All Forum Posts by: Andrew Bosworth

David Beard,

As for cost effectiveness, the same thing crossed my mind. Getting bids from one or two on the NARI list (or something similar) versus getting bids from a referral may be a good practice to help analyze the true cost for a remodel. Certainly not looking to waste anyone's time, but it will help you distinguish the real players in your area from the rest.

This may have been posted previously on BP, but I just came across a link to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. At the top left there is a pull-down for Homeowners. In here you can type in your zip code under 'Find a Professional Remodeler'. Seems to be a good place to start if you are looking for a local contractor. Here's a link: http://www.nari.org/

Welcome Kris. You've stumbled upon a gem at BP! All the best to you!

As a newbie I have a million questions. I'd be curious to hear from others on BP:

-When starting out, what were some keys to developing your buyers list?

-Who in particular are you looking to add to your buyers list (individual buyers, contractors, other investors...)?

-What is the best way to find investors?

Benjamin,

*This is not professional advise, just thoughts from my own experience*

I'm in the insurance industry and regularly have clients (non-real estate clients) that hire contractors to do work to their buildings/properties. My clients do not provide the WC insurance, that is the contractor's responsibility. I'm not sure how things work there in CA, but in my experience whether you are operating as an LLC or not, you should word your contracts so as to require the contractor to carry their own WC insurance. Most contractors will already carry their own WC (they would be foolish not to). You should also request proof of insurance prior to starting a project - both to verify that they have insurance and also to list you as an additional insured. You are paying them to do a job, not purchase their insurance for them. This also helps provide a layer of protection for you in the event that one of their workers is injured.

Thanks for all the greetings! I can tell already I'm in good company. Kim Lutes and David Helman, maybe we can plan a meet-up.

I discovered Bigger Pockets a few months ago via their Podcast - I was instantly hooked!

After lingering on the site for a while now, I figured it was time to introduce myself. My name's Andrew Bosworth. I live in Harrisburg, PA where I work in commercial property/liability insurance sales (love it!). Prior to getting into sales a few years ago I held various positions in the design/build industry. My wife previously worked as an accountant for a national home builder - which in turn taught me a lot about the industry at large. With all of these experiences, plus making a great investment on our first home last year, my interest in real estate has really taken off. Bigger Pockets has only added to this!

Like so many people, I guess you could say I work hard for my money, but I am ready to have my money start working for me! I am looking at real estate from a long-term growth perspective. Other than some initial learning over the past few months, I am a complete rookie! My goal at this point is to learn as much as possible, meet people and start looking for potential opportunities. Flipping and buy & hold are most appealing to me.

Glad to be a part of Bigger Pockets! I'd love to hear from you.