All Forum Posts by: Jimmy Watson

Quick question BP Nation.... What's the most durable type of sink best for a future rental? And what thickness should it be? What price range? I'm torn between Stainless Steel and Black Granite Composite. Any advice will be appreciated! P.S. has to be overmount, and it's going on a brown granite countertop

I was thinking about doing this is exact same thing! All of those items you could painlessly install for under 1,000$... and I feel like (at least for me)- it would be a major selling point! If you could even command just an extra 50$ a month for rent, you'd make your money back in less than 2 years. Bumping this thread in hopes a seasoned landlord would be able to answer this question!

Thank you both for your replies! Hopefully the cause will come out during inspection, but I'll do just that and hire a foundation expert. When I get back into the property, I'll post some better pictures P.S. if anyone lurking here on the forums in Oceanside, CA 92057 is a contractor / foundation expert (or has any recommendations)... PM me if you would like to do some business!

I don't see anything wrong with the blue. They say red is the most eye-catching of the colors, but I think you have the whole eye-catching part covered with a bright yellow sign. I like it, though! Simple, to the point, and well thought out with a budget in mind.

Welcome to BP!

Hey Laurel, welcome to BP! I'm also out here in San Diego. Cash flow is nearly impossible to find out here, and it's a very hot market at the moment. I'm looking at investing out of state here shortly to tap into cash flow in other areas. Good luck and you're definitely in the right place

Hello BP,

I'm currently in the process of submitting offers to purchase my first primary residence that will double as an investment property (rent out the bedrooms), in Oceanside, California.  One of the properties that I just submitted an offer on (and checked out) looks to be in beautiful condition and pretty much turn-key.  It's a 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath in a decent neighborhood, and I submitted an offer 5K over asking price (the market here is brutal and I keep getting beat out), as well as submitted a letter to the seller in hopes of making my offer stand out. The ONLY flaw that I can visually see is that the first floor has some beautiful tile (not sure on the type... it's really thick tile and kind of like stone or slate?), and seems extremely durable... but there are a few individual tiles that are jutting out of the floor in some spots of about a half an inch, to an inch!!  It not only poses a tripping hazard (worried about getting sued in the future when it becomes 100% rental), but also an eyesore. 

I submitted the offer anyways, not thinking anything too much about it (I'm not the most savvy when it comes to flooring / construction in general), and then curiously started researching the cost of replacing a few uneven tiles in the property.  It's not a deal breaker for me if it's just uneven floors due to a poor installation job, because I need a place to live and I can deal with the minor trip hazard until I can get it fixed.  What did get me nervous, however- is when I was searching online... there were numerous sites that said uneven tile could be the cause foundation problems (house settling too much, etc.), and I don't know much but I DO know that foundation problems are something that I really, really want to avoid (especially when paying at / a tinyyy bit above market).

Question is- with the house looking in otherwise great condition, how can one spot a foundation problem? Is uneven tile a dead giveaway? Will it almost certainly come out in an inspection that the foundation is faulty? I don't want to buy the property and inherit a nightmare. If it helps at all, I'll be using a VA loan so their inspectors are the ones that will be tearing through my property. I'm sure there's not enough detail in this post without quality pictures to base an opinion off of, but I essentially want to know if the uneven tile is a foretelling of something much larger, and should be avoided altogether, and if an inspector will easily be able to tell me what the cause of the uneven tile is. Should I hire a second inspector as well due to this circumstance? Or also get a contractor or two that specialize in foundation / flooring to check it out and give me their opinion?

Any and all help is much appreciated!

Hey, welcome to BP! I'm currently in the market at the moment and making offers out in Oceanside! Tough market, but hopefully something pans out soon! I've been looking for a future CPA, so I'd love to chat with you sometime!

Not speaking from experience... but from the podcasts, books, blogs, and posts I've read- you need to market, market, market. Whether that's direct mail, driving for dollars, scouring the MLS, cold calling, or whatever else- you must be extremely active and continually hunting! If you find the deals, the money and buyers will come.

I'm originally from metro-Detroit (born and raised for 17 years), and love seeing investors getting back into that market. I hear it's really taken a turn for the better nowadays! I've thought about getting involved over there for a while now, but from a distance I think that's a bit too rough of a market for me- unless I'm mistaken?