All Forum Posts by: Bryce Sanders

There are two parts to your question . . . . licensed vs. unlicensed and  permits vs. no permits

We would never use a contractor that is not licensed and insured . . . too much sue-mentality and having someone insured is a requirement anymore.

On the other hand we have had licensed, insured contractors quote us two prices  . . . one getting permits and one without due to the hurdles that come with permits.  It really comes  down to your area if the city / county requires inspections on sale or to get a CO to rent it out.  Some areas do not require permits for much of the work . . . check with the office that covers your area and see what they require.  Exterior work is harder to color outside the lines so to speak due to the visibility . . . even interior work will raise flags when the dumpster is sitting outside.

I recommend having a full inspection done by your local housing department to understand what permits are required. From there, you'll have an idea of which licensed contractors you'll need for specific jobs. Speaking from personal experience, I wish I had taken this route instead of the latter with my first flip. You don't want any surprises after you're finished with the rehab especially in the form of permits needed after work has been completed. Good luck!  

Welcome - you'll find that there is a decent amount of people that invest in Louisiana here (more so Baton Rouge and New Orleans) and there are a few of us that invest in the Lafayette area. Not a huge lafayette investor presence on the forum but there's some really helpful people that do. There's also a club that meets every so often in Lafayette (I have not made it yet due to working offshore)

What are you interested in doing in Lafayette? MFH? SFH?