All Forum Posts by: Dave M.

yes - but like you have identified it depends on the specific property.

some places demand a 3rd BR but others you will have less wear and tear on a 2 BR

Based on your other post about property in Boston, do you want your holdings scattered so far apart when you do return to the US? There is some benefit to investing in different markets, but there is a downside to being too fractured.

Regardless of SF or MF make sure each property stands on its own as a viable investment for your particular goals. Don't vary your strategy just because of one factor, you seem to be considering all options as well as looking at other markets so that strategy should serve you welll!

Regarding our "pros" here, I got my proposed reassessment about a month ago - and as soon as I did, I got about a letter a day and a phone call every other day from one of them offering their services. I filed my appeal online for free and am awaiting my outcome.

Congrats Joshua Dorkin!

Glad to see the additional coverage - when is your live interview scheduled?

In some areas you can get around standard eviction procedure, for example by offering daily or weekly rentals that are not treated as apartments. Instead these are treated more like hotels so if someone fails to pay they can be arrested for trespassing.

Of course, the people you reference may just charge such a high rate that builds in the cost of lost rent, eviction, etc. to keep them profitable.

I have faced this same situation several times and agree that nullifying the current lease and executing a new lease is the best option.

One thing that I have found effective for making sure I am getting a decent price when I don't "have a guy" like Rob K mentioned.

- I pay for angieslist.com ($50/yr.)
- Do a search for A rated contractors in the category (say plumbing)
- Start calling (~1/3 leave voicemail, 1/3 leave message with admin, 1/3 talk to them directly)
- When speaking with the contractor directly I explain the problem as best I can and ask them what they think the problem is and what it will cost to fix

After talking to several you will probably understand your situation better, so you will be able to better explain to the next contractor and you will also have a pretty good sense of the rates they are charging. If you hear $125-$150 per hour 3x, pretty good chance that's the going rate.

I really don't know in this situation. If the seller hired someone to do the work and believed it was done, were they actually negligent? Could they say you should have had it re-inspected? How much time (er, $) is it worth expending now to maybe get something back.

More important is learning from this and not making the same mistake again as already mentioned.

Checking all sink and tub drains is a common inspection item. Checking that a washer/dryer works probably is standard. But seeing if the washer drains properly without running a full load may not be possible so I wouldn't beat yourself up about that one. I just remember an inspector pointing out to me that cheap rubber laundry supply lines often burst and I should replace them with the stainless steel ones.

You're right about the seller, but what about the inspector? They may have a disclaimer, but its worth a conversation asking why they failed to include these items in their report. I wouldn't use them again.

Kristann - sorry to hear your experience.

Without knowing the extent of the work, $1500 sounds extremely high, unless there was substantial work required to get access to the drain. A tub drain assembly is $15-20 and hoses are $5-10 x 2.

Consider this a valuable lesson to meet contractors at the property and get multiple estimates to ensure you are getting a fair price.