Finding Rehabs
i live in los angeles california and its very expensive out here. do you think there is any profit to be mado on fixer uppers in the area or should i look elsewhere. id be able to live in the house until repairs are done. we are preapproved already. any advice would help
Gary,
Absolutely. There are many, many people here in L.A. that are making a killing rehabbing. The key is to focus on the motivated sellers. It is not easy to find a good deal but there are a few things that you must do in my opinion:
1-Speak to many realtors and explain to them your criteria.
2-Drive around the area that you would like to focus on.
3-Talk to everyone that you know about your search, you may locate a motivated seller.
4-Start making offers!
[addsig]
Cant believe I am the only one who has bought a property with ivy covering part of it.
A power washer? You know, those high-pressure water sprayers.
I use one from Home Depot that does a pretty good job on concert, discoloration on siding, stucco, walkways, etc.
I think the one I got goes up to about 2600psi. So, you would have to be careful on brick. But it might work.
Just a thought.
Thanks. I guess i will do that and then repaint the outside.
I saw this topic covered on an episode of "Behind This Old House" last year. The homeowner had to use a wire brush and needle nose pliers to pull the feet off of his siding before painting. The ivy feet get into the pores of the mortar, block, brick and the wood. Power washing hard enough to get the ivy feet out can raise the grain of the wood and loosen older mortar. Proceed with caution and good luck. If you do find a good method please let us know, Richmond is full of ivy covered houses.
I just did a house with similar ivy issue. No luck with the pressure washer alone. The ivy really gets down into the mortar. I used a stiff wire grill brush to get the pieces off and then the pressure washer. Even when done though, there remained some discoloration where the ivy was.