Home Repairs

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:33 pm

Anyone got any tips for dealing with Cirtonella Ants other than spraying the fuckers and putting out ant baits? This is the 2nd day they've been "swarming" inside my living room seems to be worst when its warm and damp outside, crawling out from where I can only assume is inside my wall.

Had a pest guy out last week and he said there was no colony activity, so they were likely inside my walls and tried to sell me 150$ to come out and spray the house for them and then 80 bucks per quarter after that. This is the first problem we've had with them in 3 years of living here. I'd rather avoid that if possible.

They aren't damaging from what I read, just gross to have bugs crawling around inside and frustrating that I can't figure out why they'd want to be in here, BSFGF keeps this place spotless.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:37 pm

Talk to neighbors. We had that happen when we were moving and it was "wow, how did you just start having this issue". Had it sprayed then transferred over the annual contract to the buyer's. Was told it would only get much worse and more expensive if not treated and maintained.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:59 pm

We had a rather disgusting spell of bugs in the kitchen last year. I let it go for a long time despite constant wifely bitching and her refusal to cook but eventually signed up for the quarterly spraying and havent seen any since. Worked surprisingly well. Just signed up a contract on my old house over the weekend and buyer (and soon the govt guarantor) asked about the bug termite warranty from exterminators. So worth it I think.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 10:47 pm

Anybody install carpet?

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:02 am

HaulCitgo wrote:Anybody install carpet?

Oh god. Just never fun to deal with.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:41 am

HaulCitgo wrote:Anybody install carpet?

Eight-Hundred Five Three Eight Two Three-Hundred

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:45 am

When we moved last year we kept our townhome to rent out. We had a very old washer and dryer set in the garage. During our time away, the cheap plastic coupling holding the hose to the washer broke. So, for months now, water has been spitting onto the drywall. Luckily, there's nothing behind that drywall but the stairs leading to the second floor, but having it replaced is not something I ever considered happening to me as a landlord.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:50 am

govmentchedda wrote:When we moved last year we kept our townhome to rent out. We had a very old washer and dryer set in the garage. During our time away, the cheap plastic coupling holding the hose to the washer broke. So, for months now, water has been spitting onto the drywall. Luckily, there's nothing behind that drywall but the stairs leading to the second floor, but having it replaced is not something I ever considered happening to me as a landlord.

Worst Penthouse letter ever.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 10:01 am

Drywall is easy!

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 10:06 am

A_B wrote:Drywall is easy!

Drywall is easy, in theory. But it's a pain in the ass to do it well.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 10:11 am

The fact that it is still going to be drywall behind the washer and dryer in the garage makes me feel a little bit better about life. No one will ever see how shitty it is. That being said, I'm still going to pay a contractor friend to do it.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 10:26 am

The hardest part is mudding it in nice and even to minimize sanding, but with a little time it's something you can do reasonably well. Just need a good trowel/blade.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 10:33 am

BSF21 wrote:Anyone got any tips for dealing with Cirtonella Ants other than spraying the fuckers and putting out ant baits? This is the 2nd day they've been "swarming" inside my living room seems to be worst when its warm and damp outside, crawling out from where I can only assume is inside my wall.

Had a pest guy out last week and he said there was no colony activity, so they were likely inside my walls and tried to sell me 150$ to come out and spray the house for them and then 80 bucks per quarter after that. This is the first problem we've had with them in 3 years of living here. I'd rather avoid that if possible.

They aren't damaging from what I read, just gross to have bugs crawling around inside and frustrating that I can't figure out why they'd want to be in here, BSFGF keeps this place spotless.

mixing boric acid with jam or peanut butter and placing near places where they enter the home has worked for me.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 8:09 pm

I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:54 am

Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.

Holy Moses!

Where do you live? That sounds like a crazy deal.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:56 am

Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.

Hmm ... for that price, that house must have either some serious mold issues or the foundation is collapsing.

duff · Post by **duff** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 8:05 am

Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.

