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All Forum Posts by: Rich O'Neill

Rich O'Neill has started 25 posts and replied 546 times.

Post: Best MLS and Property Listing API's

Rich O'NeillPosted
  • Contractor
  • Chadds Ford, PA
  • Posts 567
  • Votes 459

@Jimmy O'Connor NERD!

I wonder if there is a way you could tie into the IDX feeds that Bright pushes to agent websites. It's not an API per se, but might be a way for you to get and manipulate the data easily. I don't know what guard rails they put on it though so there may be something preventing you from doing it, but maybe worth looking into. 
https://support.brightmls.com/...

You may also be able to create a crawler that scans Bright itself for data your looking for. You would have to figure out how to get the software logged in to Bright, but I am sure that can be done. 

Post: Loan Officer Recommendations in Philadelphia

Rich O'NeillPosted
  • Contractor
  • Chadds Ford, PA
  • Posts 567
  • Votes 459

203k can be a tough sell in this market because you need a contractor signed on for it and there is a ton of paperwork on their end and they can get easier work elsewhere. That might be a good place to start if thats the route you are looking to go. 

Post: Full Gut Renovation

Rich O'NeillPosted
  • Contractor
  • Chadds Ford, PA
  • Posts 567
  • Votes 459

@John Baker I don't see anything for permits, which is fine but can be a bear if you get a Stop Work order. It's expensive and time consuming to come back from that. 

Definitely move Siding and Windows to right after demo. You addressed roof but that should definitely be early on, especially this time of year. I would add that any concrete work should be done before December otherwise you might not get a window until March (dramatic, but definitely much harder to get concrete guys working in the winter since they usually have seasonal layoffs). 

Bathroom/tile should happen after/concurrently with drywall. 

Paint after trim, but before floor- lets you rip through with a sprayer like @Paul S. said and not have to mask anything off (except windows). 

As for @Paul S.' comment about doing electrical/plumbing yourself, be super careful here unless you have a lot of experience. If the building burns down in an electrical fire you could theoretically be liable. I prefer to leave the specialty work to the specialists. Framing is also a specialty and if done incorrectly on structural parts can be a huge risk. Partition walls are fine as long as they are straight, plumb, and you have a stud at least every 16" on center. Keep in mind clearances for toilets and such. If any of those words don't make sense to you, either study a lot, or hire it out.

Good luck! Let us know if there is anything we can do to help! 

Post: Need that reno done before winter? Hire a time based contractor!

Rich O'NeillPosted
  • Contractor
  • Chadds Ford, PA
  • Posts 567
  • Votes 459

How many other contractors on here are paid members? Not many! That should show you how much they want your business...

Fleming Project Management started with only one customer in mind- real estate investors. The ABSOLUTE most important relationship to a value-add real estate investor is with their contractor. It is also the hardest to create. We set out to solve that issue.

We designed the business from the ground up to deliver the most value for our target client- residential real estate investors. Our business model actually DOESN’T work for retail clients! And we are happy about that! Several things make us different than the common contractor to make us the right choice for your investment:

Project Manager Vs. General Contractor:

Our role is to represent you on the project. We manage the relationships with the individual trades, create and push project schedules, create and execute scope of work, and keep you informed throughout the process. We align our goals with you instead of trying to eek out the most profit we can on a job.

The pricing model that works best for you:

Contractors generally charge in one of 3 ways: Quote, Time and Material, and Cost+. In a traditional Quote based pricing model, the GC would be trying to maximize the price they can charge you without you going to a competitor, and will almost certainly try to hit you with change orders as the job progresses. Their goal is to create ambiguity to allow room for this. Time and Material gets you closer to the actual “value” of the job, but does not incentivize the contractor to be efficient with either time or materials, and requires a lot of pushing from the owner to stay on schedule and on budget. The Cost+ model is the closest of the 3 to total goal alignment, but it still ties the fee directly to the cost of the job, which disincentivizes budget maintenance.

