All Forum Posts by: Alfred Edmonds

Ashley Pohlman Please pm me, I'm interested in speaking with you regarding this flip and other local deals Thanks

Isadora S. would you please contact me regarding greenfield Thanks

I know nothing of your market but I would think 1.5 bathrooms would be rough for 5 bedrooms. Even for 4 bedrooms I would add a shower

I don't know about PA but here in MA, at least where I live, some towns can really be hard on landlords ignoring zoning laws. By that I mean running a rooming house illegally. Usually it is because the neighbors complain. As far as I know if you as the owner are charging by the room then essentially you are running a rooming house and that is a new set of building code and zoning regulations. Of course the tenant on the lease can do what they want as far as renting the rooms and such which to me seems backwards. Lots of people rent the whole house to a group of students and everyone is on the lease and the city doesn't care as long as it is within occupancy limits. I have been involved with a property owner lately who found himself on the s**t list of the building and health departments and the zoning board. Not a good place to be in at all and they can and will make ones life hell. None of this may apply to you or anyone else but I think many people forget that there are laws and they can be enforced. I live in a huge college area and have seen more trashed homes than I'd ever want to see. Co-signers and deposits are a MUST for students.

James K. Has some good advice there. I live in an area where most homes are quite old (60-200+) and I remodel for a living. Always wear protective mask and even tyvek suits when demo'ing ! I have had all sorts of respiratory and skin issues through the years and at times it can be nasty at least and fatal at worst. One never really knows what is behind those walls. Insulation is also a favorite spot for mice and squirrels and they don't mind doing their business there too which is gross but also a potential source of disease.

Sorry... and the fire department came and threw everyone out with 5 hour notice in November in the cold no exceptions. It was meant only for artist studios but everyone lived there. We had our own bathrooms and kitchens. Not only did we lose but the owner lost his shirt.

I lived in an illegal loft space on '08

Also if it's not structural work (load bearing wall and such) you might find someone without a license like a good handyman looking for some side work

Might have to wait a bit this time of year. Everyone worth their salt is booked. If the job is worth it you might find someone out towards Worcester but Boston can be a hard town to work in for out of towners with the horrendous parking situation

Bin Chen A good GC is worth it. Scheduling subs and understanding the flow of construction is not as easy as some would say. A good GC has relationships with subs already in place and many times subs will be way more flexible with their schedule with someone they work with regularly. Homeowners trying to act as GC to save a few bucks almost always lose money. If one is not intimately familiar with how things work they will inevitably overlook things and that can sometimes mean redoing work or opening up already finished work in order to get inspected. Time is $. A good GC is worth every penny. A bad one is worthless so do your homework and ask for references. Make sure they are licensed and insured and have active workmans comp.