All Forum Posts by: Samuel Pavlovcik

+1 for Jason's Response! I am also a Licensed Architect and have my Master's in Construction Engineering and Management. It took me years for it to really click that REI is a great opportunity for me and to start jumping in. My only current Investment is the Condo which I live in; however, i'm happy to see it building equity for each year we have stayed. Looking to gain as much info as possible from this forum before purchasing my first investment property, saving cash now to have something to put down...

Hey @Marco Pangilinan, I could definitely help you out. My firm specializes in Residential construction (New and Remodeling) In Chicago and throughout Chicagoland. I am Self-Certified in the City of Chicago as well, which expedites the permit process. I sent you a PM, feel free to contact me at your convenience.

@Sarita Scherpereel and @Wonderful Togbey, thanks for the recommendations!

Hey @Kristopher Seibold, where is the property located? This is not an uncommon situation but each municipality has their own way of dealing with them. In response to your questions:

1) As long as the property is located within City limits (incorporated) then it would be the jurisdiction of the City and follow their Zoning Ordinance. If the property is located within an unincorporated area of a city, then it would be the County's jurisdiction. An easy way to check this is to search Only the name of the City in google maps, this should pull up a boundary line for the incorporated area. Then search the property address and make sure it falls within that boundary.

2) If it was illegally modified to become a duplex then yes it would be an uphill battle regardless of the Zoning. That being said, how many electric meters/water meters does the property have? Typically that can be a good reference for if the property is separated legally... Additionally, typically when a Zoning Ordinance notes "Single Family Zoned" there is a set squarefootage of lot area that is required per residential unit (i.e. 10,000 sq.ft. per unit). That being said, if you had a significantly over sized lot, there is a possibility of being able to build more than one unit legally (i.e. if you had 20,000sq.ft. or more).

3) I would recommend consulting an Architect to perform a preliminary Zoning analysis on the property and give you some guidance on your options to proceed. If you have the plat of survey they can provide much more accurate information.

I assume you are talking about Building Permits? Feel free to send me more info regarding your property and what you are looking to do and I can help lay out your options... Depending on your scope you may not need a permit; however, the City also has a streamlined "Easy Permit" process for pull & replace projects, in addition to the standard permit process which would be needed for additions or significant interior remodels where you are completely re-configuring rooms or adding bathrooms, etc.

Welcome @Jack Jenkins

I'm new to the investment side of things as well, but there are a lot of very knowledgeable and experienced professionals on this website, with a lot of active members doing work in Chicago/Chicagoland. I'm sure you will find some great connections and references, and don't forget to check out some of the free webinars as well!

Many Metropolitan and Suburban building departments will require the drawings to be Certified by a Licensed Architect in order to submit for Permit; however, in more rural areas you may be able to get away without the Architect's stamp. That being said, I would recommend contacting your building department to determine what they require. If they require the plans to be Certified by a Licensed Architect I would recommend going straight to an Architect to develop the drawings. You may even be able to find someone who is local on this forum. If they don't require the drawings to be Certified by a Licensed Architect, you can find someone with drafting/design knowledge to draw the plans for you for your submittal; however, when the Building Department reviews the drawings they will still want to ensure the proposal meets local Building Codes & Ordinances, or if they are the type of department that doesn't do thorough reviews, they could be leaving the liability to You in order to ensure the construction is safe & complies with codes.

As a Licensed Architect myself, I recommend you consider the benefits of hiring a licensed professional, even if the building department doesn't require Stamped drawings; however, I realize that depending on how minimal the scope of work is, it may not provide you much additional benefit compared to finding a decent drafter at a lower cost...

You may want to check out Upwork.com as well, theres a lot of posts on there for various architectural & drafting gigs all around the world.

@Donnie N. Sent a message to you as well.

@Endi Legend PM Sent

Congrats @Darrel Hernandez on working towards Financial Freedom. I'm sure you've realized its not easy, but you are definitely making the right moves! No one has the perfect answer for what will be best for your life, but my wife and I have found that planning ahead and working to stay on track is Always the best way to start. That being said, we are also strong believers that you still need to Enjoy the life you live and the experiences you have. Life is short, and sometimes we will decide to make decisions that may not be the most financially savvy ones, but we know we made them because they are things that help us get more enjoyment from our lives. Think most about What You Want Most, then start working on a plan to make that happen. Sometimes when we just focus on what we desire, we see things come together better than we could have even asked for.

Best of luck!

Congratulations @Shannon Jarrett on your project and thanks for sharing the information! It's always great to see success stories close to home. Keep striving towards your goals!