fishdump

[deleted]

Do you have any ideas for streamlining the paperwork for self-built houses? We were aiming to build a house last year (not near you) but the paperwork is a freaking labyrinth for anyone new to pulling permits. We ended up scaling back to just cleaning up the property rather than building a small home because the paperwork issues ate up nearly a year.

If you don't already have an idea, I suggest making a booklet with all the current building codes and amendments available for purchase <$50, and generate a publicly searchable database of licensed and bonded contractors in the area by trade(s) with their contact information. So many contractors don't have a website so it's often difficult to find one, particularly when there is a high demand. As much as someone wants to do something themselves, there are some items that have to be certified by PEs or other certified professions that can be road blocks. In our case geotech for load bearing killed us.

By appearing on the show they automatically get a percentage of your company and they often lower their offers once they are off the air. You go in at a disadvantage and they have no real incentive to actually fund you since they already get a free percentage.

Anyone who appears on that show hasn't done their research properly. They automatically own part of the company and product you are pitching just by appearing, and the deal you strike on the show apparently has no relation to the deal they actually offer you to sign. It may make for good TV but any serious entrepreneur won't touch it.