So we built the Fixed Time Pricing Model. With the FTPM, we will come up with a project schedule, and commit to that time frame. Our fee will be based on that proposed schedule, not the actual close date. What that does is incentivise us to get it done faster. This way, who wins when the job comes in ahead of schedule? EVERYONE! You get the property rented or sold faster, you pay less in interest (or earn a higher annualized ROI on Cash), and you free up your cash sooner to do more deals in a year. We generate a higher margin, free up our team to work on more projects (maybe another of yours…), and get our subcontractors more work, which ultimately means more money for them. We understand that when you make money, you have more capital to invest in another project, which you will inevitably rehire us for, and continue the virtuous cycle.

On top of all of that, our bench of contractors is giving us (and therefore you) their best prices in order to keep receiving work from us. We firmly believe that these savings should pay for our fee and then some vs. subcontracting the work on your own, and you get an experienced project manager dedicated to your project which saves you valuable time. Think- economies of scale through shared resources.

For investors, by investors:

We started in this business building our own portfolio of rentals and flips. As investors ourselves, we know what is important to you, and how to execute to create the most value for you. We have learned a lot along the way and can hopefully save you from some of those lessons we learned the hard way. One example is our “Bulletproof Rental” checklist. Over the years, we have come across some minor tweaks to traditional repairs to greatly reduce maintenance and turnover costs. One example is the trap configuration under sinks. Rather than using the compression fittings most contractors use, we plumb in solid schedule 40 PVC with a cleanout built in to eliminate broken traps, which leads to leaks, destroyed flooring and drywall damage.

At the end of the day, we are very different than your standard contractor, but that’s the point. We are here to create value for you to help you reach your version of financial independence, and achieve whatever your goals in life are.

We operate in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties. Some areas we have experience with include Lansdowne, Upper Darby, Springfield, Broomall, Collingdale, Ridley, Crum Lynn, Pottstown, Coatesville, Norristown, Royersford, Downingtown, Kennett Square, West Chester, Conshohocken, Glenolden, Drexel Hill, Clifton Heights, Newtown Square, Malvern, Avondale, Toughkenamon, and many more.

Post: Current $/sf in Philadelphia

Rich O'NeillPosted
  • Contractor
  • Chadds Ford, PA
  • Posts 567
  • Votes 459

Of course. Hope it was helpful. You can definitely use a /sqft number, but I would use it as a rule of thumb only, kind of like the 1 or 2% rule. Making decisions based on it alone would be a big mistake, which it sounds like you understand. 

Without running a true analysis on all of our recent projects, we have been closer to $100/sqft on full gut rehabs with minimal framing over the last 6 months or so. Others will be able to address this better, but new construction is likely closer to $175-$200/sqft for single family. The additional requirements of a triplex would likely take that higher. Curious to see others thoughts. @Jimmy O'Connor what are some of your clients seeing on those lots you sell?

Post: Current $/sf in Philadelphia

Rich O'NeillPosted
  • Contractor
  • Chadds Ford, PA
  • Posts 567
  • Votes 459

@Luis Marcelino I really don't like using a $/sf number ever if I can avoid it. Definitely not on a rehab. Makes a little more sense on a new construction but even then there's a lot of variability. Like in this case where the lot is undeveloped and you will need utility taps, vs. a tear down and rebuild. I prefer to break it down by "task" and add it up from there. Most of the "tasks" to consider here are the following: 

  • Zoning/Permits- Biggest factor here is time/Architect and possibly engineers for underpinning. You will also likely need street/sidewalk closure permits at different points in the job
  • Utility Taps- Water, Sprinkler, Sewer, Power, Gas, Cable (this is likely negligible as the cable company should do it for you)
  • Excavation/Foundation- Are there buildings on either side? If so, you may need underpinning which is it's own can of worms, but not impossible. 
  • Framing/Sheething
  • Siding
  • Windows
  • Roof- Roof deck? If so, they are more expensive than a rubber or shingle roof
  • Rough Electric- Include fire alarm system on a triplex
  • Rough Plumbing- Including gas
  • HVAC
  • Sprinkler- needed for a triplex
  • Drywall
  • Trim
  • Paint
  • Tile
  • Kitchens
  • Appliances
  • Plumbing finishes
  • Electrical finishes
  • Final Cleaning (negligible in the grand scheme)
  • Landscaping/Hardscaping

There are some other smaller pieces that I left out, but these are the majors. I know it is a lot more work, but breaking it all down this way will get you a MUCH more accurate number than a /sqft number, especially considering each project is unique. 

