All Forum Posts by: Christina McManaway

I was merely informing you as to how my industry works. Another investor may not be so fortunate as you going to a model home paint deck in hand ready to color match. I do believe there are much easier ways to get a color palette that would work for your property. I've had clients take colors from a previous home and put them in there new home and wonder why it doesn't work and that's because of the colors of the materials and the lighting in the new house aren't the same. Color is relative to its environment.

I am not familiar either.  Hopefully they can get you some answers. 

Hi @Ann Bellamy I see your not local so I thought I'd reply to help you out.  You can try the local Lawyer Title lawyersie.com they are a title company here.

@Marian Smith sorry I thought you were asking for advice not giving it.  That being said I don't recommend your method mainly because it could be seen as taking propriety property.  All my designs have a limited license use and are copyrighted.  

I've been wondering what exactly people on here mean by "investor friendly contractor." Are they looking for rock bottom pricing? Do they expect the contractor to fund the job until they can afford to pay or their hml pays? I understand building a regular relationship of trust and mutual respect but I'm not going to risk my business for that relationship and hope of future work.

Marian Smith why don't you call up an interior designer and ask for a color consultation? They know all the current trends and can help you create a color scheme that's appropriate for your homes architecture and also help you with what local buyers are looking for. I know a great one in Katy, Tx.

Your first mistake was buying the material yourself and the second is hiring the contractor for labor only. Most quality contractors buy material from their vendors (not home depot) at a price the public can't get. You want these guys, they work regularly (can maintain an account with their vendor for the best pricing) and do quality work with quality materials. Most subs that will do labor only are hungry to eat and might pull off the job because they can't make money. To your main question a jv might be a good idea. You need to create a relationship of trust first with your GC or subs. I might be a snob but Home Depot is for tools only not construction materials unless your in a pinch.

Scott Byer are you getting all new plans drawn up or have you gotten as builts already? What are they doing for that price? Are they measuring and drafting up plans from scratch? It's not so simple as taking someone's else's plans that aren't in cad (which I'd never do - I mean take someone else word for measurements, I do all my own measuring). An engineer isn't just going to give you the correct beam size and stamp a drawing. He should be doing load calculations and also advising you in regards to all things structural including if your taking out a shear wall. I'd be concerned your contractor didn't know all this needed to be done if you were taking down a wall.

Brian Garlington I understand the need to be very detailed in addressing her concerns I am often that way too but most people won't read every detail in a long email. And unless your lease is great different than other leases landlords use I wonder why she is asking all these things. Either you need to reevaluate your lease or take a pass at the first sign of a possible tenant showing signs of being high maintenance.

I have no doubt that whatever you do, if your unit floods another unit they will go after you! And so will the HOA if you have one.