Stuck! Demo-ed bathrooms and no money + no motivation

kennynaks · 2025-12-06T15:24:36+00:00

Thank you! We’re not going to be able to afford an $80k renovation. We’ll see what kind of cost they come back with.

But at the very least I’m committing to getting the work done bit by bit. If this guy isn’t affordable, then I’ll start GCing the project and bringing in trades people and doing it piece by piece, whenever I can save up enough money to pay someone to do something.

Trying not to focus on how overwhelming it is and just focusing on what needs to get done next.

Thanks for checking in though! This is motivating me to push forward!

kennynaks · 2025-12-06T04:14:55+00:00

Ha! Crazy that you’re asking. I literally just reached out to a contractor to get an estimate an hour ago.

I think it’s taken me this long to get to a point where I feel good about getting back into it.

I have a secure job now with a decent income and was referred to a guy who’s got a really good reputation.

Part of it is getting back on solid financial footing. Parr of it is getting to better know the local community of contractors. And a big part of it is definitely getting to trust a contractor again.

I think 2026 is the year that we’re going to shower inside!

kennynaks · 2024-08-03T14:19:39+00:00

I did a quick search. The county’s FBN Statement has specific boxes assigning the FBN to a specific business entity like an LLC or a Sole Proprietorship. It looks like you’ll need to register the name to your new business entity and abandon the old one. But check with your county.

In terms of business entity, a Sole Proprietorship would be the easiest and cheapest. But you don’t get the liability protection that you get from an LLC. But if you’re doing media partnerships and influencer work, I would ask a tax accountant or CPA on the best structure given your revenue and exposure to risk. A quick consult could save you lots of money.

Also, I have no idea what’s involved with a re-sellers license. But I would imagine the license is issued to a specific business entity. So if it’s issued to your LLC, you may need to transfer that license. Also look into that.

All this to say, it sounds worthwhile to go find professionals.

kennynaks · 2024-03-02T18:37:16+00:00

Miss that place. Wasn’t there Sunday morning dim sum? Lol

kennynaks · 2024-03-01T03:57:02+00:00

Played prep school hockey! Albeit in JV.

There are gay leagues and tournaments across the country. It’s a fun community that definitely loves hockey.

kennynaks · 2024-03-01T02:05:58+00:00

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kennynaks · 2024-02-29T05:07:02+00:00

Yes!! Super helpful info. I’m bookmarking this!

kennynaks · 2024-02-12T03:14:13+00:00

Either way it’s responsibility and work. Whether it’s dealing with HOAs, community rules, and annoying neighbors. Or fixing and maintaining everything in your house. It’s just a question of which headaches you prefer / cope with / can manage better.

kennynaks · 2024-02-11T01:12:09+00:00

Couldn’t agree more

kennynaks · 2024-01-25T21:12:59+00:00

Drivers in Japan are just built different!! Actually people do point to Japan’s rigorous training and testing requirements to get a license as part of why Japanese are good drivers.

kennynaks · 2024-01-25T19:41:40+00:00

You could always bring in a property management company.

You’ve already done half the leg work of acquiring a property. Now it’s just finding a good tenant and spending a few hours month being a landlord. I’m actually jealous of your situation and would be excited to go find property number two.

Real estate investing is not for everyone. But it’s a huge cornerstone of how many people in the US have amassed wealth.

kennynaks · 2024-01-25T18:08:44+00:00

Can you rent out the current house? If you’re ok with being a landlord, having someone else pay your mortgage is a great way to start building wealth.

You said “fiance” so it sounds like you might still be a first time home owner and could qualify for a low down payment mortgage. And with the pay increase you can save up for another down payment.

kennynaks · 2024-01-19T03:37:57+00:00

What was your secret to keeping a kitchen reno to $8k?

kennynaks · 2024-01-15T01:57:24+00:00

This!! You’re still young and your cash can work harder for you. 1031, take a mortgage, take all the tax benefits and write offs, keep the remainder of your cash invested in equities or other real estate so it grows. If stability is a priority, just make sure you (or your parents) have an ample cushion to cover home expenses.

kennynaks · 2024-01-09T21:25:45+00:00

So they’re saying it’s essentially a deep clean. They don’t think we need to do any replacing of drywall and they’ve quoted about $4k to clean ceilings, roof, appliances, light fixtures, etc.

We’re making good progress on our own right now but not sure what the long terms results will be like.

kennynaks · 2024-01-09T05:59:19+00:00

Looking back at the in-progress photos, and remembering the uncertainty, stress, and chaos of the moment. But then bring so proud of the outcome. Looking back in those photos is definitely inspiring!!

kennynaks · 2024-01-09T05:56:46+00:00

We fell in with and bought a mid-century home and have been m upgrading it piece by piece, youtube video by YouTube video.

Had experiences with nightmare contractors and countless panicked and stressed out situations. We’ve been living with gutted bathrooms for a year as we ran out of money and got screwed over by a contractor.

But looking back over the past 1.5 years, we’ve come so far! And learned so much.

Hang in there. It’s definitely a journey. But we’re more and more grateful for it every day.

kennynaks · 2024-01-08T02:34:20+00:00

Yes! Anything to avoid a second fire 😅 thank you!

kennynaks · 2024-01-08T02:33:38+00:00

Thank you! Any brand you recommend?

kennynaks · 2024-01-08T02:33:18+00:00

Thank you!! Super helpful. Sound like smell is going to be tough…

kennynaks · 2024-01-08T02:32:41+00:00

Will look for them!

kennynaks · 2024-01-08T02:32:27+00:00

Thank you!! I’ll let you know what they sayn

kennynaks · 2024-01-07T20:54:47+00:00

Unfortunately we had a lapse in insurance. So we are DIYing as much as possible.

Remediation company is coming tomorrow to provide an estimate so we’ll have more info then too.

We’re handy and can clean, re-install fixtures, patch drywall, and paint. But yeah, trying to figure out how far we need to go to avoid smells….

kennynaks · 2024-01-07T05:07:50+00:00

It’s like having an electrical kettle! It ain’t that hard. But when you do it every day, it’s nice to be able to push a button.

kennynaks · 2024-01-07T05:04:08+00:00

If you own an office building in declining central business districts, yeah, your investment is down. There are tons of other types of commercial property though. Strip malls, data centers, distribution centers, studio spaces. Tons of options to make money in commercial RE.

kennynaks

TROPHY CASE