All Forum Posts by: Scott J.

Crazy video Jon, thanks for posting.

I used to live next to train tracks and it was a nightmare. These weren't passenger trains, but industrial (20 or so carts) trains. The whole house would literally shake and at all hours of the day. The train would also blast their horn, which was even worse. People would actually come over and say, "God, how can you live here?" Well, the reason was the rent was about 30% cheaper than everywhere else and I was in college.

Now I live about a quarter mile from a train track and don't even notice it. That's because these trains are light passenger trains (Amtrak). The don't honk their horns either.

So like with everything else, the answer is: "it depends".

I have not seen this trend, and most of my friends are in the 30 (+/- 5 year) range. But I am in Southern CA and the price to entry is much higher, especially with investment properties and banks requiring 25% down.

Joel: That is a great response, I've written down everything you mentioned. Would you mind explaining what you mean by "clay pipe going into the building from the street"? I'm a novice, so I'm not sure what that means or what it looks like.

Will: We are planning on having a proper inspection, but I'm glad you mentioned that the deal needs to be contingent on that. I'm hoping with a solid checklist I can avoid having to pay an inspector in the first place if there are major red flags.

I'm going to a triplex open house this weekend that I am very interested in. It is also my first short sale. This property is 80 years old, so I want to be especially diligent.

When you are checking out a property, what are a few of the things you look for to avoid major losses down the road?

While my ego thinks I can walk around the property and do a sufficient analysis, I'm planning on creating a checklist to make sure I don't miss anything.

Will: they will only be replacing the immediate piping around the valves, which is about 6 separate pieces of PVC.

That's awesome Troy, thanks for the insight. I'm going to call my guy right now and request that brand/model.

Todd:

Everyone is different though Todd. Just like learning a new song on guitar or fixing up an old car can "drive you crazy" at times. I'm a a do-it-your-selfer... it's my hobby. And I feel great satisfaction when the work is done.

Troy - Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, he IS getting his parts from Home Depot. That being said, are there certain brands you recommend, or ones I should stay away from altogether? I haven't accepted the bid yet and would like to make it clear what I expect before I do.

I would like your input on if this is a good quote. I'm in Southern CA, so prices might be higher than other parts of the country.

I had a leaking sprinkler valve in my 90 year old house and the guy came over and basically fixed the leak for free. But our whole valve setup is a mess. There are wires everywhere and four different brands of valves along with corrosion.

He said the sprinklers work good now, but it's just a matter of time before something else happens. He quoted $330 (which includes the valves) to redesign our whole valve system so the wires are cleaned up, most of the PVC is underground (to avoid breaking), and installation of the new valves.

This sounds like a fair estimate to me, but I'm new to this. The four valves by themselves cost $140 at Home Depot.

What do you think?