All Forum Posts by: Craig Janet

Why did he bring a dumpster before you agreed to terms? This sounds like a trick to lock you in. If you back out the deal he will try to say you owe him for the dumpster.

Ask him how did he come up with his estimate. Did he not add the materials and labor for each aspect of the project. I don't think you need a detail of every nail but a kitchen for example should be broken down to cabinets, countertops, sink, faucet, hardware, appliances. I don't think that's asking to much.

I had a contractor give me an outrages quote. I asked for a breakdown and it was hilarious seeing him try to back into that number. $1000 to reset a toilet, $800 for window trim, etc.

It's just like a car salesman that doesn't want you to see a breakdown of all the fees, they just want you to worry about the monthly note. Odd's are you will see something on that breakdown that doesn't look right. 

Someone on here posted that they couldn't evict a tenant but instead sued them for the rent owed in small claims court. Since the eviction courts were either backed up or not working at all, this is a way to maybe scare your tenant a little. Getting served a court order by a Marshall may let them know you mean business. I never tried this personally but thought it was an interesting tactic. 

I have bought multiple properties using a realtor and I'm still not sure what value they bring. When I see a property I'm interested in on Zillow, I call my realtor. He meets me at the house, i give him an offer to submit, we settle on a price, then my lawyer/loan officer takes care of the closing. Then show up to lawyers office sign papers, I get the keys and the realtor gets a check. So basically all he did was open the door and submit and offer for a nice commission. I could have easily done this myself but it's not allowed.  

I have a mobile home that I'm renovating. Due to a large industrial project in the area, there is a need for short term housing for construction workers. I'm trying to decide whether I want to do a month to month furnished with all bills paid vs a typical long term lease. How much extra should I charge. Below are the details.

Regular long term lease $850, electricity $250, water $50, internet $75. How much extra should I add for the increased turnover and hassle of a month to month.

You're trying to finance almost a million dollars with a 48K salary and no assets. You either need to come up with a huge chunk of cash or lower your property criteria. 

Unlimited Home Repair. PM me and I'll give you the number.

In my mobile homes. I put the cheapest fixtures, paint everything the same color, very basic trim and molding, no ceiling fans, etc. The places look "ok" and all the essential functions of the house are in perfect working order. Why fix it up nice if it's only going to be destroyed within a year. It's a business decision. I would live there if I had to, but have no desire.

You could take him to small claims court and at least have a shot at getting your earnest money back. But I would move on from the house. He cannot sell the house until all the liens are satisfied. If your offer isn't enough, then he will have to pay the difference in cash which he is unable to do. Your title/closing company should have found this out a lot earlier. I wouldn't use them anymore.

If you could tell us what work is being proposed that would help. PM's usually want things perfect because it's not their money and it makes their jobs easier.