    Good luck and let me know if there is anything else I can do to help. 

        Post: Need Contractor In Philadelphia

        Rich O'NeillPosted
        • Contractor
        • Chadds Ford, PA
        • Posts 567
        • Votes 459

        @Anthony Brown check us out and see if we can help. 

        Post: Buy rental property via LLC or in own name w/ umbrella insurance

        Rich O'NeillPosted
        • Contractor
        • Chadds Ford, PA
        • Posts 567
        • Votes 459

        @Victor B. I spoke at length with my attorney about this when I first got set up. I was working with partners so LLC was the best choice for us, but we planned to buy 10-20 properties per LLC rather than 1 per property. The additional complexity/accounting/tax filings made it too complicated to have too many LLC's. Here are some of the major factors to take into account when making this decision. I am not an attorney and this is not legal advise, just things I discussed with my attorney.

        Lending Terms

        I have actually gotten really good terms on my commercial mortgages lately. Only slightly higher rate than a personal mortgage with 25 year AM and no prepayment penalty. I am sure this won't always be the case, but currently this seems to be a smaller factor. In general, commercial loans have more restrictive terms since there is less of a secondary market for the banks to sell them. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have too many LLC's, banks will often just decline the loan because it is too complicated/time consuming to underwrite the borrower. I have 3 LLC's and have been told that I was on that threshold by some smaller banks because they didn't want to spend the time underwriting all of the LLC's.

        Liability

        This is generally the reason everyone wants to go with an LLC. The theory is that if you own an individual asset in an individual LLC, your exposure to liability is limited to that individual asset, and a faulted party cannot come after any other assets, personal or business. The key to this is maintaining the "corporate veil", which implies that the LLC operates COMPLETELY separate from any other LLC's or individuals. If your negligence is great enough, and the plaintiff has a good enough attorney, they will likely be able to "pierce" that veil and come after the owner personally, which would ultimately put any other assets (the other LLC's) on the table. This is why I believe it is important to have good insurance no matter what structure you choose.

        Taxes

        I am not an expert here, but I believe there are some small advantages to owning the real estate in an LLC vs Personally (filing as a Sole Proprietor), especially if you are making active income (flipping, wholesaling, etc) through any of the entities by filing as an S Corp. Talk to your accountant here. If you go with an LLC, keep in mind that you are going to have to pay to file returns for each entity you open. This is largely why we decided to hold multiple properties in each LLC before opening a new one.

        Attorney Fees

        I had the advantage of using a family member as my attorney so he wasn't looking to get the most he could in fees, and gave me the real story. One thing you have to remember is that attorneys make money opening LLC's for people. If they can convince you that you need 100 of them vs. 10 of them, they make more money. Understanding all of the above can help you ask the right questions to your attorney and make the right decision.

        I hope some of this helps you make your decision. 

        Post: Philly Market High Level

        Rich O'NeillPosted
        • Contractor
        • Chadds Ford, PA
        • Posts 567
        • Votes 459

        @Dan Powers and @Jason Forman I would argue that a rental rehab and a flip rehab shouldn't be too far off in terms of cost. We generally advise our clients to do some of the things that might not have to be done, but could cause you problems later. For example, if it has knob and tube wiring, it will likely cause issues later and you should consider rewiring it now while you are doing major work. The end result is usually that we end up with a similar rehab. We might make different finish choices (cosmetic vs. durability) but the price is often similar. Of course some clients choose not to do some of those things and that is fine, but we advise it either way. 

        Best of luck and please let me know if there is anything I can do to help! 

        Post: Housing prices are cooling off, now's the time to reno that deal!

        Rich O'NeillPosted
        • Contractor
        • Chadds Ford, PA
        • Posts 567
        • Votes 459

        Thanks @Shawn Kostoff! Been a pleasure working with you!