All Forum Posts by: Doris Jin Huang

That is so true Brian. We got several GC candidates recommended by friends and families, but they are either not licensed (without insurance), or not wanting to pull permits, or quoting way more than others... 

Where do you go to find contractors? 

Thanks for the response Caroline. I thought he won't be able to put a valid lien as he broke the contract first - missing the deadline by a lot and not finishing the work? Also, even if he manages to lien the house, he still needs to go through a law suit before the lien can cause us any damage?

Separately, what do you mean by "his release"? Having him sign a lien waiver?

We hired a GC to renovate our two family house in Bronx, NY, which was supposed to be finished 6 months ago. Not only was the project dragged very long, many things have been done wrong and the GC is not honest to us. We have already paid him a significant amount of cash (almost 90% of total), but now we feel he will never complete the project. The GC has pulled the renovation permit. We are thinking about firing him but not sure if it's the best option. A few questions we have are:

1. If we fire the GC do we need to pull a new permit? 

2. If yes, are we able to pull a new permit ourselves without hiring another GC? We are the homeowner and plan to live in one of the two units, and we have contact information of the GC's expeditor and architect (who drew the existing plan)

3. Do we have any leverage against the GC since he has an open permit?

4. Any other advice on how to deal with the situation is appreciated.

Thanks,

Doris 

Thank you very much all for your input. Our deal is discontinued as one very important piece of information the seller's agent gave out was wrong... However this is a great learning experience on 203K (heard a ton of horror stories from people who went through the process). Will make better decisions next time. Thanks again all. 

Hello all,

We are looking to acquire a 2 family house where one of the units needs a complete renovation. We were told by one mortgage lender that 203K is our only option here - is it a fair statement? Does anyone have experiences working with a good mortgage lender with a lot of 203K experiences in the New York area?

Much appreciated.

Regards,

Doris