All Forum Posts by: Darwin Crawford

Trex, or something similar.  There is also a product called ThermoWood which is essentially baked hardwood.  Neither is going to be super cheap, but when you factor in the time and labor savings of not replacing plywood, it'll pay off.  

Yep, pressure wash and paint.  If you get a good high-quality metal paint, and keep it clean, it'll last for years.  Look at Dunn-Edwards, or Sherwin-Williams.  Stay away from big box store paint.  Its cheap junk designed to sell more paint, and quickly.  

Dings and dongs in metal - bondo and more paint.  Easy to handle. Bondo is stupid cheap. 

Re-siding is going to be a fairly expensive job on that place, and ultimately not worth it unless you could make money on top when you sold.  

What is the subfloor made of?  Wood?  Concrete?  Steel?

@Komal Patel - first off, much kudos for jumping in the pool.  Its a nerve-wracking experience, and I have 10+ years in the construction business...

Re: What to do, and what not to do - On the one and only flip I've done that wasn't a rental, I had my realtor pull pictures of the 5 comps within 1.5 miles that sold for the max dollars per square foot, then I just replicated them.  No sense reinventing the wheel.  

I think that @David Greene gave you some great advice, the best of which is trusting your gut on people, but verifying everything.  (Wasn't that Regan who said "trust, yet verify"?

Construction can be a tough nut to crack, and I cannot stress enough the importance of organization, organization, and writing EVERYTHING down.  It's a pain, yes, but I promise, the big boy companies do it for a reason.  That means timelines, bids, product numbers, measurements, etc.  I paint a marker board on the wall of every house I do, and then paint over it when we are done.  It's "command central" while things are ongoing.  

use amazon.com for logistics, they are better at running to the store than anyone else in the world. 

Most subs are pretty good, and can handle things, but people do exaggerate.  The sweet spot to hit is the guys who are competent enough to get it done, but cheap enough to afford.  Low bids aren't always the cheapest.  

Local laws come into effect as well with most mechanical work (plumbing, electric and HVAC), so you'll have to do some homework there.  Most of the time you can pull permits as a home-owner, and its a little cheaper.  

You will be surprised at the margins in the construction industry, if you are willing to crack the whip and keep everyone on task.  Do not dispense money for uncompleted work, no matter what the sob story is.  Just don't do it.  When (not if) a problem arises, you will come out ahead if you are more organized than them.  That means pulling out a contract, or email, or order, or whatever, and proving you are right.  Maybe look at something like basecamp or planGrid to help you on the journey.  

If you get specific questions, we are happy to help.  I love construction, and think its great if properly done.  

@Terry Brennan - lawyer question.  BKR laws vary a lot from state to state, and in between types of bankruptcy.  

Dude.  You're in CA.  About as tenant-friendly as it gets.  If I were you, I'd pack up, leave, and find a new place.  Video a couple of his ragers to take to court and bounce.  Get them on your phone, email them to someone to time stamp them, wait till this A-hole passes out and then leave.  

Although I own rental properties, I'm a tenant in my own home, and enjoy it.  I've also dealt firsthand with untreated alcoholics in my immediate circle of friends and family.  Get out.  NOW.  

Too many good landlords out there to put up with a bad one.  Normally I would never advocate bouncing on a lease, but you have a state with a friendly legal system, and a severe problem on your hands.  

One more reason to park your hard-earned money in a landlord friendly state....I'm in AZ, and a good friend of mine has a high-end property in Santa Monica CA.  he's a super sharp guy in a very competitive industry, and got his @$$ handed to him by a "professional tenant"...I got the whole story over some beers one night, and California has some LL/Tenant laws that are just plain idiotic.  

Makes me super pissed that the laws allow that stuff, but fortunately, in this amazing country we call home, you have what is known as "the right to move"....

We can have the punks out in 5 days with the sheriff's help here.  Thus, I landlord here.  

@Logan McConnell - first off, I'm in AZ, not CO, and also not even close to a lawyer, so double-check this stuff.  

Pet fees are very common, yes, and I would undoubtedly charge one.  Be careful with your wording, as certain states take the words "deposit" or "fee" as very different things.  If you call it a "deposit" in some states, it legally has to be refundable, but a "fee" does not.  

In my limited experience, good responsible pet owners will prefer deposits, even if they are higher, because they have gotten them back in the past.  Dirt-bags will give you some dog-and-pony dance about how good their 95lb rescue mutt is, but in reality, it'll eat the doorknobs off the place.  They are also the ones who whine the loudest about pet fees.  

So yes, charge a fee, or deposit, whatever you are comfortable with.  

In regards to apps - I feel ya brother.  I get that crap from zillow all the time.  Just grind through them, and you will find a good one.  good tenants typically are very communicative, and if you ahve a good place, will gladly hustle through the hoops to get it.  I live really close to all my rentals except 1, so I don't mind showing a lot.  Gets me out on the bicycle with the dog.  

consider a credit/app/background that they can take with them if your property doesn't work, it's more of an incentive for them to go ahead and do it so they can have it done for other landlords already.  

I used a deer cam in a metal box for the same thing.  Worked great, just took stills instead of video, but they resolution is super sharp and I had no problem identifying the perps.  

They are motion activated, and the night vision is excellent, so you get a series of photos of them doing whatever they are doing.  

DVR is asking for trouble if tenants have access.  Go with simple, cheap and effective.  

Epoxy flooring!  Perfect application for it.  

Carpet tiles like those from InterfaceFlor are really cool, but spendy.  

If you do epoxy, go with a real one, not the home depot junk.  

Here in AZ, we have arizona polymer flooring, they are top notch and have great products.  Don't work for them, just a very happy customer. 

Its a 3-step floor, with each one being a 2-part system.  Once fully cured, you can put golf spikes on every critter at the zoo and turn 'em loose with no problem.