All Forum Posts by: Stefan Pougatchev

@Paul Sandhu thanks for the info. I will start looking into that now. My goal is to get atleast two short term rentals going by the end of the year. Are your short term rental properties leased or owned? I'm looking at the leasing option to start out. 

@Ryan B. I would love to know what areas you are looking into for this. I was also thinking of this idea around ski resorts (Mammoth) or even national park (Joshua Tree). I feel a container home can easily attract the customers going to those locations. 

@Ethan Cooke do you mind sharing your spreadsheet that you use to buy furniture?

@Jen Faulkner Thank you so much. Where do you typically get your items? Ikea & Amazon?

Hi, 

I am looking to get a Airbnb shopping checklist for a studio/1 bedroom. Ideal I'm looking for a list that would provide all the necessary items to set up the apartment. Does anyone have something like this and would be willing to share? 

Thank You, 

Stefan Pougatchev

@Steve Graves I would highly recommend staying away from the lease options. 

Most companies should have an option where you can own the system. You will own the system and be able to claim the tax incentives. It is a higher upfront cost but over the years the system will pay its self back (4-6 years).

@John Warren location definitely plays a factor when designing a solar system. Tempature also plays a factor but not a big one. An experienced solar designer will be able to design a system that  factors in cloudy days,rainy days, and snow fall. For example when I was designing systems in New York I would factor in about 2-4 weeks of little to no solar production when presenting my calculations to the client.  

I would also recommend getting quotes from multiple solar companies. Never go with just one. And if your not confident with which one to go with I’m more the happy to compare quotes with you guys and give you my opinion for the best option. 

Steve, 

Regarding wind. I'm fairly confident that Vivint will have or can find a racking solution for the highest wind loads in Rosamond,CA. Racking companies such as Unirac and Ironridge  have products which are tested to withstand 125mph winds (ironridge product specifications). You can also easily obtain a professional engineered stamped letter from them to show your insurance company.

If you have to replace your roof in 2 years I suggest doing it with the solar install now. You will receive at 30% tax credit for the cost of the re-roof if your doing it to get solar. If you wait 2 years to replace the roof then you would have to pay a solar company in this case vivint to remove the panels and then also pay full price for the re-roof. In my opinion not worth it if you only have 2 years left on the roof. The way this typical works is Vivint can work with your local roof installer and include the cost of the roof replacement in the solar installation cost. This is the easiest and simplest way to claim the 30% tax credit. The other way is to show the roof replacement and solar install as separate and claim them both separately when doing taxes. 

Vivint is correct when they are saying they have a workmanship warranty. Typically these are 10 years and cover any issue that come up with install related problems such as a panel coming off the racking, roof leaks, attachments coming off, and electrical work. In the case of the panels flying off due to wind, typically this claim typically goes to the manufacture of the attachment system. First they will send a representative to make sure the installation of the racking was done according to the installation instructions. If the representative finds that the install was done correctly they can work with you and your insurance . On the other hand the representative can find that vivint installed it incorrectly and that would fall under the workmanship warrant that Vivint provides. 

If a future home buyer doesn't want the solar on the home you can easily have a company remove the system. It is much cheaper to remove the system vs installing it. But most people are open to solar. It provides a lot of benefits to a home owner. But in the worst case, you can get a quote from Vivint for a future removal if needed. 

Who do you mean by "They"? Vivint increasing the payment? If that is the case then it sounds like a lease option you are looking at. I recommend staying away from a lease option and try and get an option where you own the solar system. This much better financially in the long run. 

While I was working in New York many residential solar companies went out of business due to the fact the lease model wasn't sustainable.  My advice above is also based on you owning the system rather then leasing it. 

Hi Steve, 

My name is Stefan, I'm a new member to biggerpockets and was scrolling the forums and saw your post. I have worked in the solar industry for about 3 years as an engineer. First starting out with a residential company in NY and now for larger company focusing on commercial and industrial projects in LA.  

Few questions/advice I have right off the back: 

1. Where are your rental properties located (this will help me with snow and weather related concerns) ?

2. Most racking (roof attachments) that solar companies use are from manufactures that have been UL tested/certified. A lot of these manufactures also do their own testing to withstand certain wind speeds, snow loads, etc..   You can easily have Vivint solar obtain a letter with a professional engineer stamp showing the maximum wind speeds the racking can handle. 

3. What are are the specific concerns your insurance company is worried about?

4. You might be able to get the solar company to have a local professional engineer provide a letter to the insurance company regarding other concerns they may have. For example how much weight your roof can hold and how much solar can be installed considering factors such as snow loads. This type of report is typically called a "solar structural feasibility report". 

5. Most insurance companies are hesitant to include solar because they are just not familiar with it. A well designed system, that is reviewed and stamped by a local professional engineer should be able to last on your roof for at least 25-30 years without any issues mechanically. 

6. I do recommend re-roofing your roof if its over 8-10 years old. The solar federal tax incentive will consider your re-roof part of the solar project if you choose to go solar so you can receive a 30% tax credit on that work as well. Ask Vivint solar, they would be able to tell you. 

7. Lastly I'm glad to see your considering solar. Its a great investment and probably a good selling point for new tenants!!!

I hope this helps!!! If you have anymore questions I'll be glad to answer them. 

Best - Stefan