All Forum Posts by: Jonathan Barby

@Jim Kalish Thanks for the information its a great help. The insulation thin was an example I was looking at a potential opportunity that is long gone. I was a property that needed some work had older 50's wood paneling some of which was missing and you could see that there was no insulation in the exterior walls. I will look into the GC thing.

Follow up question though as a GC you probably still cannot do any of the specialized trades but have to subcontract them correct? If that is right what do you see as the main benefits of a GC license?

@Jim Kalish I see that you are a contractor. Forgive me if I am wrong but as I understand it. A community college will give you some courses and and it can substitute some hours of on the job experience but you still need 4 years of signed off on the job experience in full time hours before you qualify to take the exam. Added to that this was for every specialized trade (electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, Framing?). Correct? 

It is nice that there are things that you can do without a permit. Most if not all thing to be done to a SFH is under 15k of materials. I personally think it is ridiculous that as a homeowner that you cannot do things like add fiberglass insulation to walls. There may have been an incident in the past that caused it to be something you need a permit for. I understand that and I am not against permits I am actually for them. When you go to buy a house you want it to be safe. If you do it wrong it shouldn't pass inspection and you need to fix it or hire a professional to fix it. NC law potentially IBC law has taken away the ability for a homeowner to work on their own property for certain things, can't fight that it's law. Can only try to find out the local laws as to what can and cannot be done and depending on what would be need to be done to the property. If not allowed to do permitted work due protectionist laws for the trades I will be forced to not invest in such deals.

@Will Barnard Understand I used to live in California and the permit process takes forever in most areas over there. Where I am right now Doing the work yourself is both cheaper and faster which is weird coming from California.

For example in my duplex the copper water piping developed pinhole leaks in several areas and needed to be replaced. I contacted several contractors that would replace Copper with PEX. to schedule them to come out would be 6 months! Thankfully I live in the property so its owner occupied. Also it affected the side I live in. Getting the permits only took a couple days and Inspections in just a few days. I took far longer to do the work than a professional as I only had weekends but it was far quicker than 6 months. and about a tenth the cost counting materials only.

Each situation is a little different just trying to find a resource if there is anything out there I am sure many people have personal experiences with permits if they do rehab work.

@Wayne Brooks Sad but probably true. It's one of many reasons people will do work without a permit. Just trying to find the few places that still allow you to work on your own property.

@Waylon Zook Thanks it's good to know Indiana still allows renovations by homeowners

Hey Everybody!

I am looking into the possibility of getting into flipping. If successful build up my purchasing power and will probably consider a mix of fix and flip, brrr, and tax exchange in the long run.:)

I moved to NC and have a duplex. One of the things I found out is that for anything that is not owner occupied and requires a permit I have to hire a professional contractor due to state law! Needless to say I was disappointed. I have no problem with doing the work right and getting permits withing reason which is what research is for. In NC I have seen there are some crazy laws. Like I can replace wood paneling with Sheetrock without a permit but I cannot put insulation into the walls without a permit. Which there may be a good reason for the permit but in that case I could have to hire a fully licensed contractor to buy insulation from home depot and put it in the walls!

Does anyone know of a resource for knowing which states that are more DIY friendly? So that in the event you want to do it yourself with permits or contractors are not available in a timely manner you can do it yourself do it right and get it done and move on to the next opportunity.

NC LAW snippet:

A person may construct or alter a building on land owned by that person without having a general
contractor’s license so long as the building is intended solely for occupancy by the owner and his
family AND the owner obtains all required permits. If such an owner fails to occupy the
building for at least 12 months after completion, then it is presumed that the requisite intent was
absent at the inception. In order to obtain the necessary permits, the owner must also file an
affidavit with the local inspection department attesting that s/he is the owner of the property, that
s/he will personally superintend and manage all aspects of the construction and will not delegate
that duty to any unlicensed person, and the owner must be personally present for all inspections.

Hello BiggerPockets community,

I believe knowing taxes may be a worthwhile investment! I am considering doing my own taxes next year.

Those that have done your own taxes and/or are professionals, what resources have you found useful? I know there are many books and courses out there both good and bad.

As I understand it and enrolled agent is skilled in personal taxes while CPA's have a depth of understanding in business taxes. I read that Gleim is a decent course for studying to become an enrolled agent. If you have taken this, I would like to know if it's just a cram course to pass a test or does it provide a wealth of information? Would you go elsewhere for tax strategies? 

People's experiences both good and bad are welcome. Thank you.

I'll try to make it!