First floor apartment is completed and ready for the new tenant!
3rd floor apartment almost done! 1st floor apartment demo’ed and already has a lease signed on it by a Doctor.
The third floor apartment was an anomaly. I didn’t know what to do. The kitchen and bath were crammed into a 7x11 area and the shower stall was lower than 5’6”. The kitchen didn’t have any cabinets and there wasn’t room to put any. The woman who was renting it gave me notice that she was moving out the first week of March because she hated the apartment. She moved in there about 3 months before I purchased the building. I let her break the lease because I felt guilty renting something so shitty, even if she was only paying $340/month.
A perfect example of how a slumlord takes care of a property was evidenced in this property. Beneath the disgusting carpeting was carpet padding. Below that was vinyl tile. Below the vinyl tile was thin 1/4 inch plywood. Below the plywood was ANOTHER LAYER OF CARPETING! I don’t have any photos because it smelled so bad that I couldn’t bear to spend more than a few minutes in the unit.
I reconfigured the apartment, vaulted the ceilings, moved the kitchen, extended the bath and gave it a studio or loft style rather than a scuzzy small dark apartment. It is april 2nd and my goal is to have the apartment occupied by May 1st. Photos to follow soon.
The 2nd floor apartment is done and has been rented! I’m very happy with how it turned out. Lease started April 1. The post below with the white van shows before photos of this apartment.
The tenant on the first floor was a nice woman, but she was 8 months behind in her rent. She was only 5 months behind when I purchased the building. I wrote her a nice letter saying that I was going to be improving the property (exterior, structural beam, plumbing, electrical, etc) and that she was at a fresh slate with me. As long as she paid, I wouldn’t raise her rent or cause any problems.
As the first month rolled by and she didn’t pay, her excuses started with “I’ll have it on on Tuesday.” Then Tuesday rolled around and she said she meant “the following Tuesday.” Then when we went to court to collect, the Magistrate asked, “do you want her out or do you want her to pay?” I looked her in the eye and said, “I don’t want to kick you out and as long as you pay, you can stay.”
She presented a letter from a charity or church that helps people who can’t pay their rent. It stated that they were going to pay her rent for her that month.
They never did. The next month passed. She paid $100. She was about $900 in arrears. Then the next month came and didn’t pay again. That was when I filed for formal eviction with the Magistrate and constable. I would have done it sooner, but it worked to my benefit to keep her there because she was a nice person and was looking out for the property, since the other units were empty. Here’s how she left the apartment. All of her trash was gone, but it reeked of dog, cigarettes and stale beer. Time to start on the first floor apartment.
Day 6 - two dumpsters later and lots of progress. Our house is closer to being gutted. We found some pocket doors between the entrance and the living room and also the living and dining rooms. The apartment is being brought back to life and the structural beam in the basement is being replaced. There was a hangup because gas lines and boiler lines are in the way of the main beam, so our plumber has to move them.
Day 1 - January 28th 2012. Yesterday we closed on both properties, signing loan documents and various other papers. I also bought a used work van from a guy with an auto painting business in the South Hills.
Demo started on the 2nd floor apartment this morning. If only these photos were scratch and sniff…
