All Forum Posts by: Kurt Snyder

Thanks @Will Triplett I'm investing out of state so trying to find something that would store to the cloud so I can avoid haveing to send someone to pull, download, and send the images.

Thanks for your input though and I'll check out that link!

I agree with the LVP statement. LVP from Shaw Flooring

:: PROS ::

To be clear LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) is not Laminate or Hardwood so the issues with both of those are irrelevant. LVP is fairly new to the designer market as they have gotten considerably better at making the vinyl look and feel like wood. It has the advantage of being easily replaced if you have water intrusion and is incredible in the long term. Because they look and feel like real wood (to a point) you have the added benefit of being able to create some really impressive spaces for a really low cost ($1.5-4sf material).
:: CONS ::

- Because the material itself is very shallow if you are transitioning between existing tile it may create a slight "step up" which can be solved with a transition strip but isn't an aesthetically ideal situation.

- Because the material is very flexible it will follow the curvature of your floors. If your floor is uneven you will see it and feel it when the LVP is installed. Conversely, Hardwood/Laminate (3/4in thick +\-) sits on a plywood base and eliminates this feeling.

Other than the above-stated cons I'd do LVP in a heartbeat especially if your second-floor floors are even.

I'm literally having the same issue. Our only difference is that the property is owned by a non-profit that supplies "low-income" housing. Like others, my initial thought is to offer to purchase it; though the thought of offering to manage it is intriguing as well. That thought experiment brought up this idea; could you also offer to manage only the exterior (truly this is the only part that affects you assuming the tenants aren't problems). Depending on how much rent you are missing out on it might make sense to pay $100-150/mnth for landscaping, power wash, touch up paint until you get the tenants you need and then cut him off. Again this is purely an initial thought but it could be worth looking into.

Also, the idea of letting him in on what you are earning compared to what he is might spur him on to look into rehabbing the building himself.

Please keep us posted on what you do as I'd love to learn how you handled it!

I agree with Thomas regarding the local building department. Most of the time you can take the hand sketch you already have and talk to them over the counter. Make sure you are OVERLY NICE to them as they are ultimately the ones that are going to interpret the building code for you (and yes the building code can be interpreted... sadly). With that being said you definitely have the International Code Council requirements to classify it as a bedroom (you'll also want to add a closet) so you should be fine. You really have to maintain the min requirement of 7ft finished ceiling height though. That would be my biggest concern. Depending on the design style of your area you might be able to get away with the "industrial" look of a polished concrete floor but putting even 1/2in drywall on the ceiling is going to push you out of compliance. For these reasons, I'd really just go and talk to the building officials.

Good luck!

Hello Yahcay,

I'd suggest taking a look at Houzz.com and searching for them. Keep in mind that if they are active on Houzz they will more than likely be higher end. Houzz is a great tool though to find proven contractors and then call them up and let them know what you are trying to do. This beats skimming through the "phone book" for sure! Let me know how it goes!

Welcome JT,

I agree with Paul that having a network is the best place to start. You should be able to find some groups in your local area that you should begin to attend. Also, if you haven't already check out the calculators on the site. Do your research in the area you want to pursue and if the numbers work, just jump! If you've been listening to the Pod for a while I'm sure you've heard everyone say the first deal was usually the hardest but taught the most. This was true for mine except that I had the unique experience of having two first deals... meaning we raised enough money to fund two deals in the same city and jumped at it. It was quite the learning experience but thank the Lord they will both still cash flow. You are going to make a mistake or overlook something but if you don't start you'll never succeed.

Good luck and welcome again!

Welcome! I'm curious how your digital marketing is playing into finding and securing deals. Do you use this only for raising funds?

:: Short Synopsis ::

Looking for recommendations for security systems (door sensors, cameras, motion sensors etc.) that can be accessed remotely without needing WiFi. We will use them only for the rehab portion of our projects and remove them (at least on the interior) after the Refinance portion of the BRRRR.

:: Long Explanation ::

We recently have been having issues with break-ins and are looking for a security system that will allow us to check in both on the progress of the contractors and the protection of our site. We are currently using SimpliSafe but it appears that while the sensors work without a WiFi signal we must have WiFi in order to view the live feeds from the cameras. As mentioned above I'd like to find a system that does not require hardwiring of the camera systems (Arlo maybe?) so that when the rehab is complete we can move the cameras to protect the exterior and use the remaining cameras on the next rehab project.

Thoughts? Are you all using anything to remotely view the project sites? Do you let your property manager get into the process sooner and have them take this responsibility? Are you using Project managers?

Do tell...

Welcome to BP and congrats on falling into the "house hack" :) Sounds like your goals are at least generally defined keep it up!