All Forum Posts by: Alvin Sylvain

Originally posted by @Account Closed:

There are plenty of rental units without central AC. Some just have wall furnaces or floor furnaces. I recommend you use a page like hotpads or zillow rentals to see what the nearby rentals offer to see if your unit would be competitive without central AC. Also, the window units are not necessarily provided by the landlord.

 Yah I hadn't even considered the difference between a window unit and central. Installing central can be quite expensive. But you can put a window unit in each bedroom for probably less than a couple of thousand, including hiring an electrical contractor to bring over an isolated electric line.

Depending on the floor-plan, another option is to have someone cut a hole in the wall and install the AC there.

Depends on the market. How many neighbors have AC? I don't know the weather in Memphis, but I know there are areas in Texas, Florida and other places where the absence of AC is like a death sentence. You might as well live in Death Valley!

I remember living in Florida, and apartment rules were, do not turn off your AC. EVER. ("But, but, but my electric bill is so high!" So, you'd rather fight mold? Just leave it on. If you can't pay your electric bill, skip dinner.)

Either way, it'll rent more easily and for more money with than without. It's a feature that can only help.

Originally posted by @Tim V.:

Really appreciate all of the replies here. I have to say I'm surprised at how many people would not do anything in this situation, but it's been good perspective for me all the same.

 Welcome to the World of Business. Sometimes it's more pragmatic to let it slide than fight for principle.

I am unfamiliar with how Airbnb works. Did you get a deposit? Keep it. All of it.

Personally, I don't care if you can actually clean the place for less than the deposit, so that "technically" you could refund the balance. I feel there needs to be some punitive damages for lying.

Don't take this as legal advice, of course.

Folks interested in cannabis investments should investigate Canada. They've just recently legalized it nationwide this year (Oct 2018). Investing in Canada is almost like investing in the US, with many if not more of the same sorts of legal protections in the US. There won't be a Canadian federal officer knocking on your door late at night and Canadian banks will be able to accept and transfer Canadian dollars. So it's not constrained to being an all-cash operation.

The only issue I can think of immediately is that it may be challenging converting Canadian dollars to USD. But legalization will happen in the US sooner or later, and when it does, your Canadian equity will have a head start.

@Justin Petrides Let me add to the crescendo of "no" votes by saying, ALSO "no" to a friend of a friend. If you have to evict the friend of your friend, guess what happens with your friend?

@Christian Nachtrieb without looking at your plans (mobile app won't allow) I'd have to say that in general a larger kitchen sells better than a larger bathroom. However, somebody mentioned families with small children do need a bathtub.

You mean after I wake up from having feinted dead away?

The "High Times" magazine advertises some sort of "pre-scheduled" security on the radio, I don't know the name of it. I think it's one of those things where the SEC regs let you drum up interest before you actually start selling.

Should be worth investigating.

I couldn't tell you how they're planning to invest, with all the legal impediments, as per your post, currently in place.

Originally posted by @Jim K.:

Cash in an envelope, a thick sheaf of well-used bills given in return for a handwritten receipt. No, it won't scale, and it's no fun to deposit, but the firm, full, heavy feel of the envelope in my hand...oh yeah, it just does something for me...

 How about gold doubloons? :-)