LONG POST: Seeking Guidance as a Novice Investor

[Simone Montague-Jackson]

Hey everyone, 

I'm a novice investor and would like some advice. 

I got my first property near Austin and house hacked for 2 years. I went through some financial issues, but I was able to pay a third of my mortgage, get excellent tenants, and gain experience as a landlord. 

I finally rented out the entire place by the room, but I've incurred a couple of issues:

- My mom stayed with me temporarily, which wasn't planned. Unfortunately, this led to a conflict with one tenant and some personal matters being shared with another.

- I didn't have time to make improvements like I wanted so there were a few other problems when the tenants moved in: fire ants, some spots on the carpet, and some walls need to be painted. Nontheless, I ensured the place was livable and fixed major issues such as better ventilation, garbage disposal, balanced the patio deck, fixed the shower head in the bigger bedroom, and others.

- Two tenants currently aren’t getting along. One of them, who lived with me previously, keeps informing me about the conflict. However, I’ve made it clear in the roommate agreement that interpersonal issues should be handled among themselves unless there’s an emergency.

I’ve learned a few hard lessons already:

- I should've established an LLC, created a separate business bank account, and used a business email and phone number.

- I should’ve built in more time for property prep and set stronger boundaries upfront

That said, I’m taking steps to improve. I’m using property management software for maintenance requests and messaging, which I've been using the entire time, and I’ve set clearer boundaries with tenants. However, it’s only been three weeks, and I’m already feeling overwhelmed.

I’m still committed to managing the property, but I’m considering finding a leasing agent to help advertise the rooms (I’ve been relying on Facebook so far).

If anyone has advice—on marketing, stress management, tenant conflict resolution, or just navigating the early stages—I’d greatly appreciate it. I’ve gone through a lot since moving back to the States, and while I made mistakes, I’m eager to learn and grow from them.

Thank you.

[Drew Sygit]

Are you making enough for it to be worhwhile or should you just sell and start over?

Regarding tenant relationships - you will NEVER win!
- You have limited actual authority
- It never ends
- Best advice is to tell tenants you can only assist if they can prove a lease violation or there's a police report.