All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Marc Ver Wayne  Selling by unconventional means will likely result in a much lower sales price.  The straightest path forward is to get the work permitted. If indeed a good job was done then it should not be much of a problem.  If the house is worth $200k and she owes $50k-100k, then she certainly does have the resources to make things right.

I'm planning to attend; thanks for organizing. 

 Well now I understand why you don't bother with contracts: your reading comprehension and writing skills are truly lacking.  Touchy, thin-skinned people tend not to do well on public forums nor in business so,  I wish you luck.

You're so fixated on this dispute with your contractor that you're not seeing my larger point. You wrote that you buy based on what you expect the rehab cost to be.  You then said the budget was ~$11K.  That's not very much to rehab a house. So, if you buy based on such a small expected (unrealistic) rehab price, I think you're taking a big risk.  It wouldn't take much to exceed that amount and I asked your plan in that event. 

@Keith Jourdan Congrats, it looks nice overall.  One thing: I would have relocated the floor vent in the bath (even if it meant re-tiling the floor).  It's really not good to have it right next to the tub.

Good luck with it!

@Steven Tenaglia You're both to blame for exercising such sloppy business procedures. Contracts exist for a reason.  Split the difference with him and be done with it.

I wonder though what you mean by, "I put my offers on what I expected the rehab budget to be."   What is your plan if [big] problems are discovered during the course of the renovation work?  Having very tight numbers is asking for trouble: You either risk losing money or face the temptation to do shoddy work.  Something to consider...

@J Scott It could be an improper vent which is siphoning water out of the trap (that's why the odor would go away after running the water). 

@Account Closed  Does it really only take you 3 weeks to renovate a house?  Do you do a good job?  Do you pull permits?  Are you licensed to do electrical and plumbing under your permit?

It would probably be best for you to sub out as much as possible and/or pay your help a little more, especially if you want guys that have their own tools and can work without supervision.

You have to spend money to make money and you have to buy low.  If you don't buy low, you end up having to compromise quality, producing an inferior product, in order to do well financially ...and that should not be a part of anyone's business plan.  

@Carlos Enriquez  Is this really such a major repair issue?  Just fix it and move on. 

 Based on your description, I think you have an unrealistic expectation of what he should have noticed.  Please do the right thing by returning the inspector's money to him. He did the work; he deserves to be paid.  To do otherwise would be to take advantage of his kindness.

@Nate Hawkins Sorry but I think asking inspectors to recommend or rate contractors is as silly as the ubiquitous HD 6:00am suggestion.  I don't see how it would be proper or ethical for a city inspector to give an endorsement.  I also think it highly improper to attempt to bribe them with lunch in order to get a favorable inspection  (I hope you were kidding).

Like most things, there are no shortcuts to finding good people: it takes time.  Referrals from friends and neighbors are probably the best, albeit non-foolproof, method.  Generally, if a company conducts business in a professional manner, i.e, has gone through the time, expense and effort to have proper licensing, insurance, etc and has a record of longevity, they will be reliable.  They will also cost more but you get what you pay for.