All Forum Posts by: Steve Santacroce

I would contact Blue Axis Homes. Rebecca handles all of my properties and does an amazing job. She treats my units better than I ever did.

She's on BP - https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/Rebecca_L

 Yup! Hopefully we'll see you there tonight!

I would definitely NOT scrape and repaint yourself! Chalk this up to learning the hard way. My recommendation is to hire a painter. 99% of them should be lead safe trained. But make sure you ask for their certificate. They will go and properly prep the areas so that as little lead as possible will be disturbed. When that's done, I'd get in touch with Bekka Lebowitz on here, she has a lead inspector who she's had nothing but good experiences using. She also has cleaning tips to get ready for the inspection.

In the future, before you do your C of O's make sure you either replace your windows (that's what I do) or just paint all your windows with a good thick coat of three of paint. Unfortunately till you replace your windows, this will have to be done each time they come back to check for lead. 

Good luck!!!

What is the size of the unit? Is it in the Park Ave area, or on Joseph St? A little more info would help come up with a ballpark figure

The city does not require a C of O in order to have tenants in the property. the C of O could have just lapsed, and the current owner is in the process of renewing. The city does not require a C of O if the owner lives in the building. My first property I bought was a 4 unit, and I lived in it for over a decade without a C of O. 

Redlining is usually a case of people charging differently depending on the location, which I'm assuming they didn't charge you more to appraise the properties.

What's the address? It sounds like you're in/around the 19th ward area, and prices can vary drastically from street to street...

I would personally stay away. The extra money it would cost when it's time for repairs is just not worth it! Buy a house 100ft away on another street and you can still put "Surrounded by Historic Homes"

I have looked into other services, but $34/mo is easy to budget for while having a full curb of stuff when you have tenants move out could really hurt. I've stuck with the City

I'm hoping Mark will say the same thing I do. You don't want to start investing in Rochester on 30-40k houses. You need to find yourself a VERY good property management company that has experience dealing with the headaches and issues that come with houses in those kinds of neighborhoods. If you want a fairly turnkey property, expect to pay at least 90k for a nice duplex that could give you a reasonable amount of cash flow.