls.  The only reason I could see doing that is if there were some kind of toxic chemical in the wood but if it was just a normal flood with non-toxic water, you don't need to worry about that.  The weight of the house is sitting on that section of the sub-floor so the only way to get to it would be to somehow lift the entire house.  That's really not possible because there's no other place you can jack the house. You should be fine to just replace the sections between the walls.  

If it was just a short duration flood you might not have to replace any of it.  You might be ok with just circulating warm, dry air for a week or two and see how it looks and feels.  If the plywood de-laminates, then you'll know it needs to be replaced but if it looks and feels sturdy... maybe drying is all it needs.

@John Warren Yes.... I would make an appropriate reduction right away. That will get you closer to the right price point and it will trigger your listing to hit you local MLS "hot sheet" (assuming you have it listed with an agent) and it will also refresh on Zillow and the other online sites. I've sold houses within a few days of both Thanksgiving and Christmas so I wouldn't wait until after the holidays to get your price in line.

Respectfully, I don't agree with Jd's position.  People set maximum purchase amounts on their searches (and can be pre-qualified for any amount) so if you drop your price to a point that falls within their criteria, they will likely take a look at your house. The bottom line is that exposure to agents and the general public is what sells houses. No one will look at every house in their price range so a good strategy is to keep getting your house in front of the public as much as possible. If your house is one of the five that they look at, you've got a decent shot at getting it sold (if your price is right). 

@John Warren  Pricing a house correctly so it sells quick can be a really tricky thing.  This is one of the greatest challenges I face on every project.  Every house has it's own "personality". What concerns me about your situation is that you said there was tons of activity and now there's very little.  The first wave of buyers in an active market will tell you if your house is priced right.  If you get a lot of showings but no one makes an offer, you are almost certainly over-priced for your specific house.  The busy street and train can easily eliminate your house from other comps that don't have those negatives.    

Dropping the price is always a good strategy to keep the listing fresh on your local MLS as well as Zillow, Trulia, etc but in your case it sounds like you're going to have to move lower to get the pricing in line with the market. Good luck!

@Mark Wikkerink  I think you've already done the right thing by getting some more quotes.  Just make sure that you're comparing apples to apples.  If the contractor is including everything (material, installation, etc), make sure your other quotes match.  You'll know pretty soon if your contractor's price is in line.

@Rich Riesmeyer  You could probably use the cement board but it's a pain to install and it's really difficult to make it look good.  If it were me, I would drywall the whole thing but leave a 1/4" gap (at whatever height you prefer) between the upper and lower pieces.  After you finish the drywall, install a piece of wood molding over the crack to hide it.  After you caulk the edges of the wood trim and paint the walls, it will be barely noticeable.  If you ever have another flood, all you'll have to replace is the lower section.  That will also give you the opportunity to thoroughly dry the walls to make sure no mold grows in the damp space.   

@Chris Tao  In TN, if you're selling a house that was built before 1978 you must give a lead-based paint disclosure to the buyer but there are no requirements to actually test for it.  Lead-based paint was removed from circulation nearly 40 years ago so most houses have been repainted since then and no longer pose a risk.  You could call a local paint supplier and ask them what you need to do.