All Forum Posts by: Fedor Volkov

Hi BP community, 

Running into an issue with one of my tenants in a property that I'm house hacking. Few weeks back I asked them if they had any issues with their property including plumbing and we found a leak under the kitchen sink that apparently was there for a while (tenant never reported it to me) and now I am arranging services to make the plumbing repair. A week later I get an email from the tenant asking for a rent discount because they caught an eye infection while cleaning the mold herself (citing that they got a fungus infection). 

As a landlord, my responsibility is to respond to tenants complaints and to fix things as soon as possible, which I'm doing, however the leak was there for a while and was not reported to me timely and now I have mold that will likely cost me a lot to remediate + tenant claiming a rent relief. 

Do you have any advices on how to proceed in this situation? They've been good tenants overall and this is a bit of a surprise to me. 

Thank you

@Imran H. Thank you! I overall agree and that is my plan, but want to compare how much it will cost me to fully outsource it and sort of forget about any headaches :)

Hi BP Chicagoland community, 

Looking for an investor-friendly property management. I own a 3-flat in Avondale that I'm house hacking but I will be away for about 3-4 months in the winter, so won't be able to self-manage it. 

Any recommendations of reliable property managers in the neighborhood? Thanks!

Hi BP Chicagoland community, 

Could someone recommend a contractor that could help fix damage after a leak in 2 bedrooms? The plumbers took care of all the water leak and have dried the interior walls, but I now need to fix the holes in the walls and repaint the bedrooms. 

Will appreciate any recommendations! 

Thanks,
Fedor 

Hi Chicagoland BP community, 

I'm replacing a furnace in one of my duplex down units and got a quote from a guy who I've been using for some HVAC repairs and I've been happy with the price and service. The quote that I got feels ball park right (~$4k), but given I'm new to the RE stuff would love to shop around to see what competitive bids I can get. 

Can someone recommend HVAC companies that they've been happy with to run some RFQ? Thanks!

@Jennie Berger beautiful work - congrats! Where in NW Chicago? Curious to ask what were the financials (purchase, arv, sell price)? Trying to figure out my next move in Chicago.

Your requirements are fine, my only comment would be to just call the previous landlord vs asking for a letter, doing extra paperwork may be annoying for prospect tenants. Have you tried to fill out the application at the showing and tentatively pre-approve tenants (could help generate even more excitement)

2-3% is fair. Your closing costs will be higher as you will need to pay PMI upfront for the lower down payment

Agree with the above comments. Don't rush to the first offer, insurance is an area to shop around for sure. I had 5-6 quotes on my triplex in Chicago and price difference between low and high was more than $1500k. 

Hi Chicagoland BP community! 

Looking for some referrals for contractors who could come and check a finished basement that had minor flooding after the recent storm in Chicago (Avondale). I didn't get a lot of water and it was all manageable by the tenants, but given this happened I want to try to understand the reason and where to look (e.g., do I need to install a new/ better sump pump). 

Few companies I got from google search offer free estimates (e.g., US waterproofing, Everdry waterproofing) but they are all swamped with work and I can't get an appointment until mid-June. 

Any leads will be highly appreciated!

Thanks

Fedor