Just got my first house hack!

Charlotte, North Carolina
House Hacking
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Just got my first house hack!

Danielle Campos
New to Real Estate · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2022 · 10 posts · 27 votes

I'm running to BiggerPockets because no one else understands what I'm doing or how excited I am. I closed on my first home/first house hack last week! It is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms single family home. My plan is to convert the dining room into the 5th bedroom and the 1/2 bath into a full bath and ultimately make this a 5 bed, 3 bath home.

The home is exactly what I wanted with light renovation needed. I've never done anything DIY so this will be my first attempt. I am planning to put in LVP, paint the kitchen cabinets, and add some tiles to the bathroom. Unfortunately, it seems that I may need to replace all the carpets upstairs since it has black lines on the edges due to soil filtration (previous owners didn't clean their air filters often).

I'm feeling very optimistic right now, but have spent a whole week just trying to decide on a good value LVP so I can replace the 1st floor... I still need to pick a carpet, get it installed, and find a contractor who can do the bathroom conversion (I definitely cannot do that).

Would love to hear other's experience diving into doing DIY for the first times. Any tips?

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David Liu
San Francisco Bay Area · Member since 2018 · 33 posts · 31 votes
2y

@Danielle, awesome to hear you got your house hack property. It sucks that people in your circle don't understand or can appreciate what a life-changing decision you made by buying an income producing property! 

So for DIY, I used to be a construction engineer(managed contractors), my wife and I also renovated our own house hack with LVP, repainting tiles, walls etc... 

I have two pieces of advice for you. One is practical and second is mental. 

On the practical side, try to look for an LVP flooring that has sound blocking properties. With 4 other roommates, the more sound proofing measures you can take the better experience it will be. So flooring, insulation etc... should have sound proofing thought out. Use HomeDepot's flooring calculator to calculate how much flooring you'll need (it includes a 5% extra flooring buffer because you will mess up some cuts)

On the mental side, whether it's a big construction project or a simple LVP flooring project, you will encounter set backs, problems etc... you're going to want to give up, take a deep breath and push on. It'll get done. 

We just completed a triplex renovation in Charlotte that took 1.5x longer than it should but we pushed through and we were able to double rents and improve the living quality. 

Let me know if you have any specific construction or house hacking questions

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  • Mose Gebremeskel
    Investor · Member since 2022 · 234 posts · 144 votes
    2y

    Congrats on your first deal! I hope it's going well so far.

    1Reply
  • Tony Pellettieri
    Investor · NC/SC · Member since 2023 · 149 posts · 77 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Danielle Campos:

    I'm running to BiggerPockets because no one else understands what I'm doing or how excited I am. I closed on my first home/first house hack last week! It is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms single family home. My plan is to convert the dining room into the 5th bedroom and the 1/2 bath into a full bath and ultimately make this a 5 bed, 3 bath home.

    The home is exactly what I wanted with light renovation needed. I've never done anything DIY so this will be my first attempt. I am planning to put in LVP, paint the kitchen cabinets, and add some tiles to the bathroom. Unfortunately, it seems that I may need to replace all the carpets upstairs since it has black lines on the edges due to soil filtration (previous owners didn't clean their air filters often).

    I'm feeling very optimistic right now, but have spent a whole week just trying to decide on a good value LVP so I can replace the 1st floor... I still need to pick a carpet, get it installed, and find a contractor who can do the bathroom conversion (I definitely cannot do that).

    Would love to hear other's experience diving into doing DIY for the first times. Any tips?


    Hey Danielle, congrats on getting started and investing in your first Investment! We remodel homes just south of Charlotte in SC and practice the BRRRR strategy. Closing on investment properties can become addicting. The more you do it, the more you want to do it again and again.

    When doing conversions, updating baths, creating new bedrooms/bathrooms, etc. make sure you do your research on local codes and permits required. If/when you plan on selling the property, if you don't pull permits, you may run into trouble with inspections when attempting to list your home if the amounts of bathrooms, bedrooms, etc have changed.

    We utilize handymen for many parts of our rehabs but on properties that will be rented/sold in the following 24 months, in our area, a GC is required to pull all permits. Meaning, we as the owners, cannot pull the permits ourselves if the property is not our primary residence and we will be selling/renting the home in the following 24 months.

    House hacking is a great way to get started. Don't get too stuck in analysis paralysis when needing to choose materials. Think about your long term goals. If your plan is to rent, know renters can be hard on any finishes. LVP/Laminate are great choices for rentals due to being inexpensive & durable. Apply this concept to many areas of your rental areas/homes.

    Good Luck and keep that momentum and optimism going!

    1Reply
  • Crystal SmithPro Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Chicago, IL · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    2y
    Quote from @Danielle Campos:

    I'm running to BiggerPockets because no one else understands what I'm doing or how excited I am. I closed on my first home/first house hack last week! It is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms single family home. My plan is to convert the dining room into the 5th bedroom and the 1/2 bath into a full bath and ultimately make this a 5 bed, 3 bath home.

    The home is exactly what I wanted with light renovation needed. I've never done anything DIY so this will be my first attempt. I am planning to put in LVP, paint the kitchen cabinets, and add some tiles to the bathroom. Unfortunately, it seems that I may need to replace all the carpets upstairs since it has black lines on the edges due to soil filtration (previous owners didn't clean their air filters often).

    I'm feeling very optimistic right now, but have spent a whole week just trying to decide on a good value LVP so I can replace the 1st floor... I still need to pick a carpet, get it installed, and find a contractor who can do the bathroom conversion (I definitely cannot do that).

    Would love to hear other's experience diving into doing DIY for the first times. Any tips?


     My experience- Never do DIY.  Learn to manage the contractors and/or handymen.

    312-681-7487
    0Reply
  • Gabriel Zurita Pertinez
    Real Estate Agent · Central West area of Florida · Member since 2024 · 13 posts · 3 votes
    2y

    Congratulations @Danielle Campos!!

    For DIY projects I would suggest to go to YouTube, there are tons of videos about every possible DIY project you have in mind. That being said, if your budget allows it, don't be afraid to hire some of all projects out, not everyone can or have to DIY. Make sure you interview and get quotes from 2-3 contractors or try to get referrals from family or friends.

    Good luck!!
     

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