All Forum Posts by: Priscilla Z.

Again, thanks for all your suggestions. This house is a rehab, buy, fix, and sell immediately so I'm working on my budget and getting my final written estimates. As of today, if my budget permits, I will replace the windows. I just think with all that we are going to do to this house, adding new windows will give it more value and I may be able to put it on the market for more.

I would buy the property over the laptop any day... need more details as far as repairs and rents but for $1,500 (and clear title I am assuming?) even if you throw a roof on it and hold it for a year and just pay taxes you may make some good money off of it in the future.

I bought a piece of land for $100 once....still have it. Taxes are $34 a year. Developers are starting to construct again, one will want it eventually :)

Dash F.-I place offers like this all the time, my realtor loves me because she doesn't have to show me houses. When I get one accepted I go to see it right away, if I know off the bat it's not a good deal, I pass on it. You can always say you found another house and are not interested in this one.

If you find a great realtor that understands what you are doing he/she won't care how many you cancel. Now, if you are cancelling with the same LIST agent over and over, then you might get blacklisted, but what are the chances that the same realtor lists all the properties you are backing out of?

And make sure you actually close some deals to keep YOUR realtor happy! :)

Geoffrey W.

Don't put the address on the craigslist ad.

Do not put a sign in the yard. If you put signs out pick them up. We put them out Fridays and pick them up Sunday nights.

Be careful with HUD - one of the HUD listing agents in my area got on my behind because I was advertising a house before I closed on it, yet I had already done it twice before with him and he earned a commission so I don't know what his problem was.

Things are always different, whether from HUD, REO's and even from one private seller to another, you just have to learn as you go what works and what doesn't work in your state and/or county, city, etc.

Brandon Turner - Thanks for the input, yes from my continued research it seemed that the big box stores are the way to go and then getting my contractor to install each...if I decided to change them....

JD Castillo - thanks for the advice, that's exactly what I did, looked at the sold comps and active comps, 90% had original windows, which means....as Suzie B. said, "I never want to do something I don't "have" to do unless I'm sure I'm going to get that money returned".....and since I don't think the windows will be a big selling point on this house, then I'm not going to do it.

Again, thanks everyone for your input.

@Marcus Brown - I don't worry on concentrating where cash buyers are buying because in reality if you have a good deal someone will buy it. Inheritance mailings have worked for me, quite well actually.

I don't know how much funds you are talking about when you say "limited" but you can do a few cheap things...

1. Buy some blank bandit signs and hand write them. I only pay $1.75 for mine, that includes the stake - put them out Friday, pick them up on Sunday, you should be able to get all of them back - reuse the next weekend.

2. Search through your property records and look for absentee owners. Write them yellow letters.

3. Find a great realtor that is investor friendly and ask him/her to give you a list of expired listing. Mail yellow letters.

And as both Ned Carey and Landon S. have both said - keep trying. You have to dig through a lot of dirt before you get to gold, just don't give up 3 feet before you make it to the gold :)

Working on my numbers for my next rehab project and I need some input. I haven't had to change windows in the houses I've rehabbed so far, so this would be a first.

There's nothing wrong with the windows, except that they are old. They are the ones with the thin silver frame and the thin glass.

My partner and I are debating it, he says there is no need to change them since they are in good condition, and I want to change them since we are planning on changing all the A/C ducts and the inside and outside A/C units so changing the windows will be a plus and make the house more energy efficient by keeping the cold air in.

Advice? I know it's a big expense and it will be a big item on my estimate sheet but I think it's worth it considering the price range I will be able to sell this house in.

Also, I've been pricing them out on home depot but I'm assuming that just going directly through a company that installs windows I can probably get a cheaper price on the windows than the prices I am seeing at Home Depot?

Any help is greatly appreciated :)

I invest in my city and the one right next to it, but if the deal is good enough, a rehab for example, I'll travel an hour max.

Your numbers and time just have to make sense for you.

I've bought and sold two HUD homes, don't believe the reports, or the appraisals for that matter. Do you own comparables, and if it's OO and you and your family will be living there, get the inspection. If you were an investor going to rehab it, that's a different story, but OO, inspect it.

Just my opinion :)

K. Marie Poe - That's right, double closing it is, no deed restrictions and no assigning of contracts. As you said, I have done this before so I know what to look for and what I can and can't do. I don't know why Joel Owens understood from my original post that I was assigning contracts. I actually buy them first, then sell them :) Last time I checked you can't assign HUD or bank owned properties...unless things have changed?

Mike H. - That's why I came here, for clarity because I don't understand what his problem is either, but I'm starting to get over it because after this conversation I have realized that I am doing nothing wrong.

And to answer your question, I have not cancelled one HUD yet, the ones I have had under contract I have closed. Now, this one that I'm dealing with now is another issue. Closing date is getting near and I'm getting nervous, but if I don't close it will be the first time.

Bill Gulley - I don't put addresses on my bandit signs, just description of house and phone number. Now, on the message I give out the address. This realtor has actually taken the time out to call my bandit signs....

At this point I'm not going to stress it anymore, I have houses to sell, shouldn't waste my time arguing with realtors...