All Forum Posts by: Rob Poulin

@ Michael Fratalia thanks. (Send it to me as I am still looking) Much appreciated.

Mike, thanks for the response. I sent you a colleague request. I'd be interested in checking out your contact. Please email. Thanks

Looking for a good reasonably priced painter in Southeastern MA. 

Exterior (first .... now if possible) and interior also. Siding, trim, etc. Whole house. No scraping required. New siding. MDO panels with strips for Board and Batten look up top, cedar shingles below on sides and back .... and clapboard below on front. (3) exterior colors. (1- top board and batten, 2- bottom shingles and clapboard, 3- trim)

No scraping, but needs caulking, hole filling, etc. (typical new construction) 

Some inside will need to be done soon. (Example: ceiling in Kitchen before cabinet install ... at least primer). Have more time on the inside but want to get the outside done before things start opening up. 

Greatly appreciate any contacts. Thanks

The industry seem strange to me in many ways. I don't think a sellers agent has to submit your offer to their seller if they have, for instance, been instructed by their seller to not submit certain offers, such as offers blow a certain price? I'm not sure, but that is how it seems to go? At least with bank owned properties. I've submitted some through my buyers agent to the sellers agent and apparently, the sellers agent has not even submitted the offers to the seller .... in this case a bank. 

Then there are those instances where my agent can't even get me in to see the property because the selling agent needs time to get their preferred contractor friends in to evaluate the property for themselves to see if they want to buy it. No matter how hard we try, we can't even get in to see it. Then it goes under agreement, is sold, is rehabbed and is listed again months later by the same exact agent who sold it to their contractor friend. The agent/office gets the first commission when it sold to their contractor friend, and later another commission when it is sold to the eventual home owner (and who know what else?) And the contractor friend gets first dibs at it and a nice low price. This is all legal, I believe, if the seller is aware of it and agrees to it. But you've got to wonder some times when the seller is a senior. I had a business who's customers were 90% seniors (and I had a few thousand customers) and I know the way seniors can be, especially if they do not have someone looking out for their interests. My own parents are there now, and I have to watch what they do closely. Recently, my father was conned to sending money to a group who told him they were protecting him from ISIS. They actually convinced him that since he was already sending them money, he was on an ISIS target list and the only way he would be safe was if he continued to send them money because they were fighting ISIS. Makes you wonder if the sellers best interest really is the priority all of the time. With access to the MLS, tax records, appraisers data, Sec of States Corp. division, etc ... it's very easy follow the paper trail of some of these so called pocket deals, even if they use LLC's or other entities.

So, myself, I wonder if the sellers agent is obliged to present all offers, even if brought to them from a buyers agent. It does not see so. 

Not to diminish the seriousness of lead poisoning in any way .... but just as a side story .... 

Whenever I read things about lead poisoning and children, I am reminded of my many years as a parent of two small boys who we in the cub scouts. Once a year there would be the annual Pine Wood Derby race. The boys would make little wood cars and race them down a track to see who's car was the fastest. It always involve removing as much wood as possible and replacing it with just the right amount of weight at the best location on the car for the dynamics of racing them down the track. Always ... always ... lead was the choice of the weights. On race day, there was a large table for last minute repairs and alterations. Picture a large table with many small boys around it all drilling, cutting, and sanding lead weights to glue to the car. The table covered with tiny lead pieces, lead shavings and lead dust. No one wearing gloves, by the way. And all of the parents content with the thought of their son's car winning the race. Not to knock the cub scouts/boy scouts. My boys we in it for years and learned a lot, but it's funny how, given the circumstances, priorities shift.  

I have a friend who has a few rentals in Rhode Island. In one, he had a tenant that was very good for years. Always paid the rent and on time. But her situation changed and she started not paying. After many many attempts (my friend is way too easy sometimes) he decided to take action and evict. Soon after he started the eviction process, she made the claims that her grandchildren visited quite often and had been exposed to lead paint in the house. He hired a company to do the lead abasement. They performed it and retested. It still tested positive. He spent more money to have them go over it again. He retested and it still tested positive. Eventually he ended up in court. The woman showed up with a plastic bag with paint chips inside. His lawyer told him that if she got in front of the judge with that  plastic bag of paint chips, he would get creamed. He advised him to pay her off to get rid of her so that she would drop the case. 

@Claire Trammell  - Thanks 

@Ron Hansen - Thanks. 

@Nick Patterson

Thanks for the reply. Knowledge from experience is the best kind of knowledge. That is the type of answers I was hoping for. 

I guess it really is quite a crowded field to get off-market properties from motivated sellers. 

