Update on our 20-Unit Apartment

Update on our 20-Unit Apartment

Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes

Not sure I have updated y'all in awhile, so here goes.

- Closed on the property at the beginning of August 2018

- Completed exterior and mechanical improvements, including new TPO roof, new HVAC systems, several concrete balcony/landing replacements, and new paint (HVAC systems and roof were at the end of their useful life.  Negotiated 50% of the combined costs at purchase).

- Completed 7 of 20 interior renovations, with 2 more planned to be completed at the end of the month.

- Cleaned up the property, including overgrown bushes and trash.

- Removed all undesirable tenants.  All tenants were/are on month-to-month leases.  We can remove any tenant with just a 30-day notice.  We did have to evict one tenant who just would not leave.

- Placed our first tenant this month into one of our newly renovated units.  $200/month increase from the prior rents.

We originally planned to take about 15-18 months to renovate the property, keeping occupancy high during the process.  But a few things we learned right off the bat:

- Repairs and maintenance were killing us as the previous owner never did a thing and was the "king of cob" as the tenants pointed out.

- We had a rough crowd at the community.  Tons of smokers, loitering, cussing in public, and even a couple situations that made the local news (tenant through a TV off the second-story balcony, then the next week drove his car into one of our contractors trucks and threatened him with physical violence...4 police cars on the scene).

- New desirable tenants do not want to move into an apartment complex and pay market rents when it's still a dump

So we accelerated the entire process.  The downside is that occupancy is really low right now.  But our loan has 12 months interest only, so we figure it's a little easier to manage the lower occupancy now, get the place cleaned up, and hopefully see that proverbial hockey stick kick in soon.  Our big goal now is to fill units....but we are at the slow time of the year.  We may need to drop our rents a bit until we get past the winter months.

PM me if you'd like a link to our website to check out some of the finished units.  If interested I can share some of the before photos as this place was a train wreck, including a hoarder who took two full size dumpsters to clean out trash from her unit. Ceiling was caved in due to roof leaks, etc.

Here are a couple teaser before/after photos:

12Reply
45 views

Most Popular Reply

Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Tony Castronovo:

@Cody L. the property is in Bryan / College Station, TX.  I am not sure you are a fan of smaller sub markets (just a hunch from other posts).  But this property checked a number of our boxes and we feel pretty bullish on BCS.

 No no, that's great.  Whatever submarket works for you.  People buy and sell all over the US (or world really) as in each corner of the US is a spot that works for someone.

I was just asking as most properties in Houston I've looked at or know who bought it when or what they paid, who they sold it to, etc.  So if it was in Houston, I was just curious to see which it was.

See this reply in the discussion

26 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    7y

    Where is it?

  • Gorham, ME · Member since 2018 · 280 posts · 186 votes
    7y
    @Tony Castronovo would love to see pictures. Sounds like you’re on a roll!
  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y

    @Cody L. the property is in Bryan / College Station, TX.  I am not sure you are a fan of smaller sub markets (just a hunch from other posts).  But this property checked a number of our boxes and we feel pretty bullish on BCS.

  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y

    @Cody DeLong I edited my original post with a couple of photos (one before and one after).  My link got edited out by the BP moderator.  But happy to share the website if you want to PM me.  I can also post a few more photos of the before shots as we don't market that on our site ha ha.

  • Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
    Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    7y

    @Tony Castronovo Thanks so much for the update. Great storyline and lots of progress. Are all the units in one building? Have you made improvements to the exterior as well? Keep us updated; can't wait to do a project like this!

  • Reno, NV · Member since 2017 · 8 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    Very inspirational. Hope that you are able to fill vacancey as exspected in the coming months. I am curious how did you find this deal? Was it using an internet listing service like  LoopNet, BP or via local brokers? 

  • Rental Property Investor · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2017 · 75 posts · 44 votes
    7y
    @Tony Castronovo love it Tony! Question: how long does a complete unit flip take for your contractors? And how much per unit are you spending? I bought a 40-unit a month after you. Going thru similar renovations and thankfully the updated units are renting like hot cakes at or above my pro forma numbers. Prospective tenants are liking the finishes, but yours are definitely a grade above my finishes! Nice work.
  • Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Tony Castronovo:

    @Cody L. the property is in Bryan / College Station, TX.  I am not sure you are a fan of smaller sub markets (just a hunch from other posts).  But this property checked a number of our boxes and we feel pretty bullish on BCS.

     No no, that's great.  Whatever submarket works for you.  People buy and sell all over the US (or world really) as in each corner of the US is a spot that works for someone.

    I was just asking as most properties in Houston I've looked at or know who bought it when or what they paid, who they sold it to, etc.  So if it was in Houston, I was just curious to see which it was.

  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y

    Hey @Cody L. thanks for your comment.  

    @Bjorn Ahlblad yes, we did exterior improvements (see second bullet of original post).  It's all one building, 2 stories, organized by 4-unit quads.

