All Forum Posts by: Jassem A.

Cabinets, appliances, doors, windows, lumber/plywood, & paint are the main items I might buy or find for free second hand. Flooring is already pretty inexpensive at a couple local retailers.

I prefer no dishwashers. They are one more thing to maintain and half the time they don't get the dishes completely clean anyway or they leave soap residue. Paper plates are the way to go.

I'd leave them as is. I leave them unfinished sometimes and the tenants sometimes ends up painting them.  Sometimes they'll paint different colors either way.  If the cabinets look dirty in the future and magic erasers won't get them clean then I'll paint them. If there is enough demand for rentals then you shouldn't have to worry about cosmetics like this.

I would finish college and maybe learn some trades so that the real estate you buy you can also repair. After you save up 20-40k you might be able to buy a home with cash in a not so bad area.

For 45k I would look for an area that is not rough and at least 900-1000 for rent

Increase the rent by $100 and they'll probably leave and you can replace them

Check, money order, bank deposit, ACH, Zelle, and pay.google.com are methods I've used

You are better off putting tile on the countertop. Granite tile looks nice and it's under $2/sqft at some stores. Can be cheaper than laminate countertops but takes a little bit more time because you have to add backer and adhere the tile and then cut it to fit the counter. Your countertop paint job will probably not come out looking great but tile probably will look good as long as you run it under the sink and use a durable trim or small tiles for the sides. I almost always opt for tile countertops unless I am in a hurry and they have a piece of laminate counter on clearance. Cutting the hole for the sink is also more forgiving on plywood vs the laminate. If you really wanted to you could probably glue the tile right to the plywood or existing counter and it would probably last a while.

You could still self-manage out of state but you would need a trusted maintenance person or company to handle repairs and an eviction attorney at minimum.

Metal roofs last longer and can take less time to install if there are not many cuts. Material price can be about the same as shingles:

https://www.abmartin.net/is-a-metal-roof-way-more-...

I guess the downside is installers tend to charge more for it.