All Forum Posts by: Neil Hohmann

Thank you, Steve. 

Thanks, Greg. I agree.

Hey BiggerPockets Community!

I'm seeking leads for reputable plumbers in the Washington, DC area. We have a single-family home (built in the 1920s) in Takoma, DC.

Over the last couple of weeks our property manager has been dealing with a backed-up sewer line. It's been scoped and scaled and cleaned, etc. But the problem keeps recurring after a few days. The plumber (DH Stevens) has informed the property manager that they think the main has a "belly" and it needs to be replaced.

They recommend digging down through the basement floor and replacing the affected pipe. But after more than a week, they still have not provided a scope of work or proposal.

Giving the high cost of this procedure, I'm searching for recommendations for reputable plumbers in the DMV area for a second and third opinion and quote.

If you have a lead or any advice, please let me know. Thank you!

Neil

@Sadashiva (Sada) Yelluru - This is why I try to select properties valued high enough ($10K+) to close with title. When I've self-closed, I've used ProTitleUSA to run a title report, but (as you may suspect) it doesn't involve their opinion on the quality of the title work but it can raise some red flags. I've heard of others finding people on UpWork and Fiver to pull and review title work (usually current or past employees of title companies). 

As far as the deceased spouse, does the deed indicate tenants in common? If so, it may come down to going through probate ($$$). But if it's joint tenants with rights of survivorship (JTWS) then it should be relatively simple handle on their end.

Good luck!

@Sadashiva (Sada) Yelluru - What's your actual concern? Is the current owner listed on the deed alive? And are they the seller?

@Hong Le - HOA fees can be rather high in the DC area. Be sure to factor those in to your costs.

@Jeffrey De Los Santos My understanding is that all assets within an LLC are exposed to a potential lawsuit. If you grouped your management business and rental assets in the same LLC, you would expose your rentals to a lawsuit filed against your business. This is why some investors creat a new LLC for each asset Talk to an attorney.

Hi Cat,

In 2019, we were able to get a HELOC on an investment property in Denver through PenFed (Pentagon Federal Credit Union). But there are a few caveats: 1) we technically have no primary residence since we live overseas on US government orders (and our housing is covered), 2) we own 3 investment properties and we were told we could not purchase any more properties (could not exceed 3) while we had the HELOC open (we were using the HELOC to cover improvements), and 3) this was a year ago, when the economy was good. That all said, it's worth looking into PenFed or other credit unions. Penfed.org.

Neil

Thank you @Craig Curelop and @Tyler Howell for the referrals. Craig, I messaged you for the contact information (via a friend request).

Hello, 

I have a vacant 843 sq foot 2bed/2bath apartment in Denver that needs to be painted. Can anyone recommend a local painter or company they've personally used? Walls, trim, doors, ceilings. 

Thank you!

Neil