131–140 of 154 posts
Shipping container offices are all the rage these days. Have you considered using them? I mean, if they're ok to work out of - legally and safely - then why not live in one? It would certainly cut down on the construction costs.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Zillow estimates are not to be taken seriously in circumstances like that. The point would only be valid if the valuation came from a professional appraiser.
My house gained $100k after I bought the house and Zillow realized it was renovated. A few other house have sold (including Zillow buying one) in my neighborhood and my house is on the high side of the average price. It makes me wonder why the estimate gained $100k in 60 days. Once Zillow bought a house of course everything went up.
Seattle has an innovative project called the Block project which puts a tiny home into a volunteer's back yard. Candidates are homeless individuals who have been working with social workers for at least 6 months and are a good fit with the "landlord" which is the homeowner of the hosting site. The Individual pays minimal rent to cover utilities (hopefully subsidized via the government and facilitated by social worker…
Hi everyone, my name is Spencer and I’m one of the co-founders of Rent the Backyard. Rent the Backyard was founded to help homeowners who want to earn extra income from their underused backyards but don’t want to spend a ton of time or money to make it happen. Rent the Backyard provides a turnkey solution — we handle all the logistics of putting a studio apartment in your backyard — helping you earn $10-$20k per year…
1. What happens if there are no tenants?
2. What laws/insurance/responsibility is now applicable as being the landlord?
3. How do you calculate the price of the house in a sale?
4. What happens if I go bankrupt?
5. What if I have a mortgage on my current property?
6. Who is technically the landlord, me or Rent the Backyard?
7. What about electricity, plumbing and sewage?
8. What about breakages to the property and general maintenance and upkeep?
9. Are they furnished or not, and if so, who furnishes it?
10. What are your fees to pay for the service and bills to make the difference between earnings and cost to the tennant?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Reminds me of this legendary comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 Although I appreciate some of the argumentative counterpoints, most of the time it's from people who underestimate how lazy human beings are, and that people are willing to pay for simple services
Exactly. The biggest mistake people can make is to assume that just because you would do it a different way....that automatically means everyone else would do the same. Not the case. Obvious example is pretty much everything on amazon is marked up 25% compared to the next biggest competitor (gotta love the "free" prime shipping, right?) but people pay up because amazon will get you your stuff in 1-2 days while Ebay w…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
When the upper incomes begin to see affordability issues, you have an unhealthy market. I like life with minimal use of a car. Urban areas areas are far friendlier to a car-free lifestyle. Also, homes in the surrounding suburbs aren't that much cheaper to meaningfully change the numbers. Another 5 years of savings should do it. So, 10 years to come up with just a 20% down payment. I'd rather not compromise my future…
Building real estate equity is essentially a form of retirement fund contribution.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
yes for slum landlords which is all very well until you get busted by the authorities.
I think England is notorious for slum lords and that tenants have very little legal protections.
People who can afford their home will not like watching their property values and quality of life decline because a neighbor “rented” its back yard. Taking the Uber approach - ignoring laws - won’t work here, so this business is entirely at the mercy of permit laws. I find it astounding that some ideas get prominent backing. Furthermore, home owners will discover that having people travel alongside their homes to rea…
> People who can afford their home will not like watching their property values and quality of life decline because a neighbor “rented” its back yard.
Why should neighbors get a say in your legal activities?
>Furthermore, home owners will discover that having people travel alongside their homes to reach the rented studios will be unpleasant and unsafe.
Unpleasant already seems like a stretch, depends on the tenant I suppose, but unsafe is really pushing it. Have you ever lived in an apartment or a multifamily home? It's really not that astounding that you could live in close proximity to another human without it impeding on your quality of life. You don't even share walls in the case of an ADU.
>Will the tenant be allowed to come and go at any hour?
I would certainly hope so, these are human beings not indentured servants
>Will the home owner know that the person creeping alongside their bedroom window at night is the tenant rather than a burglar?
I don't even know what to say. Isn't this the case for any existing neighbor?
>Will the tenant be allowed to park in the homeowner’s driveway, or will they line the front curbs of the house with their car and any visitors’ cars?
This is a fair concern. I imagine you would want this cleared up before signing to continue, probably depends on a case by case basis.
Seattle has an innovative project called the Block project which puts a tiny home into a volunteer's back yard. Candidates are homeless individuals who have been working with social workers for at least 6 months and are a good fit with the "landlord" which is the homeowner of the hosting site. The Individual pays minimal rent to cover utilities (hopefully subsidized via the government and facilitated by social worker…
What does the homeowner get out of it?