All Forum Posts by: Ty Mar

@Seth Michael Carp Go for it. Get it and work in a brokerage while you're in college. I don't understand the naysayers. In Maryland, it cost me $2700 to get licensed and in first year fees. It'll be about $1800/year moving forward. Saved $9k in commission with first deal. Will save a whole lot more this year. If you buy more expensive properties your savings will grow and the cost to maintain the license will be negligible.

If you do get the license and do nothing though, that's different. Then why bother?

Also I don't understand the "you're not paying the realtor commissions when you're buying". Who is paying the seller? Because I am paying him and he is paying the commissions doesnt change the fact that all of it is coming out of my pocket. If I can make 2.5-3% of it back, it is all worth it.

High school senior ha? Kudos to you young man.

@Jessica Miller each case is different but in my case it wasn't too bad as the zoning already allowed multi unit conversions with min unit sf requirement. They made me go down from 5 to 4 units before approval. When you're at 4 units threshold though, things get complicated with fire protection in Baltimore City. Best of luck.

@Maria Guevara yes licensed architect and licensed contractor.

@Maria Guevara I can try to help, send me a message.

I am finishing a single family to 4 unit conversion right now at Charles Norh. We've started final inspections. Send me a message if you need more details. I own the building and also I am the architect and GC on the deal.

Hi @Christopher Pepper "good areas" vs "bad areas" are good blocks vs bad blocks. It doesn't mean good neighborhoods vs bad neighborhoods. There are of course good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods but you'd miss out on a great deal of deals if you brushed so broadly.

@Account Closed While i admire your decision to invest cross-country, listen to what others are saying. Optimism has very little place in Baltimore real estate. I agree with Seth Sherman 100%. I'd rather look for a decent deal in a good area for months than find a great deal in a bad area everyday.

@Mark Holencik You are partially right but mostly wrong. First off, putting insulation on the deck, is actually the most efficient way of installing insulation, both commercial and residential. Take it from an architect who's done high rises from Florida to New Jersey and single houses in Maryland and Virginia for the last 16 years. Grab a current version of IECC or ASHRAE 90.1. Both codes are widely accepted by most jurisdictions in the US for building energy compliance, both residential and commercial. If you go by the base line, you need R38 in the cavity in Baltimore, you can make do with R25 over the deck. It'd take too long to go into detail here for pros and cons of both systems,  send me a message if i could be of further help.

If you're renovating the property, the property needs to meet building code. If you don't insulate the attic, you're in violation of the building code. You won't pass inspections.

Happy birthday @Joshua Dorkin