Emporia Kansas - Four Plex Horror Story

Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes

1mo

Sorry to say, but you are only 4 months in with all of these issues that were largely unknown? It's great you got into a 4 plex, but clearly not enough time was spent on "due diligence", and you are paying for that now.

For occupied units, you should require, via the purchase offer, copies of current rental agreements; tenant payment ledger showing at least the past 12 months payments and current balance; and Security Deposit amounts held.

Even IF all of those are provided and look good, immediately upon closing each tenant should have been required to complete a current rental application and provide proof of income/savings at a minimum. Depending on the remaining term of their agreement, and again, if everything LOOKS ok, I still require a new application prior to the end of current term, in order to decide IF I will renew or Non-renew.

Each unit should have been inspected prior to, or very shortly after closing, and documented for condition, signs of leaks or pests, and general housekeeping. If you have had that many maintenance issues in such a short time, you should have been anticipating some of them as result of inspections pre and post closing. Age and physical condition of AC; what kind of plumbing issues? Sewer line problems should have been discovered by scoping. Leaks or low water pressure should have been noted at any inspections. Traps and exposed lines in poor conditions should have been noted prior. Nothing. Nothing, lasts forever...most household elements and systems do not last 100 years...barely 50, and many won't last 10 without serious, regular, preventative maintenance.

Cleaning up the yard should have been a priority, as appearances have an adverse effect on both current and prospective tenants. It also is very likely a serious hazard...and possibly an "attractive nuisance" that will be a serious problem for you if someone, especially a child, gets injured as result. Similarly, the concrete "cracks", if they are not actually offsets, with one section rising above the other creating a trip hazard, are a serious liability as well. If they are just gaps, they do not pose much hazard, but still should be addressed sooner rather than later to prevent heavy rains to cause the underlying soil to move or wash out.

You need to prioritize preventing further damage/deterioration of the property; attracting the best tenants for your price tier with safe, clean, fully functional, attractive units; and proper screening to ensure you ARE getting the to 10% of the available tenant pool.

4 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Richard F.

I appreciate you taking the time to write all of this. We actually did have the property inspected before closing, and surprisingly many of these issues either weren’t identified or didn’t become apparent until after we took ownership. We expected deferred maintenance with an older property, but not everything hitting at once along with inherited tenant issues. It’s definitely been a crash course in multifamily investing, and I appreciate all the advice you’ve shared.
0 Reply

Bill B.

Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes

1mo

100% what Richard said. Exterior FIRST, waaay before working on your own unit. Safety items day 1. Everything else exterior day 2. A rundown unsafe property attracts people used to living in unsafe rundown properties.

I was going to say once that’s done talk to a couple local property managers and see what they would charge in rent and what it would cost you. BUT. They might also have contacts for getting the exterior done cheaper and faster than you can as a one off, might pay for themselves.

The other reason for the PM is they will do the screening you don’t want to do, the eviction you didn’t start, collect rent you didn’t, and get the property advertised and rented at market rents. It’s fine if you wanted to learn how to be a property managers but you don’t learn how to be a pilot by jumping in an e,pty plane and pushing buttons. That’s what you’re doing here.

Once they get it rented you’ll find out that collecting rent cures many problems. You see the expenses you’re paying but the brain skips over the “expense” of the missing rent.

3 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Bill B.

I appreciate the perspective. Based on everyone’s feedback, the exterior has definitely become our top priority. We originally focused on finishing our own unit because we were living in a construction zone ourselves, but I completely understand the importance of curb appeal and safety now. We’re already working on shifting our priorities.
0 Reply

Caleb Brown

Real Estate Agent · Kansas City · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes

1mo

Agreed on what the others have said. What due diligence did you do prior to closing? Do you also verify leases and income? ight take another 6-12 months to get it fully stabilized and rehabbed, hang in there

0 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Caleb Brown

We did complete inspections before closing, and unfortunately they didn’t reveal most of what we’ve ended up dealing with. We inherited the existing leases and tenant information from the previous owner, but looking back there’s definitely more I would verify if I ever buy another occupied property. I appreciate the encouragement, it helps hearing that this first year is usually the toughest.
0 Reply

Allan C.

