All Forum Posts by: Bob Collett

@Johnny Youssef I tried a few different software platforms, and then settled on Buildium. Its affordable, intuitive and easy to use. At your size it will cost you about $35 to $40 per month. Their customer support is outstanding... both knowledgeable and accessible. I have used Buildium for about a year. It includes some nice features like an integrated Epay system, so that when tenants pay online, their ledgers are automatically updated. Another nice feature allows you to send out a US Mail letter no matter where in the world you are.  The reports package contains all the needed reports. You can list your properties on Buildium, and then they will syndicate to plenty of online websites to get your leads coming in.

I use Buildium, in conjunction with Top Producer CRM to track all my leads, which also makes it easy to do an email blast to everyone who has ever inquired about that property on Main Street. 

Good luck. 

Not a bad idea... but one small problem... Buying an inspection report from anyone other than the Inspector who wrote the report is usually called stealing. Neither the original buyer of the report, nor the listing agent, nor the buyer's agent have any rights to "sell" the report to someone else; because there is almost always one of these at the bottom of every page: 

"Copyright © 1998-2017, xxxxx, Inc" ; and usually some specific language that states it can not be sold to a 3rd party.

So here it is. I get asked this question a lot. Not sure why, but people from someplace else assume I know a little bit about Cleveland, and Cleveland Real Estate, and Cleveland Neighborhoods.  I often tell people from any place else, that you only need ask one question about a Clevelander to know everything about that person... "Where did you go to high school". This works so well as an identifier, because Cleveland is now and has always been about neighborhoods.

When I was younger than I can remember, we had nice neighborhoods everywhere in Greater Cleveland... each with its own unique character. Then every decade from the 50s until now, Cleveland has lost population. The natives saw many of these neighborhoods decline, as many who could fled for the suburbs.

Then something started to happen in around the 70s.  People started coming back to a place called Ohio City.  Then later, Tremont became wildly successful, and more recently a place called Gordon Square is becoming trendy... each for different reasons, but they are all building on the success of each other.

Real estate investors always wish they could be on the front end of these kind of trends, because when Ohio City was at the bottom, I bought the old family homestead for $7000. Today it is worth 20 times that amount.  My wife grew up in Tremont... then known as the South Side.  When she was young it was filled with Eastern European neighbors, then it got pretty scary. When the bullet came through the living room window... the family left the next day for West Park... a stable west side neighborhood. Now Tremont home values are through the roof! Tomorrow I pick up keys on a Tremont 2-family that will rent for $3000 per month.

So lately, I have been following a place called Slavic Village. This area just on the other side of I77 is not a west side neighborhood, but it is another area with roots similar to Tremont. And for investors, property values are still low, low, low. I have pulled together a few links and excerpts from "Slavic Village" articles, dating back a decade to when things looked hopeless... after all Slavic Village is known nationwide as ground zero for the housing crisis of the last decade.

Go ahead and read that "Can anyone save Slavic Village" article... then if you dare, take a look at the other more recent Slavic Village links I have selected.  You will be pumped.

Bob Collett 

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(note: I have not authored any of the following articles)

Can Anyone Save Slavic Village?

Once thought of as an up-and-coming neighborhood, Cleveland's Slavic Village has become identified with a few horrific crimes, including the death of a 12-year-old named Cookie. Now, it's on the brink with nearly 14 percent of all homes there vacant...

http://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/a...

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Can Slavic Village's Fleet Avenue become Cleveland's latest 'maker' district?

A new program from SVD will put business tools into the hands of local residents by teaming up with the Cleveland branch of the Women's Business Centers of Ohio, a division of the Economic Community Development Institute (ECDI). Together they'll bring six workshops on entrepreneurship to the neighborhood that will be free and open to the public. Each will center on topics such as legal processes, finances and accessing capital and networking and marketing. The series kicks off with a mixer at Seven Roses on Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m.

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/10/new_free_workshops_hope_to_tur.html

Mission:

Slavic Village Development works with and for its residents, businesses, and institutions to promote civic engagement, community empowerment, and neighborhood investment.

Vision:

Slavic Village Development is a forward-looking service-driven organization which honors its neighborhood’s resiliency, diverse cultural heritage, and inclusiveness. We are committed to building a community defined by its high quality of life, unique identity, and healthy and active living.

History:

Slavic Village is a community that enjoys a captivating, interesting history and a promising future. Our vision is a vibrant, healthy community which honors its resiliency, diverse cultural heritage, and inclusiveness. Today, with our unique neighborhoods – from the historic feel of the Warszawa district to the Mill Creek neighborhood’s family-friendly atmosphere — much of Slavic Village retains a tight-knit community feel attracts residents and visitors alike.

Located in the heart of Cleveland, Slavic Village is an excellent opportunity for young professionals and active families to live near some of the best recreational activities the region has to offer. Along with a vast network of green spaces, top-notch educational opportunities, and a housing market with plenty of options for home-buying, Slavic Village is a great place to work, visit, and play.

