http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/ en Thu, 23 May 2013 15:49:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/images/styles/DeFraction/misc/rss.png http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/ http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36797-purchasing-property-philadelphia.html Thu, 23 May 2013 00:59:23 GMT Let's say you're a young adult from New York who's always dreamed of owning some income producing rental property. Let's also say you're from New York, have visited the city of brotherly love several times, AND the price of entry in some neighborhoods seems to be "just right."

Looks like you'd need to
Agree on a price
Buy the property (qualify for a loan or secure investors)
Get some insurance (I'm assuming there is a higher rate for non live-in landlord?)
Make sure the place is habitable (in safe operable conditions with all functioning systems)
Get it inspected by some sort of governing authority
Get a Business Privilege License and Landlord License
Draft a rental agreement
Get rentin'
Leverage first property against purchase of second property
Rinse and repeat

Assuming you could put together the money for the purchase of a building, its renovation, and some sort of contingency fund for things going wrong. What other major time and money consuming steps are there before I can get someone into an apartment and be on my merry way? ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate SII http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36797-purchasing-property-philadelphia.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36791-need-recommendation-gc-structural-engineer.html Wed, 22 May 2013 20:25:10 GMT I am in the process of buying a house in South Philly. I just had the home inspection, and there are termites in a basement wall. My inspector... I am in the process of buying a house in South Philly. I just had the home inspection, and there are termites in a basement wall. My inspector recommended finding a structural engineer or general contractor to take a closer look. I couldn't find any residential structural engineers via a quick google search. Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable general contractor in the South Philly area?

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

The wall has signs of an inactive termite infestation. It does not appear that there was a termite treatment. It's in the wall underneath the front door. The basement is finished and the ceiling has drop ceilings that are wood panels that are nailed and screwed in. I am concerned that there could be structural issues with a joist. ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate Savcat http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36791-need-recommendation-gc-structural-engineer.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36772-home-inspector-title-company-advice-recommendation.html Tue, 21 May 2013 16:41:06 GMT Does anyone out there have experience with either of these companies?

* Joe Harris (home inspector) -- I can't find any info on him online anywhere
* Guaranteed Abstract (title company) -- one good review on Angie's List, one bad review on Yahoo

Any positive or negative experiences that you've had with either would be much appreciated! ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate Tartan69 http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36772-home-inspector-title-company-advice-recommendation.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36770-case-disappearing-contractor-advice-needed.html Tue, 21 May 2013 15:42:55 GMT My boyfriend's company was hired by a small design firm to do some work for one of their clients. Rather than connecting directly with my boyfriend (he's the sales rep.) on the day to day elements of the job, the design firm used a general contractor as point person. The job required a small deposit with full payment upon completion. The job was 80% completed last week but was not finished because the contractor forgot to bring an item that required installation as part of the project. My boyfriend has called the general contractor three times and e-mailed twice to follow up regarding (1) finalization of the project and (2) final payment. The contractor, who was fairly decent at responding while the job was being scheduled, has not responded to any communication nor has he indicated that there were any problems with the job or that he's out of town traveling. My boyfriend will call the design firm directly today to find out what's going on. If he can reach no resolution with them, does anyone have any advice? I assume that general contractors must be licensed with the City, so does anyone know the best way to find this guy if he's not answering his phone....other than the fact that he works with the design firm, we only know his name and his telephone number. I've not been able to find him on the internet and he did not pick up when we called from a different number. Because he works with a design firm that has an actual physical location, we assumed that he had been vetted by them and that we'd have recourse through them is he were to be difficulat to deal with. As of now, however, it just seems as if some kind of con is going on. No one from either the design firm or the contractor himsel are following up on the completion of the job, and this seems strange to me. I don't mean to be stupid or paranoid, but I've never been involved with this situation before so I'd appreciate and advice that anyone can give. Thanks in advance. ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate Julia1020 http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36770-case-disappearing-contractor-advice-needed.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36729-ocwen-mortgage-equals-mortgage-fraud.html Sat, 18 May 2013 23:08:00 GMT Recently my mortgage was transferred from defunt GMAC to Ocwen three months ago. I just received an escrow analaysis letter from Ocwen that my... Recently my mortgage was transferred from defunt GMAC to Ocwen three months ago. I just received an escrow analaysis letter from Ocwen that my taxes have gone up $1300 for a total of $8300.00 and that my mortgage will go up $240 a month to cover the shortage. After contacting Ocwen seeking clarifcation and documentation I was lied to, given the run around and than hung up on. I contacted my borough and they have no idea what tax increse Ocwen is talking about. In the end they just made up a number and want me to pay it and have given me two weeks notice, on top of this the numbers don't add up as a $1300 increase would increase the escrow allotment $108 a month not $240.
I looked up consumer complaints online and there is a long list of conumers with the same complaint, now I am going to seek the help of any government agency I can find to rectify this situation as previous consumers are being charged late fees and are being foreclosed on because of these imaginary numbers Ocwen has created inhouse.

If this happened to you and you were successful in backing off Ocwen I would appreciate hearing about it as I have never missed a payment, the mortgage is current so now the gloves are off and we are going to rumble.


