All Forum Posts by: Tom Rychlewski

I bought a house in Kansas City, MO last year and noticed that the driveway had significant issues.  It has large cracks  and is uneven due to an extremely large tree growing right next to it. By large, i mean a diameter of almost 5' at the base.

when I purchased the house this was one of the first things that i looked to repair.  unfortunately the three people i had come out and look at it said that by repairing the driveway they would likely cut the main root of the tree and kill it.  Since this tree is massive, it would likely cost $10K to cut it down.  this would put me at $13K to repair a driveway and clear out the tree which will significantly impact my cash flow.

Because of this i figured it would just be easier to ignore the issue all together and deal with an unattractive driveway.  It wasn't impacting the rent or deterring renters.  

Yesterday, the city informed me that i was in violation of an ordinance to not have cracks in driveways over 1" wide and that it must be repaired immediately.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to resolve this issue?  the things that i had evaluated right now were as follows:

• remove the driveway all together.
• pour gravel over top of the driveway so that there are no cracks.
• asphalt over top of the driveway.  I figure this is a bad solution since the tree will continue to cause issues.

Has anyone else ever ran into an issue like this in the past?  Any Advice?

@Marissa Carroll it feels like you may be forcing something to work here that may not for you.  I would say hold out until you find a deal that works for you.  when you find a deal but it doesn't work; you shouldn't be afraid to make an offer that works for you.

Ultimately at the end of the day, we are not in this market to lose money.  I live near BS but haven't invested in that market myself.  I would say find an area that you are comfortable with and wait for the right deal.  Driving for dollars is a really good way to find a property in an area that you like for a price that works for you.  

If you are willing to put in some sweat equity, you may be able to get closer to 2% rather than 1%.  

good luck.

Typically I repair my own appliances, however, I believe the problem is beyond my knowledge.  Does anyone know a good appliance repair person in Kansas City, MO or Independence MO?  I called sears but they can't make an appointment for 5 days which is a long time without a refrigerator.

I'm going through this same issue on a house i just bought.  Looks like there are lots of static cling film options on amazon.  I would recommend taking a look and choosing a style that you like.  They are a little tedious to install, but they look great when done.  

Amazon Privacy Film

I need some help with some tile floors that need to be replaced in a bathroom and a tenant hit a brick wall that needs to be repaired.  If anyone would recommend someone in the KC area that is reliable and reasonably priced i would really appreciate it!

Has anyone worked with a good painter who has reasonable prices and is reliable in the KC area?

I like cozy.co. I make all my tenants pay through it and it saves me the headache of collecting rent, giving out my address, or having to cash checks from multiple people.

I would email and text message (so you have record) to see if you can get an updated address. If you don't hear back then move on. I would subtract the cost of mailing the 2nd time. The money is not yours and you should try to return it. Don't waste too much time on it though.

You probably will have trouble getting around % of total cost, however, there are standard ways to incentivize a builder to complete on budget. You could do GMP (guaranteed maximum price) with split savings if they come in below the GMP. This way they are not incentivized to go over budget and they have an added incentive to come in below the GMP. We do this all the time on large projects. I'm not sure how it would work with a small project but it seems like you could get it to work.

i think investors would like big ticket items that a handyman can't repair quickly.  I have paid $600 in the past whic seemed like a complete rip off.  I would be interested in anything that will lead to further damage if not repaired, things that are expensive to mitigate, or any repairs that will cost more than $500 to repair.  I'm handy an can see a door doesn't latch myself.  

I also would love to have a Rough Cost to repair so I can get an idea of what my finances look like. Don't need a quote, just an idea of cost.