All Forum Posts by: Jean Bolger

uprinting.com or vistaprint.com both do small batch print jobs

@Aaron Mazzrillo, that sounds like it was a win/win situation!

;)

That's kind of a question about the 'look' of the house, so it's pretty impossible to have a real opinion from a written description. Maybe you could post some pictures of the house and some of its neighbors?

Think of it from the agent's perspective- you want them to go through the work of finding, showing and contracting on a property that you aren't planning to buy; you're just tying it up and hoping someone else will show up who wants it. It's a total long shot for them.

Most wholesalers don't use agents; they get their properties through direct mail or other marketing. It's not impossible to wholesale off the mls, but most people who do that are licensed themselves and don't use a separate agent. To do that you need to have the financial wherewithal to get the property under contract though.
I don't know your market, but in mine you won't get an offer considered by a seller unless you have proof of funds or a lender approval letter. Most agents here won't even show properties until you are qualified for a loan.

There are a lot of investors, but there are a lot more properties than investors. Most importantly, not all of investors are pursuing the same properties. There are plenty of deals at, say, a $100k price point that many wouldn't even look at because they work in a different price range. There are people that only buy multi-units, others that only buy SFRs. Others that only buy SFRs with foundation problems. Others that only buy mobile homes on land.... see what I'm getting at? And of course, timing: not everyone is trying to buy a property at the same time.
Real estate is a mind-bogglingly large commodity. Try walking up and down a few blocks in a city and adding up the value of all the properties. All those properties eventually change hands, creating a constant exchange/flow of money. Also, the market is in constant flux, so what constitutes an opportunity is always changing.

That's a great story!

I would not allow any transfer of funds from the title co before the closing. 

If they want to ask that all contingency deadlines be within two weeks, and you are OK with that then fine (but if you are using traditional financing that's going to be almost impossible, I'd think - and what if your financing doesn't come through?). But don't let them have the money until you get the property- that's the whole point of escrow.

And it doesn't have to even be very screwed up. Different loan products have different criteria, some are more stringent than others - there are some loans you can't get if there is no furnace in place, if the kitchen is incomplete- that kind of thing. The seller probably doesn't want to go through the hassle of negotiating a contract and then find out your lender won't go through with it.

With a cash deal only two people have to agree on what the place is worth- you and the seller. 

With a financed deal it's you, the seller, the lender, the appraise, the underwriter.... the list goes on!

The good thing about removal is you don't need a real arborist to do it (as opposed to trimming a large tree- well worth paying for the arborist in that scenario IMO). Unless you're dealing with a pretty massive tree, a lot of landscaping companies will do this for less. 

I'm sorry, I wish I hadn't lost the name of a guy who did a tree for me several years ago. I expected all sorts of complex equipment and hassle. He grabbed his machete and a rope, shimmied up the tree and had it out of there in a flash. It was quite amazing to watch. He told me he was from Equador and had built entire houses there using only his machete. (and no, I didn't ask him about insurance... )

Your PM probably isn't going to research that sort of thing for you though, just because of their own liability. I hope someone here can come up with a suggestion for you. If not, and you've got the time, you might research some smaller  landscapeing businesses yourself and see if you can get them to give you a quote. Unfortunately it's prime time for those guys right now as Spring has truly hit here

I'm sure you'll be glad to get back- even with the spike in house prices. 

I don't see a ton of 3-4 units in Lakewood, but there are a number of duplexes. Of course the best scenario is a "real" duplex (zoning, separate utilities, etc) and there 's a reasonable supply of those (although they aren't as common as in the midwest, as you've probably noticed). There are a number of houses that have mother-in -law apartments, or, as they are charmingly called in the Chicago area, "granny flats" and those can sometimes be a good buy for someone looking to get  additional rent income on an owner occupied. I see plenty of decent options go buy in the 300-450k range. Anything below that is probably going to need a lot of work