Thank you for your time, ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate HomeInspectorBC http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36729-ocwen-mortgage-equals-mortgage-fraud.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36727-post-goldtex-mixed-labor-new-norm.html Sat, 18 May 2013 11:27:02 GMT Recently I've noticed that two large projects, the Croydon and Oxford Mills, are receiving union protests. While not as large as the Goldtex project, with 127 units and 114 units compared to Goldtex's 163, they still represent significant sized projects. I assume that the unions are protesting at these sites due to a mixed labor force, something that Goldtex supposedly ushered in.

So my question is, were projects of this size going mixed labor a few years back, or has the Goldtex project ushered in a new era of mixed labor that we haven't seen before?

If it is new, no one seems to be noticing it or talking about it post-Goldtex. However, the big question in the Goldtex dispute was if the Post Brothers could complete the project with the protest and if this would translate to other projects. So are these examples of mixed labor translating to similar sized projects? ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate JakeL http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36727-post-goldtex-mixed-labor-new-norm.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36699-duplex-zoning-permits-questions.html Thu, 16 May 2013 01:39:23 GMT I'm looking at a property in the easternmost end of Kingsessing that is set up as a duplex (with separate electric meters) and where the real estate listing (listed by a "name" firm) describes it as such. The house is divided into 2 separate units (one on each floor, both with bathrooms and kitchens). However, when looking up the property on a zoning map it is zoned RSA-3.. The house has obviously been used as a duplex for some period of time even though the old code was R5. The houses on the other side of the street are all zoned RM-1. My question is, if I were to buy this, live in one of the units and rent out the other unit would I need to obtain a variance? ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate Kool Earl http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36699-duplex-zoning-permits-questions.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36653-sheriff-sale-map.html Mon, 13 May 2013 14:03:35 GMT So, after getting very frustrated looking through the Sheriff sale website, I wondered how hard it would be to slap together a map. I don't have any web programming experience, so this is incredibly shoddy, but here's a rough go of properties that are scheduled to go to mortgage sheriff sale (from May's results, that weren't sold, stayed, etc.). Unsurprisingly, the data they provide is full of errors: misspelled roads, using Lane when they mean Street, lack of or wrong cardinal directions, wrong zip codes, etc., so this will never be fully accurate and will always require manual work.

Anyway, let me know what you think:

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&q=h...ime1%3D4140728 ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate tsarstruck http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36653-sheriff-sale-map.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36640-challenge-dogma-owning-home.html Sun, 12 May 2013 00:36:03 GMT Challenge to Dogma on Owning a Home - Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/challenge-dogma-owning-home-182926523.html) Challenge to Dogma on Owning a Home - Yahoo! Finance ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate Gladys http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36640-challenge-dogma-owning-home.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36617-road-1-percent-tax-rate.html Fri, 10 May 2013 12:31:43 GMT How do you get there ? Sell City liens to improve the collection rate: Broad Street Media LLC - Philly Realtors? group pushing to restart lien... How do you get there ? Sell City liens to improve the collection rate:

Broad Street Media LLC - Philly Realtors? group pushing to restart lien sales

This strategy is gaining traction among City Council and City leaders. Otherwise, everyone who does pay taxes is subsidizing everyone who does not... which leads to the higher tax rate that is being proposed by the Mayor (1.32 percent) . ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate thesomersteam http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36617-road-1-percent-tax-rate.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36596-cost-building-philadelphia-rowhome.html Wed, 08 May 2013 15:16:24 GMT I know there are many factors at play, but I wanted to get an idea of how much (range) it would cost to build a 3-story rowhouse on an empty lot, lot... I know there are many factors at play, but I wanted to get an idea of how much (range) it would cost to build a 3-story rowhouse on an empty lot, lot size being 800-1,000 sq. ft and typical rowhouse width of 16 feet. With all your typical features that you would expect in the $400k+ selling range.

I'm looking to potentially build a house on a lot that I choose, with the floorplan that I want. ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate fiveomar http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36596-cost-building-philadelphia-rowhome.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36585-anyone-ever-buy-empty-lot-city.html Tue, 07 May 2013 18:56:55 GMT ... and turn it into a freestanding garage? I'm talking about lots that are being sold by the Redevelopment Authority (PRA). Would they allow you to use the land to simply build a garage and not a house?

__Jason ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate guzzijason http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36585-anyone-ever-buy-empty-lot-city.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36556-home-inspections-disabled-veterans.html Mon, 06 May 2013 00:09:45 GMT Inspired by a 60 minutes show about brain injuires for mitlitary personnel Safe & Sound Home Inspections is happy to announce our Military Heroes Program. Home inspections for any disabled veteran caused by combat or widow/widower of someone killed during active duty that is purchasing a house are now free. We are presenting our program at a local ASHI chapter meeting this month in hopes of having other inspection companies come on board for this worthy cause.

Safe & Sound Home Inspections serving the great states of NJ-PA-DE. www.asafensoundhomeinspection.com ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate HomeInspectorBC http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36556-home-inspections-disabled-veterans.html http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36521-row-house-home-owners-insurance.html Thu, 02 May 2013 15:40:51 GMT Hey Philly neighbors, Any suggestions about companies for home insurance? We just got a State Farm quote and I felt it was quite high. Thanks!!... Hey Philly neighbors,

Any suggestions about companies for home insurance? We just got a State Farm quote and I felt it was quite high.

Thanks!!

-K ]]> Philadelphia Real Estate Koufax http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-real-estate/36521-row-house-home-owners-insurance.html