All Forum Posts by: Arthur Cross-Najafi

Hi Michael, I recently purchased a property with a stellar buyer agent, DM me and I can give you their info. 

Hello all,

I am currently rehabbing a duplex and today I removed the layers upon layers of flooring in the kitchen (8 different floors, kinda cool tbh) to find pretty decent hardwood flooring underneath. This discovery has made it such that the entire house (save for tile in the bathroom) is all the same hardwood flooring. I was already going to refinish the hardwood flooring in the rest of the house and my first instinct was the refinish the hardwood in the kitchen as well. I have been reading that hardwood is not great for kitchens (especially in rentals) because water can ruin hardwood floors, especially if spills/pee/etc. are not quickly cleaned up (a very possible scenario depending on the tenant). So my question is, should I install LVP or tile or some other more waterproof flooring over the hardwood in the kitchen for now while I rent it and then refinish the hardwood before I sell it in the future? Or should I just refinish the hardwood in the kitchen for use in the rental? For reference, the property is located in what I would consider a C+ pocket of an otherwise C neighborhood. I would appreciate any and all thoughts/input on this matter. Thanks!

Hello BP,

I am currently renovating a duplex (built in 1930) I recently purchased and I have a question about re-plumbing the home. The galvanized piping throughout the house is corroded and needs to be replaced, and I am trying to decide between using CPVC and PEX. Does PEX piping throughout the home increase the appraisal/resale value at all? Is there any functional difference aside from freeze/thaw cycles between the two? When it comes time to sell the property at some point in the future will the PEX piping improve my ability to sell the home or does the plumbing not really matter to (most likely other investors) so long as it works? I have CPVC left over from a previous project so that would be the cheaper route, but since all the plumbing needs to be replaced anyway I figured if PEX piping has an intrinsic advantage over CPVC I might as well "do it right" while I have the chance. Any and all thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello,

I recently purchased a duplex using cash from a home equity line of credit (HELOC). I have been reading about the refinancing process and it appears that normally you need at least 6 months of rental history when you go to refinance a rental property. I am currently renovating the property using my own cash as well as some contributions from the HELOC. My question is whether refinancing is different if you own the home outright (purchased 100% with cash), and whether the fact that that cash is leveraged from the outright ownership of a primary residence affects the process. Basically I want to set it up so that the rental property has the mortgage and the HELOC is paid down using the cash from said mortgage in order to free up HELOC cash to potentially purchase more property (or simply transfer the lien off the primary residence and onto the rental property). If anyone has any insight about this particular scenario and what I should anticipate with the process that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I would be interested in a meet up as well!

Hello,

I am currently under contract for a duplex in the Emerson Heights neighborhood and this will be my first investment property. The property is in good condition so I will likely not need to do any major renovations for a while. If there are any other real estate investors with units in this neighborhood with an opinion on good handyman in the area for smaller tasks (minor plumbing issues like toilets, small repairs, etc.) I would love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to PM me. Thank you so much!

Hello,

My name is Arthur Cross-Najafi and I am a 4th year medical student interested in building long-term wealth through real estate and, hopefully, achieving financial independence. I am new to the world of real estate but I have been reading extensively about the subject and am extremely excited to start incorporating real estate into my investment portfolio. I am looking to get started by purchasing and house-hacking a duplex in the Indianapolis area. I would love to meet and network with other investors, real estate agents, contractors, and lenders familiar with the Indianapolis real estate market. I am excited to be a part of the BiggerPockets community!