All Forum Posts by: William McCulloch

Switching out light fixtures is pretty easy to do yourself. If you really don’t want to, have a handyman/friend/family member do it for you. Certainly don’t call an electrician for something this simple. 

I know it is basic, but make sure to try a few new light bulbs in the socket before you replace it. You’d be surprised how often this works.

Thank you all for the advice. I'll be sure to let you know if I get it!

Hello BP!

In researching my first real estate acquisition, I came across a nice little 3/2 single family of about 1500 square feet and 15 years old. It's close to my house, nice neighborhood, and good schools and amenities. 

There's just one problem: the MLS listing says the owners smoke in the house.

This property has been on and off the market for about 18 months and I sense that it could be had at a bargain price. But how big a problem is this smoking thing? 

Is it something that can be remediated like a kitchen fire? Should I look into an ozone treatment? Clean the air ducts? New carpet/pad? Or is this one of those things that never quite goes away?

Crazier yet, what if it was left as a smoker-friendly rental?

All things being equal, this would make a decent flip or a great rental. But is it worth the trouble?

Let me know what you think!

You could also look into the Central Indiana Real Estate Investors Association at cireia.org.  I've recently become a member and have had a positive experience so far. Main meetings are held in northern Indy the first Thursday of the month, with other subgroups throughout.

We've done some work on our primary residence, and I found Thermador to be far more affordable than Wolf/SubZero in the high end market. Compare a $6000 Thermador double oven to an $8000 Wolf one. The quality of both companies is excellent. Stay away from Viking.

That said, Bosch makes fantastic stuff for a much lower price (owned by same company as Thermadore) that sill looks very high end and has really good performance (with the possible exception of their fridges, which are meh).

You could also accomplish something similar with nicer LG or GE Cafe, also at a fraction of the high end cost. GE Cafe is nice to mix with high end because it has a similar "professional" kitchen style. Electrolux also has a good mix of style and performance.

I believe you have to register regardless of whether a property manager is involved.  Per the Indy website above, "Owners or landlords of residential rental units within the City of Indianapolis." If you are the owner of the rental property, you would need to register.

Please see http://www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DCE/Licenses/Pages/H...

Cost is $5. Fill out some info. Not really a big deal. I think this is mostly so that Dept of Code Enforcement can find you if something's wrong with the property.