Slavic Village is reinventing itself. With a rich history, residents who value close connections to family and church, and a number of unique assets, its future is bright. With convenient shopping and countless recreation options, there is no lack of amenities to enjoy. And we are proud of our diversity, evident throughout the neighborhood. People of all ages, races and income levels, families, young professionals, and empty-nesters call Slavic Village home.

http://www.slavicvillage.org/

Slavic Village Recovery Homes

http://slavicvillagehomes.org/

@Account Closed "Point of Sale" refers to a mandatory inspection that is conducted by the city at the point of sale, typically identifying violations that must be corrected prior to transfer of title, or in some cases within a certain number of days after the sale, when the buyer assumes the violations. 

Point of sale is typically enforced in cities that are known for having many housing code violations. It is an attempt to force homeowners to improve the housing stock to a minimum standard each time a home is sold, and/or rented out. It has seemingly evolved into a city run or outsourced money grab and bureaucracy that puts the burden of years of poor municipal management on the backs of investors. I have been told directly by inspectors that investor owned homes (rentals) are held to a different standard that owner occupied homes. Example; requiring resurface an asphalt driveway vs. seal and top coat.

Some cities have been taken to court under the claim that point of sale inspection is essentially illegal and unwarranted search by government officials... arguing that every nook and cranny of the home is searched by government officials without reasonable cause. Thus, in at least a few cases; cities have put a temporary moratorium on point of sale inspections. Every city is different.  Some buyers find comfort in the idea of a point of sale inspection. It becomes a problem for some when a willing seller and a willing buyer come together, but the city interferes... telling the seller, that a roof with only a few years of life left, which is OK to the buyer must be replaced now.

@David Terbeek I will post here once I get the answer... obviously with 18 doors, I have to get it right the first time. I also read somewhere in additional to self closer, we need a peep hole.  My main question is do we need steel, or steel plate over core.  I would like to use a less expensive wood with solid core because these are easy to install and relatively inexpensive.

What kind of doors are required for an existing apartment building in Cleveland? I am talking about the individual unit doors that enter into the hallway. Building is 18 units, 3 story brick.

No idea how this will play out yet. Next time I have a normal inspection, I will ask.

Brad, CMHA does not currently require all the paint to be professionally removed from your section 8 homes at a cost of $10000 to $30,000 each; but what happens to your section 8 approval if the city will not pass the inspection and give occupancy permit?

Currently CMHA only fails for chipping paint.

The back story here is the idea that the business owner (current landlord) is wealthy and can afford lead mitigation. Many rental property owners are regular folks barely covering their mortgage.

So let's say I own a home in Cleveland built any time before 1977 with a market value of $80,000 and a mortgage of $75,000. The majority of these houses have lead paint. The EPA says the cost of professional lead paint mitigation is $8 to $15 per square foot or between $10,000 to $30,000 per house.

(The city may require EPA certification to remove lead paint.)

Essentially, my house and tens of thousands of others like it are now under water because the cost of mitigation means I must invest more than the house is worth. This mandate does not all of a sudden make the owner a slum landlord; but is does subject him to court costs and penalties.

Will removing loose paint and encapsulating be enough, or will the city require me to actually remove the lead paint?

Now, if I want to sell my home, there will be fewer buyers. Banks won't lend on a house that has violations, and the buyer won't or can't pay $10,000 to $30,000 extra for the same house. Try selling a house with the Yes box checked off on the lead paint disclosure form for "known lead paint problems".

Yes, it seems like a good idea to remove dangerous lead psint, but apparently, these inspections will only apply to owners of rental property, not to owner occupied properties. 

Some of the other comments indicate that other cities have already dealt with these issues.

This is serious - http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2017/...

Cleveland, especially the west side of Cleveland represents a lot of great rental investment opportunities. There are lots of homes with "good bones" in great rental neighborhoods, especially in West Park and Longmead. For the most part, the home inspectors have been reasonable; doing their best to be fair. Not so much the courts, once a violation gets that far.

Now, things are about to change with Mayor Jackson's new Lead Paint initiative; which also includes more robust inspections of excessive use of extension cords, old hot water tanks, toilet inspections, sink inspections, smoke detector inspections, Flue inspections, self-closers on doors and more.

The plan also includes a new mandate forcing all landlords to register all rental properties with a late fee and misdemeanor conviction for failure to register.

Up until now, inspectors in the city of Cleveland stayed outside and simply required landlords to maintain the exteriors. Now apparently, the City will demand entry into every home, with the right to inspect every nook and cranny; will some will say represents unlawful search.

To make matters worse, the new charge creates unequal law such that only the landlord class will have their homes inspected. Owner occupants can have all the lead and leaky toilets they want.

While I certainly care about providing safe housing; I wonder who is going to be on hand to buy all of these unsafe houses as landlords begin to exit the market, and try to sell to  a shrinking base of qualified owner occupants? What will this do to values in a region that was hit hard by the last decade's housing crisis? 

Governments and, the courts, and the well meaning; seem to always fall victim to the law of unforeseen consequences that result from social engineering and regulatory overreach. Or is this a clever ploy to reduce the amount of actual housing stock to meet a population's need that has seen a net reduction in population during each of the last 5 decades?

I invite a rich conversation.