All Forum Posts by: Stephanie Dupuis

Looks good, Joel. Good switch to WP vs. Joomla for this type of site. I really like how clean the site looks. Refreshing.

My only comment is some wordsmithing - this is simply just opinion. I thought the following read a bit awkward: "Principal broker and owner Joel Owens is passionate about and loves commercial real estate." It is assumed you love commercial RE if you are passionate about it and vice versa. I'd recommend, "Principal broker and owner Joel Owens is passionate about commercial real estate." That's it. I think it'd also be appropriate to state your qualifications briefly. Maybe, "Principal broker and owner Joel Owens is passionate about commercial real estate and has (enter something prospective clients need to know about you that's unique)."

Also, in the Contact Us box (the gray box) - there's a sentence that reads:

"Please send us your concerns and questions using this form." I'd change this to read "Please send us your questions and inquiries using the form below."

Reason being, your company is soliciting inquiries and business - not concerns. The revised sentence directs users to the form below (because the form is located below the sentence). If you state "this form" - it is difficult to read...make it easy for the busy person. In this case, you're not dumbing it down for the bad client, you're making it flow well for the busy client.

Again, well done with the site. And, good photo of you.

Thanks, guys. These are 36 in. wide wells being used to raise the grade around the windows. No water problem in regards to leaks around the windows or in the basement - but this is on the weather side of the house and receives a ton of hard rain.

The concrete foundation is extremely hard (very old concrete). I'll end up drilling holes. I need to order a drill - none to rent and well, it's another tool to own.

I thought of not drilling b/c my neighbor across the street is a GC and does high end work. He installed his window wells across the street and decided not to drill into his foundation. When he saw my project yesterday, he said just seal it with adhesive (simply said the drilling was overkill) and showed me his wells (they're tight) and how to do it. I forgot to ask about the adhesive (this guy was leaving town for vaca - not going to interrupt him).

Thanks for all your help.

Always "consult/speak with your attorney and CPA" about these matters. (blah, blah, blah)

Typically, though, you set up the LLC when you acquire the property. You have one LLC per property (each property is its own LLC). This contains a problem to the property where the problem occurs, if a problem occurs (lawsuit, fire, etc.) - your liability is limited to your interest in that property (and your other properties are protected). It protects your other assets from being accessed if someone tries to (or does) access them. There are also some tax advantages. It is important to have the deed to each property transferred to the corresponding LLC. I have my attorney do this so it is done correctly.

*I'm not an atty. or CPA. Simply repeating info.

Again...run it by HUD. Let HUD decide.

I'm attaching some window wells using adhesive (I'm not bolting to the foundation).

What type of adhesive do I use? I've read several (confusing) things - asphalt mastic (ok...makes sense), "Construction" adhesive (sounds vague - what's that?), etc. These are aluminum wells being attached to a solid concrete foundation.

Contact HUD.gov - that is where you report suspected acts of discrimination. HUD will investigate.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_discrimination

http://www.hud.gov/complaints/

Sounds like text book discrimination to me. Report them. You're educated. Imagine what they're doing to others.

This may be legit. My neighbor had a rental on our street and was contacted by a "friend" of a person who's house had burned down.

When this happened, my neighbor had me help her which was great for me to learn and see a new rental situation, and it helped my neighbor b/c she was understandably nervous about the situation but needed her property rented.

My neighbor verified who the potential renter was going to be (it was a local military person - easy to verify), and that the house had burned down (she drove by it and looked up the property records to make sure they matched - it was legit). The tenant's insurance paid his rent every month (not in three month blocks, they paid monthly). He signed a 12 month lease. I recall that the tenant did not care how long the lease was for. His insurance was willing to pay up to 12 mo. The tenant was most interested in finding a clean rental, and moving off his friend's couch.

Welcome to BP, Billy!

Yup, @Jerry W. pretty much said what needs to be done.

Before I rent properties out, I seal the properties (make sure there are no entrance holes into the properties). We have rat and mouse problems here - more problems with rats, I've lived in areas with mouse problems. It's the process. They can squeeze through the tiniest of holes. I fill holes with both steel wool and foam filler. No holes! Anywhere.

Also, clear all debri away from the house. Rodents love plants that are against the house. They'll burrow in the roots of brush, trees, junipers, etc. They will also nest and hide in groundcover. Keep the plants away from the house. Do not stack wood against the house, etc. Basically, don't give the rodents cover or housing.

Set traps up both outside and inside the house. Rodents travel along the edge of the walls (or foundation). If you find entrance holes, place traps there. Lots of traps. Line the wall if possible. If in the attack, go crazy lining the attack walk paths with traps.

If there are pets on the property, set traps inside a 4 inch plumbing pipe. The rodent will walk inside the pipe to the trap, but the pets can't get to the trap (a rodent guy taught me this).

Poison is really bad if there are pets around - it's a liability. I don't recommend it. If a rodent eats the poison, they often leave the property and may get eaten by a tenant's pet (or a neighbor's pet). The poisons used for rodents are very deadly.

Yes, peanut butter is great for the traps.

Another Trap:

Take a 5 gal bucket. Drill a hole through the top (where the handle goes) and place a 1/4 in. piece of doweling through it. The doweling is loose and spins freely. Place peanut butter on the center of the doweling as bate for the rodents (the rodents crawl up the bucket and when they try to cross the wood doweling, it spins and they fall in the bucket). In the bottom of the bucket, place water so the rodent drowns. Gross, but it works great. For larger rodents, you need to put other things in the bottom of the bucket (sticky stuff, oil/grease with the water, get creative. I haven't found the perfect solution yet). Takes a bit of work. But, it's safer on your fingers and for those around the trap.

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