I like what you say about quality of the presentation. I believe in that strongly. The more memorable the better is usually key to successful marketing. 

Wondering which ones of these should be targeted in a direct mail campaign to find distressed sellers, if any? Is this typically done? Is it too late once these are published? Has anyone had luck targeting these after they are published? And what is the best time frame to target them? In other words, is it best to target them exactly when they come available? Or some time frame after? Or is it too late by the time any of these are available? Or perhaps, for instance, it is not a good idea to target people right after they filed for bankruptcy protection? Perhaps by the time the lender has filed a Petition to foreclose, it is too late? Basically I am trying to get opinions if using any of this data ... and at any time ... is a good idea for a targeted mailing for distressed properties. Thanks in advance for any info. Appreciate any info/insight to using this data.   

- Voluntary Bankruptcies (Office of the Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court)

- Chapter 13 Bankruptcies (Office of the Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court)

- Chapter 11 Bankruptcies (Office of the Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court)

- Federal Tax Liens (Clerks Office, U.S. District Court)

- State Tax Liens (Registry of Deeds)

- Attachments (Registry of Deeds)

- Petitions to Foreclose (Internal filings of Land Court)

- Foreclosure Sales (Published legal notices)

The thing I like about Newport R.I. (near the cliff walk, mansions, etc.) is summer rentals (June/July/Aug) are high $$, then the remainder of the year can be rented to Salve Regina Univ. students or visiting faculty, etc. 

My friend who has a place in Maine bought when prices were lower (by about 25%). He rents for a week min. stay, and gets some who take 2 - 3 weeks at a time. He has a large place. Probably sleeps about (15) people, so he gets some large groups. Not insulated so he rents for about (12) weeks. Extends it sometimes by using electric heaters in the bedrooms. For instance, he will rent it during the Maine Fly-in (annual Sea Plane event). He is near Greenville/Moosehead Lake). I believe he gets about $1500 for a week. It is a log home and he keeps it kind of rustic (but comfortable). It seems to be what people going up there are looking for. It looks and feels like old "Maine Vacationland". He has many nostalgic items throughout. He provides info on local hikes including parts of the Appalachian Trail which is very close. It is on the water, which I think is key, because it provides activities. He keeps kayaks there for people to use. He has lost a kayak or two, but he uses inexpensive ones. He leaves some fishing gear there also (not expensive stuff). Inflatables, etc. His renters bring their own food, towels, etc. He has a local cleaner who comes in between the rents. He has a local handyman who looks in on it and does repairs if/when needed. He does not rent in the winter or colder months. If he did, he could certainly get some hunters and snowmobile enthusiasts. We have family way way up in Chesuncook village who have an Inn, cabins, sporting camp, camping sites, restaurant, and sporting company, and they actually do better in the winter than in the summer. They do very good with hunters and snowmobile enthusiasts. 

I believe to do best, it needs to fit the area. People going up to Maine want to "fell" like they are in Maine. We have stayed at my friends place for many years, and we never felt the need to watch TV. Well O.K. .... we did use a radio to listen to the Red Sox games .... Can't go without everything!

I have also thought about vacation rentals. Mostly because I have a close friend who has a log home in Maine. He advertises it on one site, Home Away, and always books it for the entire summer. Although last year he has someone leave part way through their stay because of the escape convict that was in Maine. So he lost a couple of weeks rent. He does very good with it. Personally, I believe in order to do it, it needs to be waterfront. Lake, ocean or large pond. Something on Lake Winnipesaukee would be  great, if the prices were not so high. But there are many other lakes, I guess. Or oceanfront in Maine such as Bar Harbor would do well, I believe. Key for me would be not having to drive too far. Also, it's a huge advantage if you have someone in the area who can keep an eye on things. By far, the easiest years for my friend was when he had a friend who lived in the town the rental was in. He had someone he could trust to manage the place. It's a bit more difficult for him now, but he still does O.K. He had to find another person in the area to manage it, and although he is pretty good, he is not was good as his friend was. (His friend who had been managing it passed away). He still rents it without problems, it is just a bit more difficult to get needed work done, supervised, etc. I have been thinking about rentals in Newport RI also. That same friend of mine, lives in Newport RI. His neighbor rents out her home for $12k - $14k per month in the summer. It is a great area, close to everything. Close to the Easton's Beach, the Cliff Walk, restaurants, Bellevue Ave, etc.

Key, I believe, for vacation rentals, is to only buy in a great area. Need to have things to do, attractions, etc. I would not even buy in a so-so area. Needs to be a great area. For me, in NH or ME, that means on the water in a good vacation spot.