What are the taxes on the property? If you plan on using it as an income property, is it a desirable place for tenants? Do the 8/8 include the two apartments, and if not would you be able to divide it up even more? When you look at this place, keep in mind what Sabo said. If nothing is wrong and you think you can get double the mortgage payment (I am guessing around $1800-2000 depending on taxes), go for it. It could end up being a nice steady income of $1500 a month if not more depending on how nice it is and the location. Would you hire a company to do upkeep or plan on doing what you can and hire out when needed?

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 8:25 am

Sabo wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.
Hmm ... for that price, that house must have either some serious mold issues or the foundation is collapsing.

Exactly. I'm gonna go drive past it today and see how decrepit it looks. It was apparently listed for $341 two years ago, so there has to be a massive catch.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 8:29 am

duff wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.
What are the taxes on the property? If you plan on using it as an income property, is it a desirable place for tenants? Do the 8/8 include the two apartments, and if not would you be able to divide it up even more? When you look at this place, keep in mind what Sabo said. If nothing is wrong and you think you can get double the mortgage payment (I am guessing around $1800-2000 depending on taxes), go for it. It could end up being a nice steady income of $1500 a month if not more depending on how nice it is and the location. Would you hire a company to do upkeep or plan on doing what you can and hire out when needed?

$4K total per the Zillow listing, which isn't too much more (relatively speaking) than what I'm paying now.

The 8/8 does not include the apartments. The apartments are separate from the 8/8, so it's actually a 10/10 with 2/2 in separate units.

Shit, this is a massive pipe dream at the moment but if it's feasible I'd live in the house and manage everything else myself. Get a roommate or two (not like you're gonna stumble over each other with a house that size) and go from there.

I have no intentions of moving, but this is so much of a "what the hell?" that it's fun to investigate at the very least -- plus it's 5 blocks from the brand new super nice community center.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 8:33 am

Brontoburglar wrote:
Sabo wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.
Hmm ... for that price, that house must have either some serious mold issues or the foundation is collapsing.
Exactly. I'm gonna go drive past it today and see how decrepit it looks. It was apparently listed for $341 two years ago, so there has to be a massive catch.

Do your homework before becoming a landlord. Not to discourage, but I've got several close friends/family that rent and every single one of them has at least one horror story of a tenant that they swear they vetted and checked and was still a shit human being.

I love the idea of an income property, but the idea of being a landlord terrifies me. Good luck with it.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:02 am

BSF21 wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
Sabo wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.
Hmm ... for that price, that house must have either some serious mold issues or the foundation is collapsing.
Exactly. I'm gonna go drive past it today and see how decrepit it looks. It was apparently listed for $341 two years ago, so there has to be a massive catch.
Do your homework before becoming a landlord. Not to discourage, but I've got several close friends/family that rent and every single one of them has at least one horror story of a tenant that they swear they vetted and checked and was still a shit human being.

I love the idea of an income property, but the idea of being a landlord terrifies me. Good luck with it.

Oh, I had no intentions of doing any research whatsoever. If it looks good from the outside today I'm making an offer.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:09 am

Brontoburglar wrote:
BSF21 wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
Sabo wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:I guess this could be considered home repairs because of what's to come... but I just found a house not far from me that's 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, has two apartments attached to it with separate entrances for rental units and it's listed for $250,000.

Seriously debating driving past it tomorrow and looking at it. My business brain is whirring right now.
Hmm ... for that price, that house must have either some serious mold issues or the foundation is collapsing.
Exactly. I'm gonna go drive past it today and see how decrepit it looks. It was apparently listed for $341 two years ago, so there has to be a massive catch.
Do your homework before becoming a landlord. Not to discourage, but I've got several close friends/family that rent and every single one of them has at least one horror story of a tenant that they swear they vetted and checked and was still a shit human being.

