All Forum Posts by: Cole Walker

Hi Matt. Welcome to the site.

Congrats on your remodel and renting it out, thats fantastic.

How do you like working at Zillow? Do they have a regional office near here?

I agree with @Ibrahim Hughes . If you don't have a lot of experience I would start with one deal, and keep that cash in the bank while you do your first deal start to finish. That allows you to learn about the process and it also allows you to try out a contractor and see if you two can work together. Worst case, you just have to ease your way through the first project with a contractor you don't care for, then on the second project you can try a different contractor.

I would also post a question with your projects city and zip code on here to see if anyone has a referral for a investor type contractor.

@Chris Stromdahl Welcome! Nice to see a fellow Seattle resident here. 

Its great that you found this site, I have been researching real estate and real estate investing for a while now and I just wish I found this site sooner! ha

Good luck!

I agree with the approach to verifying its broken rather than ditching it and introducing a new system. It could be something as easy as a cracked manifold if you have different heating zones or maybe the previous owner tried to cut a hole and hit the pipe and freaked out... then never fixed it.

I think it would be worth the few dollars to pinpoint the problem and as @Randy F. said, use a contractor that is familiar with radiant heat. He may be able to just walk in and say oh that is _____ pipe.... that stuff was recalled years ago! Then you can go from there.

@David A. Of the metal exterior pieces I have seen once they start rusting they USUALLY have to be replaced. Just judging by the second pic you provided, it looks as though you may spend more time trying to repair than its worth. If I were in your boots I'd get a hold of local siding guy and see what his take on it is. Maybe replace with aluminum or some of the newer plastic trims that don't need paint and won't rot.

@Emmeriah McDowell I am a contractor and I have been doing construction for about 16 years. Ill tell ya what, the thing that helps me out the most is being in the trade for what seems like eternity. You have to know what comes next, you have to know codes, you have to know people, you have to know suppliers ( I know some people just go to home depot and buy their stuff) but as you grow you realize that that is not the place to be! J Scott will get all over me about that one :)

If you are willing to take a management class that is a good start but in my humble opinion you may want to hire a project manager, foreman, or a superintendent to help you on your journey.

I have taken loads of classes, courses, certifications, blah blah blah but I feel experience is the real teacher. Bummer it takes so much time.

In my state I don't even think they require schooling or years of experience..... I could be wrong since its been  awhile since I filled out the paper work. But like I said, I may save you a few head aches by making friends with a couple and hiring them to help you out.

Best of luck whatever you choose.... and keep us updated on how it goes!

@Tim Mangold Hey I'm new too and I set up my keywords on what I think would be appropriate....... BE CAREFUL. I set up things like seattle in my keywords and WOW I get A ton of info a day. Gotta keep up on it if you set up words like that. Just my 2 cents.

@Brandon Turner After watching that video, it does seem to be too good to be true. But I do know a buddy of mine does the same thing with his condo in idaho..... I believe the fee is quite a bit more than 12%.

If you do end up using it, do a podcast about it :) 

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems that you are suggesting that if a contractor gives you a bid for 10k of work at a property, then you want to pay him 1k ( 10%) now and hold off on paying him until a later date.... Is that correct? 

If that is what you are saying, I can't see a contractor agreeing to that. If you have a decent contractor and he gave you a fair price of 10k for rehab work, then he would have to buy a lot of material and carry that cost till he gets paid. Contractors don't usually make 90% profit on jobs where they can wait to get paid their profit until a later date.

@Thomas Coburn  I read the flip book by J Scott. Great book to get a lot of info.