All Forum Posts by: Rob Brautigam

Word of mouth, LinkedIn profile testimonials, online review sites, BBB, etc. are all great ways to review your potential inspector's reputation. I have used an inspector who was literally a one-man-show. He was licensed in CT, inspected the house in ~2 hours, and wrote up and sent a thorough report that evening.

As long as they are licensed and have good reviews, I would have confidence in using them. I wouldn't expect them to be part of an 'inspector organization.' They should have a License with your state as a Home Inspector.

The biggest thing is for you to be educated and aware of what potential problems may exist with the given house. Termites - are you in a termite susceptible region/climate?, NJ/CT are, MI is not. Is the basement musty/humid and has potential for mold growth, water damage? Radon - look at a radon potential map for your state (Here's CT). Well/Septic inspection should be done if buying a house with them. Etc, etc.

Hope this helps.

I would definitely take the 700 now. It only takes 1.5 months to break even on the presumed 'loss' over a year if you were able to pull in a 800/mo rent. As long as the tenant checks out fine with credit/background, lease it out!

You can use flat which is cheap but you might need to repaint the unit after every tenant. Satin/semi-gloss will allow you to clean and touch-up specific dirty/damaged areas.

Seems like you are at the point where you'd rather turn over management to a designated property manager/management company, rather than dealing with the day-to-day maintenance yourself. Generally, the more units a property has, the easier it will be to afford a property manager. 

Welcome to the site @BHASKAR RAO. Be sure to check out all of the free resources, in addition to the Forums. I recommend the podcasts and the free books/guides (both under the Learn tab on the website). Good luck!

This is an interesting and creative idea that might attract some buyers but might also deter others.

I agree with @J Scott on the fact that you will end up netting less by using this technique. For example, priming and painting the sheetrock would typically be completed by the same contractor. By priming first, and then potentially waiting a month or more to paint the interior would for sure be a hassle to the painters, costing you more at the end of the project.

@Andrew Johnson, thank you for serving our country and congrats on your first purchase. I feel like the first one is always the toughest.

As a member of the armed forces, have you looked into using VA loans to invest in real estate? I think you would definitely enjoy the BP Podcast Show 103 which hits on this topic primarily.

@Dinesh T., welcome! It's always nice to see another investor from CT on the site.

Hey @Matt Duran welcome to the site...there is a whole lot more to think about than simply your purchase price and your monthly rent. I think you would definitely benefit from listening to  BP Podcast #75 and BP Podcast #111 which primarily discuss investing in mobile homes.

Highly recommend listening to these 2 podcasts... and the rest of 'em.

 Awesome, I appreciate the quick reply. Refi it is!