All Forum Posts by: Nathan Bahr

Hi all

I've very recently purchased my first rental property.  It is a small 5 bedroom single family house located in Minnesota.  The house was actually built in 1870, but is in very good condition.  

One thing I'm worried about, however is the plumbing system.  It is currently PVC piping.  A large majority of the piping is located in the basement under the kitchen.  The furnace and water heater are also located down there. The previous owners have reported when it gets very cold (0-10 degrees Fahrenheit) they will put a space heater in the basement to hopefully prevent the pipes from freezing. They had one issue many years ago where the main line froze and it cost them a lot of money to fix.  I'm leery about continuing to use a space heater due to the fire risk, the cost of the electricity to run it, and having to depend on the tenants to turn it on whenever it gets cold. The current pipes also do not have any insulation on them at all.  

I'm trying to decide what I want to do. One thing I'm considering doing is installing new pipes that will resist the elements a little more.  Does anyone have any experience installing PEX piping?  Doing some research I understand PEX-A with expansion connections would be the way to go.  I feel moderately comfortable but a little apprehensive about doing it myself after watching some youtube videos and reading some guides..  I would also consider paying a professional plumber if people think thats a better idea.  

One other thing I am considering is install heat tape onto either the current PVC pipes or the future PEX pipes and then wrapping it in fiberglass pipe insulation.

Does anyone have any recommendations in this situation.  Thanks!

Thanks for all of the nice replies!  We just had the closing this past Monday, so i've been busy getting the property transitioned into mine.  Mostly I've been painting, patching walls, and cleaning a few things.  

Adam, I'd love to connect sometime.  I will also look to attend the meetup.  Unfortunately, I do work the evenings every other Wednesday so I won't be able to attend until February.  Looking forward to it.

Hello biggerpockets,

My name is Nate Bahr.  I have been a long time lurker here on the forums and am finally looking to join in the discussion.  Since I have been listening to podcasts and reading articles for the past 6 months, I have been quite impressed by the helpfulness of the community and the huge amount of knowledge on this site.  

About Me:  I am a 30 year old full time pharmacist living in Onalaska, Wisconsin.  It is a small suburb near the city of La Crosse located on the Mississippi river and on the border with Minnesota.  I currently work in the city of Winona, Minnesota.  I stay busy with work, long distance running, playing with my 2 dogs, and being a good husband to my wife

Why Real Estate:  I like real estate for a great number or reasons.  It is a very large field, with many opportunities and paths to succeed and develop one's abilities.  I like that one can keep the investing simple but at the same time there is the opportunity to find a technical niche and do something that no one else is doing.  Real estate offers flexibility in terms of being able to build the life that one wants to build on your own terms.

I like that real estate can offer higher returns than simple stock market investing and offers you something tangible that you can control.  I like the idea of controlling your own destiny instead of relying only on the success of companies you invest in.  I have always enjoyed finding deals and thinking creatively and real estate investing offers a large amount of both of those opportunities.  In my current job, I have to work many different hours of the day.  When I have kids , I don't want to miss a moment of their lives.  I hope real estate will help me get there.

My goals: As of writing this introduction, I am scheduled to close on my first rental house this coming Monday. It is both exiting and nerve wracking at the same time!! The property is a 5 bedroom house that I will hopefully be renting out to college students at the nearby university. After this investment, I would like to find a property to house hack using an FHA loan.

Following those two purchases, my current plan is to use the BRRRR method to own and hold numerous small multifamily homes before hopefully transitioning to larger units. I believe in simplicity and thinking ahead. Therefore, I plan to utilize effective property managers to manage the day to day operations of investments and to free my time up to find more deals and make connections.

While this is my current plan, I fully recognize that plans do change over time.  Learning and participating in real estate so far gives me a great feeling and excites me everytime I talk with someone about it or analyze a property.  I look forward to learning much more about real estate, contributing to many fantastic discussions, and to making connections with many of the fine members here on this site.   

Thank you!!

Nate