All Forum Posts by: Zee Abbas

In addition to what @JD Martin has said, I would also recommend checking if your fan is running at the correct speed. Did they replace the capacitor during the tuneup? It’s an odd situation- I wouldn’t expect a tenant to mess with dampers at the air handler, but crazier things have happened. The least destructive way to check for a leak would be to insert one of those fish cameras into the register (like the ones used in cars to check cylinder condition). You can also try using a temp gun along the path of the duct on the ceiling to see if there are sudden temperature fluctuations.

@Peter Morgan there are dampers in the duct work that can be adjusted to “throttle” the incoming air. I would check their positions if you’ve always had this problem. Is the temperature out of balance (one room hotter/colder than the others)? A smaller room will require less total airflow than a bigger one to achieve the same temperature.

I agree with @Todd Rasmussen. If you want to get it completely right, you can find several “Manual J” Worksheets online that walk you through the load calculations.

Likely no real effect in your situation, but really just depends on the volumetrics of your system. Duct burst pressures are rated 3x high yet than design pressures, and closing a register or two will not increase the pressure to the point of failure. Flow rate is a function of pressure drop. Therefore, if your pressure drop increases (because internal static pressure is higher) flow rate will also go up (all else being equal) from your other, open registers. Your system may be performing slightly more inefficiently because of the added back pressure. If this happens in the future, you can also open the other registers slightly more to compensate. I’m more interested in how a tenant was receiving cool air if the registers were closed! Is heat included in the lease?

I have it in my lease for it to be the tenants responsibility. With that said, I do quarterly inspections and only once did my tenants actually replace the filter by themselves, despite me providing a box of filters. So, even if it’s the tenants responsibility, I recommend being cautious about it.

@Brandon Terrazas I’ve been looking for a a similar investment in Houston as well- and it’s difficult to say the least. High sale prices combined with high property taxes, flood zones and a saturated rental market make it a tough place for a property to cash flow. One thing to add is- don’t forget about accounting for utilities in your #s. Water, Trash, Electricity, Gas and Internet can get really high in a house hack. For rent, I look at the market rates in the neighborhood. 

It depends on if you are flipping or renting out. If your renting out, and the performance is poor then it may be worth to replace prior to placing tenants to avoid paying for service calls. If your selling, then I probably wouldn’t replace it. A new HVAC will not add more value to the property than what the unit is worth. There is a good chance that you will only add for example, 80% of your cost into the sale price. Are you comfortable not recouping ~20% of your costs? The only situation where you can add value is if you had your own team to install it, in which case you would save the margin that the contractor would have made. 

@Lamont Marable It depends on the city/town/state. In many places, working as a unlicensed tradesman is admissible (ie. a homeowner replacing their sump pump)but advertising your services is punishable by a fine or imprisonment. Some places also defer licensing to the relevant industry regulatory body (etc: EPA for HVAC). In general, I’m more concerned about someone’s skills than their paperwork status, and for that you’ll need to see their past work and get references from others. If they’re completely unlicensed it’s also likely they don’t carry insurance- so that’s something I would check with the contractor before signing off on a big job.

@Victoria Radcliff From a cursory perspective, the main benefit of an LLC is the personal asset protection it gives you. That's a lot of benefit for a simple filing fee. The taxation aspect largely stays the same (pass through- please confirm with an accountant). Also check with your lender if they will allow you to transfer the property into an LLC. On PMs- I would skip the PM and instead find a good realtor to work with to manage finding and screening new tenants. For maintenance, as long as you have a plumber, handyman and electrician/HVAC, you'll be fine.

I think the decision depends on the revenue  and appreciation potential of the property vs. a comparable property local to you. I don’t really see an absolutely “wrong” choice here. Texas has high property taxes, which will cut into your monthly expenses. On the other hand, having a management company will also cost you a pretty penny. Since you are saying that the property is in good condition, maybe you can do without the MC for a few years?  I would also consult an accountant or lawyer about the 1031 mechanism and the exact specifics on how to execute it.