All Forum Posts by: Christina McManaway

@Leland S. What do you mean by "private contractor"?  California laws are alot different than other states and I am not familiar with the laws in Tennessee.  But here if you are removing a wall and are moving plumbing, HVAC you would need a permit for that.  And non permitted work cannot be listed when you sell.   You might want to check out this link:  

http://www.cityapplications.com/building-permits/TN-Tennessee/bldg-Tennessee.html

Although it may seem like a good idea because of the interest you are getting, I think staging it too far off your current business model. As a interior designer, I don't even stage homes. It's a whole other business model with product held in a warehouse. My business model is specing construction materials and designing rooms then ordering custom furniture and window treatments. I don't hold any inventory. Instead I'd recommend connecting with designers or stagers who would be willing to rent from you on a regular basis. Look into becoming a trade partner or working "to the trade." You can become a member as a trade partner and attend networking events.

Do your research. Adding this type of clause can increase the cost of the contract. Any charge orders that are submitted or any unforeseen items will extend out the competition date. That may not be the best method to get what you want out of the contractor.

Valerie Nygaard I have family mostly in northern Iowa not in Des Moines though. I wish we had houses here in SoCal as cute as they do!

I went the real estate license route. I have mixed feeling about it now. I thought it was what I needed to do to learn the industry. I was fortunate and spent some time in commercial real estate and that is where I learned how analyzing properties. So now that I'm licensed, wholesaling properties is probably not a good idea for me. Maybe this all depends on your market but this is just my honest feelings about it. Watch BP podcast 189.

Although an interior designer can help you with those things (I am one and I do do that for my clients) most aren't licensed contractors and wont be able to give you an idea on cost of labor. I would recommend you develop your own scope of work. Not everyone will rehab a property the same way. That is a skill that you as the owner will need to develop otherwise you will try to get bids from contractors and be comparing apples and oranges.

CSUSB is a commuter school. The area around it is definitely not ideal.

Julius Smith Welcome to BP! I'm in SoCal as well!

Samuel DeMass I'd say from my interior designer perspective if you are removing everything else in the house that has that style then remove that too. A cohesive design is more sellable. If one thing is off, your buyers will only see what's wrong, or what needs fix = more money. Imagine the increase in your holding costs while your property sits without selling, take that money and put it into fixing this. If your preserving this style throughout the whole house then keep it.

Valerie Nygaard that's awesome! What type of property did you buy? I have lots of family in that state and was considering investing there too! A great excuse to visit! :)