contractor

A Glossary for Today’s Real Estate Investor

by Marty Boardman | September 29, 2011

So you want to get into real estate? Well, allow me to help you get up to speed on a few important terms, from an investor’s point of view. Short Sale: This is an oxymoron. Rarely are short sales short. It’s even rarer if a sale occurs at all. An extremely subjective process, the short [...]

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Real Estate Law

One More Regulation to Cut Into Our Real Estate Profits

by Clint Coons | September 14, 2010

ATTENTION ALL HOMEOWNERS, RENTERS, LANDLORDS, PROPERTY MANAGERS, REALTORS, BROKERS AND ANYONE WHO PERFORMS HOME RENOVATIONS AND REPAIRS FOR PROFIT. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has changed its regulations for renovation, repair and painting (RRP) activities. Some of you may already know that as of April 22, 2010, all contractors and renovators must be trained and [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Getting Started in Real Estate: Part 4 – Rehabbing as an Exit Strategy!

by Peter Giardini | June 17, 2010

In this fourth part to this series I am going to focus on one of the most profitable real estate investing strategies available. And when I mean profitable I am speaking of profits that can routinely exceed $30,000.00. Now that is a huge payday… and for many real estate investors that amount may represent a significant [...]

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Rehabbing

Are You Sure Your Independent Contractors Really Are?

by J Scott | May 26, 2010

As a real estate investor — and especially if you’re a house flipper — you will no-doubt be hiring a lot of independent contractors to support your business. And I’m not just talking about the people who will be working on your houses; your real estate agent, your attorney, your CPA, and most of the [...]

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Real Estate

6 Rules for Managing Your Contractors

by J Scott | April 14, 2010

In my opinion, the most difficult aspect of being a first-time house flipper is managing your contractors. Perhaps it’s because I came into this business with no construction experience, or perhaps I’m just not a terrific “people person,” but regardless, on my early flips, ensuring that my contractors performed to expectation was by-far the most [...]

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Real Estate Investing

The Paper Trail Every Rehabber Should Follow

by J Scott | April 7, 2010

For anyone planning to get into the business of rehabbing houses(even as a hobby), let me recommend that you have a consistent paperwork regimen with every contractor you hire, regardless of whether it’s a $100 project or a $100,000 project. For the most part, the risks are the same, and amount of effort to mitigate [...]

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Rehabbing

What’s in a Contract? Almost Everything You Need to Know About Contractor Contracts

by J Scott | February 17, 2010

[Big Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and I don’t play one on TV. The information I provide below is just my opinion based on my experiences, and shouldn’t be construed as anything more than that…it certainly shouldn’t be construed as legal advice. If you have any questions about the legal aspects of what I [...]

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Rehabbing

How to Pick the Best Contractor for your REO, Foreclosure Rehab, or Other Remodel

by Winston Westbrook | December 28, 2009

How do you pick someone (a contractor) to take care of your REO, foreclosure, or other home improvement or rehab needs? Do you base it on: the nice shiny truck they came to visit you in? the neatly pressed uniform they are wearing? the sharp penmanship on the estimate? the jokes he or she cracked about the weather? [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Residential Land Development – Part 3: Zoning, Design and Financing

by Craig Grella | October 23, 2009

To recap Residential Land Development Part 2, we discussed the importance of performing an economic feasibility study with cost estimating to determine a max price land offer and whether or not there is enough profit in your potential deal to warrant spending more time on it, or actually developing the land.

Assuming you’ve done that initial research and arrived at the conclusion your numbers look good, you’re ready to go back and do it all over again. This time you’re going to be more exact with your numbers. To do that, you’ll really need to hone in on the potential design of your house, and to do that you need to research what’s possible on your lot. You do that by learning all you can about the zoning codes in your city. These are the third and fourth steps in the residential land development process.

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Flipping Houses

Finding Happiness with Contractors

by Brendan O'Brien | February 28, 2009

What do these projects have in common? Replacing zone valves (not just the heads) for forced hot water heating Installing a 220-volt outlet for an oven Installing a hot water heater The common bond between these projects is that I won’t do ‘em. It’s not that I don’t have handyman skills – I do. But [...]

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Rehabbing

Carpet or Tile? Rehab Decision Making for Nervous Newbies

by Connie Brzowski | December 29, 2007

Rehabbing a house can be a nail-biting experience, particularly the first time around. Sometimes, nice readers over at my blog email asking advice about their latest rehab project. Generally, the questions involve finishing issues such as whether to paint or replace kitchen cabinets, or if carpet or wood floors work better in a rental. I [...]

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Real Estate Law

A Contractor’s Failure to Properly Register was a Crime Under New Jersey Law

by Joshua M. Marks, Esq. | December 17, 2007

In July 2006, Martin Korab hired Eric Rowland, a contractor, after seeing one of Mr. Korab’s advertisements under the name “Mercury Woods Carpentry” in the telephone book. Mr. Rowland gave Mr. Korab a written proposal along with a diagram detailing a bathroom renovation project, and accepted a deposit of $3,750.00 upon Mr. Korab signing the [...]

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Commentary

A Few Lessons Learned on Working with Property Managers

by Joshua Dorkin | March 23, 2007

I recently had an episode with a property manager and thought I’d share some obvious wisdom with everyone. We all have busy lives and from time to time we forget to do what we’re supposed to. HERE’S YOUR REMINDER: Stay on Top of Your Property Managers! Don’t just assume that they are going to do [...]

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Blogs

Using Blogs to Build Your Real Estate Related Business

by Joshua Dorkin | September 14, 2006

Blogs can be very effective communication tools for people in all areas of real estate. Real Estate Agents, Lenders, Investors and other professionals in this field can all benefit from blogging. Here’s a few ways to add to your success by blogging. First, I wanted to mention a few important keys: – Focus on Your [...]

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