I love the idea of an income property, but the idea of being a landlord terrifies me. Good luck with it.
Oh, I had no intentions of doing any research whatsoever. If it looks good from the outside today I'm making an offer.

Because that's what I was trying to convey. Sorry someone shit in your protein shake this morning.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:28 am

BSF21 wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
BSF21 wrote:Do your homework before becoming a landlord. Not to discourage, but I've got several close friends/family that rent and every single one of them has at least one horror story of a tenant that they swear they vetted and checked and was still a shit human being.

I love the idea of an income property, but the idea of being a landlord terrifies me. Good luck with it.
Oh, I had no intentions of doing any research whatsoever. If it looks good from the outside today I'm making an offer.
Because that's what I was trying to convey. Sorry someone shit in your protein shake this morning.

It's really nice to see Bronto transform from the naive young man he was when he joined the Swamp into a crotchety old fuck he is these days.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:34 am

Sabo wrote:
BSF21 wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
BSF21 wrote:Do your homework before becoming a landlord. Not to discourage, but I've got several close friends/family that rent and every single one of them has at least one horror story of a tenant that they swear they vetted and checked and was still a shit human being.

I love the idea of an income property, but the idea of being a landlord terrifies me. Good luck with it.
Oh, I had no intentions of doing any research whatsoever. If it looks good from the outside today I'm making an offer.
Because that's what I was trying to convey. Sorry someone shit in your protein shake this morning.
It's really nice to see Bronto transform from the naive young man he was when he joined the Swamp into a crotchety old fuck he is these days.

So when I'm sarcastic I'm crotchety! I see how it is.

duff · Post by **duff** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:35 am

Sabo wrote:
BSF21 wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
BSF21 wrote:Do your homework before becoming a landlord. Not to discourage, but I've got several close friends/family that rent and every single one of them has at least one horror story of a tenant that they swear they vetted and checked and was still a shit human being.

I love the idea of an income property, but the idea of being a landlord terrifies me. Good luck with it.
Oh, I had no intentions of doing any research whatsoever. If it looks good from the outside today I'm making an offer.
Because that's what I was trying to convey. Sorry someone shit in your protein shake this morning.
It's really nice to see Bronto transform from the naive young man he was when he joined the Swamp into a crotchety old fuck he is these days.

That's what happens you don't get laid.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:36 am

that ain't the issue at this point

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:41 am

Brontoburglar wrote:that ain't the issue at this point

No it is a sugar crash.

Bronto wrote:Won't price match my cadbury eggs.. Get off my lawn and all tell that Chase Elliot he is driving like a maniac

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:12 am

Do some rudimentary title work. Might have liens etc.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:15 am

(yes everyone I would do incredibly thorough research before this went from "pipe dream" to "possible reality")

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:17 am

See if you can get prequalified for a mortgage.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:20 am

Brontoburglar wrote:(yes everyone I would do incredibly thorough research before this went from "pipe dream" to "possible reality")

[Toussles hair affectionately] We're just lookin' out for ya, kid!

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:47 am

govmentchedda wrote:See if you can get prequalified for a mortgage.

gonna get one of those rocket loan thingies

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:56 am

Have you checked the school district? That could affect resale value.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:57 am

Find out if you'll need a 220 or a 221 or whatever it takes.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:21 pm

If that doesn't say "brothel", nothing does.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:26 pm

P.D.X. wrote:If that doesn't say "brothel", nothing does.

And remember, being a landlord may be tough, but pimpin' ain't easy either

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:01 pm

howard wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:If that doesn't say "brothel", nothing does.
And remember, being a landlord may be tough, but pimpin' ain't easy either

Nor is popin'.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:06 pm

I just swept out and reorganized my garage. Is that a repair?

duff · Post by **duff** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:33 pm

Did you do proper research on how to hold the broom and where to deposit all of the dust?

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:41 pm

duff wrote:Did you do proper research on how to hold the broom and where to deposit all of the dust?

What do I look like? Some kind of fuckin' nerd?