All Forum Posts by: Pat L.

had a fellow investor tell me his 2 yr old a/c condenser was icing up & asked me to help check it out. He assumed it needed to be recharged, but I found this gem ... & the tenant insists he changes the filters regularly.

We've had a few over the years where we inherited the odd 'difficult' tenant, but the price was so good the demand for vacant occupancy was not an option. In all cases they were soon terminated as the tenancies were MTM. All complained but left quietly. One had been a resident for 24 years but became an annoying liability. The immediate result was a significant increase in rental income & a 'tranquility' that most landlords would give anything for.

@Jim K.
I have been lucky picking up special order returned (SOR) fiberglass tubs from Lowes. These I use in our higher end rentals, & use the metal tubs in lower priced units. The last metal tub was $25 & had a chip on the rim, which got covered by tile.

In a rush on one high end SFR that was vacated, we went with Bath-fitter over the old cast iron tub, shower walls & ceiling. It included all new fixtures & plumbing & it was worth the $4k & done in 12 hours. The last cast iron tub we took out was a nightmare to break up & dispose of.

I lucked out & picked up several Lowes SOR fiberglass shower bases for $50-$75. A 4ftx34, 5fx36t & 6ftx42. I was able to squeeze the 4ftx34 into a new studio apartment we built within the confines of a covered patio.

We only paint when the apartment is vacant, PERIOD !!

It's a losing battle, we had several done over the years by various refinishing companies & all failed by the time the tenants moved out. 

We had a similar issue & the home inspector did record an issue for the upstairs HVAC system. testing showed it could NOT get below 80degF. But his recommendation that it needed a new 10ton condenser was completely wrong. The solution was to open up the main cold air return that had been drywalled over during construction in 1999. Sadly the previous owners had suffered poor upstairs a/c for all those years of exhausting AZ heat.

Depending on age/condition & the obvious need for recharging I would get someone experienced in HVAC design before jumping on a new system. We also had one where the evap coil was literally coated in nicotine so was not performing effectively. It was so bad we had to replace that coil.

Good luck

I'd be concerned with her having the work done & a mechanics lien being attached to the property. Then again in some states a mechanics lien claimant will generally not be entitled to claim a lien against the owner’s underlying property if the owner wasn’t a party to the original contract for work.

@Jeff S. some are as they do detail & explain the tax implications of high passive income on both Social Security & Medicare premiums (IRMAA).

Never used one, but we often get invited to dinners to promote their services. 

On occasion & at this stage of our lives, we had to get some specific advise on converting IRA/401(k)'s, estate planning etc. Then when we have a sit down, they try to get us to cash out RE into their managed portfolios I simply ask, "show me yours & it's performance over the last 10 years". Never happens to materialize.

We finally resolved all of our questions using the various experts here on BP.

We have seen some arching & scorched junction boxes & disabled grounding at the outlets, so we rewire. Plus our local Bldg Inspector does not allow BX, so rewiring is required to pass inspection/code compliance. During a recent complete rehab I rewired an entire 2 story, upgraded to a 200amp service, plus a new panel & sub panel in the garage, for $1800 in materials. So I would definitely seek other quotes.