Rental Property Investor · Member since 2018 · 826 posts · 809 votes

1mo

You don't realize it now, but you got lucky with the tenant that skipped on you. You can deal with your own unfinished unit, but dealing with an eviction is 10x worse.

value-add means you're going to spend money. Sometimes you luck out and you may defer spend a little while, but it's not uncommon for things to constantly break.

I'm curious to know what happens to your fent dealer down the line. Likely another ticking money bomb.

2 Reply

Jules Aton

MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

1mo

Agree definitely take care of the exterior especially since it sounds like there is junk that you haven't hauled away and that the tenant who split is a huge win. I have done live in rehabs as well as purchased a rental that was essentially lipstick on a pig and while it seems like never ending you will come to a point where you finally have a year or two with no major issues.Unfortunatley your own unit will have to wait until last. Other than that its just the nature of the beast and a learning experience. Appreciate you sharing hopefully it will help you as well as others reading this thread.

1 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Jules Aton

I really appreciate hearing that from someone who’s been through it. It definitely feels like it’ll never end when you’re in the middle of it. We’re moving the exterior and common areas to the top of the list now, and hopefully a year from now this whole situation will look a lot different.
1 Reply

Jill F.

Investor · Akron, OH · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 4k+ votes

1mo

We have been there. First: Right now, start looking for a reasonablly priced hauling guy-- find a very small outfit with one truck-- a guy who does eviction trash outs too. Get this guy to come clean out your back yard. If he gives you a good price. TIP HIM and save his number in speed dial. Second, Drain the pool and put on a good pool cover on to limit your liability exposure. Third, get a line of credit if you can. Fourth, just get use to putting out fires, you're going to be doing that for a while.

Also, Lowes will give you 84mo financing if you buy $2k. Home depot has 'bread loans' for project loans with up to 84 month financing. VERY HELPFUL for DIY renovation financing. Good Luck.

3 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Jill F.

Thank you. This is really helpful advice. We’re already looking into getting the backyard cleaned up as quickly as possible, and we’ve actually decided we’re going to decommission and fill in the pool rather than repair it. The financing suggestions are helpful too. I appreciate you taking the time to share them.
1 Reply

Don KonipolBusiness Member

Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes

1mo

Quote from @Dawson Burton:

My wife and I live in Emporia Kansas and we bought our first fourplex back in March, and I figured I’d share our experience so far to get some advice from people who have been through something similar.

When we bought it, we moved into one of the units and started renovating it ourselves. The other three units came with inherited tenants from the previous owner.

It’s been… interesting.

One tenant turned out to be a convicted fentanyl dealer. Another never paid rent while living here, then disappeared in the middle of the night halfway through their lease because they were apparently running from someone. The third tenant has been fantastic and has given us zero issues.

The problem is that every time we think we’re making progress, something else pops up.

The tenant who left unexpectedly forced us to put our own renovation on hold so we could renovate their unit and get it back on the market. Our apartment still isn’t finished because of it.

Outside, the property needs a ton of work. The backyard is a disaster with old couches and junk everywhere. The pool has cracks in the shell, is full of algae, and has basically become an eyesore. The concrete around the property has several large cracks that need repaired, and the siding has significant wood rot which was actually the only major issue we expected when we bought the place.

On top of that, we’ve dealt with multiple A/C repairs, plumbing issues, and all the normal headaches that seem to come with owning an older property.

We’ve already spent thousands of dollars on repairs and renovations, and honestly, it feels like every time we fix one thing, two more things break. Right now, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We knew buying a value-add property would take work, but we didn’t expect to feel like we were constantly putting out fires.

We’re committed to turning this place around because we really believe it has great potential, but I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been discouraging at times.

For those of you who have bought value-add multifamily properties, is this pretty normal? Did you tackle everything at once, or did you prioritize getting units cash-flowing first and improve the exterior over time? Looking back, what would you have done differently? I’d really appreciate any advice or perspective from those who’ve been through it.