    @Daniel Brown this was actually a rebound property.  We had another deal that was starting to fall apart and were reaching the identification timeline on our 1031 exchange.  My broker found this one for me and we jumped on it.

    @David Walkotten congrats on your success!  It's tough to put an estimate to duration per unit.  We broke up the project in phases.  Phase 1 had only 2 units.  Phase 2 had 5 units.  We are in Phase 3 now.  Each phase is 1 month.  Phase 1 we just wanted to start with vacant units.  By Phase 2 we had freed up units by our giving notice to tenants.  We were aggressive because we wanted to "remove the cancer" so to speak.  My contractor got familiar with the units and their hidden nuances during Phase 1.  By Phase 2 he was able to go faster because a lot of the unknowns were apparent, we had our materials sourced, etc.

    Regarding rehab costs, we are spending more than what I hear most investors spending at approximately $9500/unit.  A little justification...first, you have to understand the condition this building was in...50 years old with a previous owner who was 82-yrs old and self-managing.  We literally had appliances catching fire and shocking the tenants.  Second, I believe in keeping repairs & maint costs down by doing solid rehabs.  Emergency calls on a weekend for a leaking sink or broken garbage disposal can really add up.  Lastly, while I think we got a fair price from our contractor I'm really pleased with the relationship.  He also handles any repairs and has really taken ownership of the property.  He keeps the property clean when we have tenants piling up trash upon move out, he shows up nights and Sundays if necessary to help winterize or address any tenant issues.  He's been great!

    Our rehab includes new appliances (basic, not over the top), all new flooring (vinyl plank throughout except carpet in the bedrooms), new plumbing and electrical fixtures (including ceiling fans), cabinet repair and painting, sheetrock repairs, new shower/tub plumbing and tile surround, bathroom vanity top and sink, new toilets, paint, and backsplash.  We saved some money by resurfacing the kitchen countertops and refinishing sinks and tubs as necessary.  Some units require a handful of interior doors that were damaged.  And some hot water heaters need to be replaced.  All units get a new metal front door and hardware (previous exterior doors were hollow core with hw falling apart).

  • Houston, TX · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 6 votes
    7y

    It's looking great @Tony Castronovo , glad you were able to find something before the deadline!

  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y

    Thanks @Santos Gloria! Let me know if you want to visit the property.  I'm usually out there once/wk.  Sometimes I go just to check up on things and/or walk completed units with my GC...but other times I roll up my sleeves a bit (e.g. I volunteered to put in the kitchen backsplashes, which is saving me about $3500....I know it's my time and I shouldn't be working "in the business" but I enjoy putting in a little sweat equity).

  • Houston, TX · Member since 2017 · 25 posts · 3 votes
    7y
    @Tony Castronovo Wouldn’t mind volunteering every once in while either, I’m a student so any gain in knowledge is gold in my book!
  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y

    Hey @John-David Hails...sounds good....will take you up on that I am sure.  We still have plenty of work left on this project.

  • Real Estate Broker · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2016 · 530 posts · 398 votes
    7y
    @Tony Castronovo Congrats! Excited to hear the further progress. Where you sitting at 100% occupancy at purchase?
  • Investor · Akron, OH · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    7y

    I dunno, I'm not sure you should have let go of those avocado countertops and appliances!

  • Rental Property Investor · New York, NY · Member since 2015 · 85 posts · 28 votes
    7y
    @Tony Castronovo oh wow!
  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y
    @Bjorik Mutize it was 90% occupied at purchase.
  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y
    @Jill F. Haha, yes it’s been tough parting with them. I think they were original (1967). Classics!
  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y
    @Sochima Eze Thank you!
  • Rental Property Investor · New York, NY · Member since 2015 · 85 posts · 28 votes
    7y
    @Tony Castronovo please keep us updated! I’m interested to learn how things go considering the neighborhood.
  • Investor · Lemoyne, PA · Member since 2016 · 8 posts · 1 vote
    7y
    Hey tony, I’m about to start a 12 unit full renovation in almost the exact same condition of your building. What was your renovation budget/costs? I have my property completely underwritten already, just curious to see what yours came out to be. Thanks max
  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y
    @Max Liddell I provided some details on the rehab above. On average, our interior rehabs will be around $9500. It’s hard to get the economies of scale that a 150+ unit complex would have. And I know it can be done cheaper with just lipstick. I also know I had several contractor bids much higher. I’m pleased with our contractor and the product we are producing.
  • Rental Property Investor · Jamison, PA · Member since 2016 · 12 posts · 7 votes
    7y
    @Tony that is awesome, I’m looking for a 10+ unit value add opportunity just like this. Please keep us updated ...
  • Rental Property Investor · Park City, UT · Member since 2016 · 678 posts · 531 votes
    7y
    @Cipriano G. Thank you and best of luck on your property search.
  • Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 204 posts · 68 votes
    7y

    @Tony Castronovo Keep up the good work, this is very educational!

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.