All Forum Posts by: Robert Simpson

Hi BP!

House hacking my first duplex in Oak Park, IL and need the following work done: 1) Brick repointing or tuckpointing 2) Garage concrete floor replacement 3) Rotted siding removed and replaced 4) Window replacement 5) new flooring

Any subcontractors or general contractors you would recommend for my area based on your experience?

Also, would you recommend a subcontractor/specialist for each job, or one general contractor to manage all the work?

Look forward to learning from you guys!! Thanks in advance!!

@Jennifer Rysdam thanks for this! I like the idea of decreasing vacancy and have happier tenants. Just seems a hard line to walk to make them a little nicer than comps without going overboard. But I’m sure that’ll get easier with time!

Thanks everyone else!

Sound like I need to:

1) definitely take care of safety related items

2) do some comps research in area to determine quality/finishing around me

3) then try to meet the comps or be a little bit better to capitalize on best rent and less vacancy

Thanks guys as always!! :):)

@Lynnette E., thanks for this! You mentioned no HVAC, same in our building. Have you ever decided to add it to your older buildings? Any problems with finding renters because of it?

I’ll try to follow your advice on associated repairs, and also see what I can do myself. But it seems like these associated repairs could easily get carried away and spend more than you planned. Do you usually set a budget on repairs going in, and do what you can until you hit that number?

Thanks so much!!

We have just purchased a 110 year old duplex in Oak Park, IL to house hack. There are obvious repairs, like brick work and rotted siding, that will make the investment last.

But what about more cosmetic repairs? To what extent should you put money into an old house to make it more appealing to renters? Obviously the more money you sink, although rents might be slightly higher, your cash on cash ROI goes down. We also want to repeat this in 1 year, so spending our cash delays when we can repeat this!

Any thoughts and insights to share here?