.- On top of all this, the city kept adding things to the TO-DO list: changing out the panels on the covered patio to a type of fire-resistant material, having to build a retaining wall separating our property from the neighbors lot, re-grading the front and back yards, clearing weeds and shrubs from the adjacent lot (not our property btw but we did it because it made our property look bad).

So, I knew the terminology and had a pretty thorough understanding of the material.

If you are diligent and have a love for the industry you will start tearing through that material and feel more and more comfortable as you do.Best of luck,-James

Paul, Thank you for the educational materials.

I generally use contractors or labor to do the work and I provide the materials.  

I know I can put the contractor/material costs into the cost basis of the property but is there any way to include my work i.e. the material for a bath and kitchen is relatively cheap as compared to the labor you pay.  

I do own a little Microsoft stock and I truly wish that was material (ha!)

Should I include a time and materials with a guaranteed maximum?

Hi everyone, I'm fairly new to the real estate investing but I have been spending time to read up on material here on BP, catching up on the podcast and meeting people who are already active in the market.I am positioning myself to be a buy & hold type of investor and I'm looking to find my first rental property in Houston.

I found a lender in PDX (Homestead Bank) who has material experience in rennovation loans.