All Forum Posts by: Seth Borman

I can't think of a single reason to do this. We have both master and individually metered properties and master metering is terrible for financial performance. Do the ductless, but tenant pays utilities and you can increase rent for AC.

A new boiler will be, at most, 17% more thermally efficient than what you have now. The payback on that install will be measured in decades...

In Washington state there is a free state insurance program. Look for resources that can mitigate the risk, but be sure to do it before closing.

Look up the small builders and developers group on Facebook or google rjohnthebad to see how these deals get done.

Andrew, what was the utility process like? Did you have to add new meters? Was getting the side sewer in the ground a challenge? We're there fees to hook up?

Ductless heat pumps or central units with an inverter compressor can run down to -5 with no problems and they don't use backup heat from any source. We just replaced a boiler with ductless units in a seven unit building. Key takeaways are to talk to your tenants early so they know what you will be doing and that your heating load is dictated by your building envelope.

Look into doing a lock out rather than an eviction.

Any resolution on this?

Originally posted by @Sean Walton:

I think the decision to buy is different for a lot of buyers but this will definitely come in to play when they calculate how much house they can afford

 The research that I've read over the years indicates that the MID causes people to buy bigger homes but doesn't play a large role in their decision to purchase. Thus the effect on volume and price aren't directly correlated.

I expect that it will reduce the price of homes, though I doubt that it will reduce the quantity demanded. It might actually increase at a lower price since more people would be able to participate.

I'm not a big fan of treating housing as a piggy bank, and I don't think owner occupied housing is a good investment. Mostly because it has to appreciate faster than wages to make it a good investment and 50 years of that has brought us to where we are today, where houses cost as 10 times annual wages instead of 3.