All Forum Posts by: Jo W.

Hi BP members,

I'm asking for my in-laws, they own a house and they are looking into converting it to a 2 unit.

Does anyone have experience with the process? How long does it take? how much it costs? who should they contact to find out?

zola.planning.nyc.gov says:

Land Use: One & Two Family Buildings

Building Class: One Family Dwellings - Attached or Semi-Detached ( A5 )

https://a836-acris.nyc.gov/ says:

Property type: DWELLING ONLY - 3 FAMILY

Thanks in advanced!

@Eric James @Russell Brazil @Andrew Postell

to be clear, she's been working at the same hospital for over 4 years and called in very few times (Just like any other employee). the fact that she has a medical condition that allows her to call in doesn't mean she doesn't have a stable income.

Based on your comments it sounds like a person with MS should not be qualified to lease a car, buy a house, or get a student loan.

A friend of mine is a nurse and unfortunately she has MS, due to her illness she can call in to work with no limit of days. 

She applied for a refinance which will save her a lot of money and got denied because her HR department would not sign a guaranteed amount of work hours as she has MS and can call in whenever she likes. 

Does it sound like a discrimination to you? She is more than qualified (800 plus credit score, DTI ratio of less than 25% and work history).

Are there other options to refinance in this situation? 

Scott I pm you - hope he can help. 

Thank you! I'll probably leave it the way it is and invest that money into something that will give a better ROI.

Originally posted by @Pat L.:

I did one in 2005 that we still own as a rental. The ceilings were all popcorn & every wall was exactly what you are describing. The pic of the arch shows how heavy the texture was. My guys tried to smooth the texture down but it was dusty & being a 1978 home we were afraid of asbestos. Parging over it would have required a LOT of mud so was not cost effective.

We decided to put up 1x3 strapping & cover the walls & ceilings with new drywall. It worked better than expected & we blew out all the walls with arches. It rented immediately & has never been vacant.

Pat, thank you for your comment! Can't believe it's the same house - looks really nice! 

I thought about covering it with new drywall but that's not cheap too and the real question is if it will increase the value when the property is apprised or if it will attract better quality tenants.

I'm wondering if I can invest this money into better fixtures / kitchen / bathroom and may get better return? 

Hello all,

I'm in the middle of the renovation part of a BRRRR deal in Buffalo NY. The property is located in the W Ferry / Elmwood area.

I have a knockdown texture on a plaster wall and I would like to hear your opinion about smoothing the walls or leaving it the way it is. 

Skim coating the walls will increase my overall cost while I don't know if I can charge more rent / attract better tenants / increase the value of the property by investing this money. 

What do you think? 

@Matthew Irish-Jones Thank you for the great info (As usual :) ).

It's about 28 squares so it's pretty large and steep.

I ended up breaking it down to labor and materials to ask the roofer why is he charging me over 100$ an hour "I guess you are right" was his answer and the price dropped to the normal range (12 k for the labor).

Hi,

I'm in the process of a BRRRR deal and I have a roof that needs to be replaced.

I received 5 quotes so far ranging from 27K to 43K.

When I ask why the price is so high the answer is "you have a cedar shake roof under the shingles".

Was wondering if someone has some insight what I should be expecting to pay per square for a roof tear off and installation.

I'm located in Buffalo NY and I know prices vary but 900$ a square (for the cheaper one) seem outrageous to me.

@Anthony Calvano 
I had a situation where the tenants got into a fight and the wife called me "If my husband calls you to let him in do not let him in". 

My advice is to explain that legally they both are on the lease and you cannot just remove one of them without the permission of both. If both of them agree that the wife will be removed you can send a lease addendum to be signed by both of the tenants.

If you cannot get the wife to sign the addendum you should probably consult with an attorney as there are different laws regarding bifurcation.

@Lauren Schifferle Thank you! I will try them.
I spoke with Evans bank, Key bank, and a few other smaller places.