Didn’t your due diligence and inspection turn upmost of these problems and costs before hand? Did you have enough operating capital going in to fix the problems? Are you undercapitalized and providing the labor yourselves?

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1 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Don Konipol

We did have inspections completed before closing, and surprisingly they didn’t uncover most of the issues we’ve run into. We budgeted for repairs, but not multiple major maintenance items and inherited tenant problems all surfacing within the first few months. Fortunately we’re doing nearly all of the labor ourselves, so that has helped keep costs manageable.
0 Reply

Sasha Fukuda

Walpole, NH · Member since 2018 · 66 posts · 34 votes

1mo

Most of this doesn't actually sound that bad to me. So what if you had to put your own renovation on hold? You live there, so it's not like it's costing you money. So the backyard is covered in trash. Borrow a truck and do a couple dump runs. Even if you have to pay someone, that's not a huge expense. So a bad tenant skipped out on you. He essentially did you a favor. For the price of a light renovation and some vacancy, you can get a good tenant in there. The only thing that sounds like it might be a serious problem is the pool. I wouldn't have bought a property with a pool, and I'd consider just having it decommissioned rather than paying to repair it and then dealing with the liability risk of having a pool.

All in all, these mostly seem like minor problems. I've dealt with worse. Obviously, it's going to be a shock if you've heard that being a land lord is passive income, and if you didn't expect to be dealing with a lot of deferred maintenance. However, once you've caught up on the deferred maintenance and gotten good tenants, I think you'll probably be fine.

1 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Sasha Fukuda

I really appreciate this perspective. We’re actually planning to decommission and fill in the pool, and the goal now is to clean up the exterior, renovate the vacant unit, and continue replacing inherited tenants with better ones. Hopefully this is just the hard first chapter of the project.
0 Reply

Henry ClarkPro Member

Developer · Member since 2020 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes

1mo

OP great post.

1. Pause, meditate, whatever. When I was working full time and then came home would eat while working, work till 10. Repeat. But. Pick a time or moment in Sunday to look forward to. Mine was from 6 to 6:30. Take a shower and sit in my recliner. I looked forward to that every week. Yours might be take your dog to the park.

2. Your wife. Realize both of you signed up. But make sure you don’t push her and appreciate her efforts.

3. One month timeline. Put your head down for one month. That way you can see the end. There are always ongoing issues but that is normal. Whatever you can’t see getting done I. The next month find a different solution. Also what fits your budget.
4. Clean the exterior of the property first. Just muscle work. It’s summer. Hire some teenagers if needed. If you do t have a truck rent one. Rent a dump trailer. Get some help and not your wife to start cleaning exterior. See 6 below. Get an excavator with jaws to load this. Year the swimming pool down at the same time. Or if rear yard is totally weedy. Rent a skidsteer with both a toothed bucket and also grapple jaws. You will have the backyard cleaned in 2 hours. Then grass seed. Use grass mulch. Water.

5. Concrete cracks. If less than an inch. Get the expandable concrete putty and fill for now. If size able and on your property rent a powered jackhammer and break out. Level with some sand or gravel and put pavers down. When you have the money you can pay someone $10,000 later to pour concrete.

6. Swimming pool for a 4plex in Kansas!!! Year out and full in. Rent a mini excavator or skid steer for the day. If the backyard has a small rise or hill use that dirt. If not pay for truckloads of fill dirt. Do before winter. Put some stakes and construction warning tape around for now. If you can’t drive a dump truck to the back. Let your tenants know. Dump on your drive. Use skidsteer to move to pool.

7. Tell your current good tenant 1 month free rent if they can get a good new tenant.
8. Do college rentals.

9. The siding can be fixed later in the fall or early spring.

10. Pick summer dry work. And then winter work. Don’t try to do both at once.

11. I lived with a mattress, lawn chair, milk crates and a radio clock for a year in an apartment. Just prioritize your dollars and time. And thank your wife for the journey. Without lows, you can’t appreciate the highs. Enjoy the journey. Emporia is a great city. You have a good investment no matter what. You already have $20,000 of learning experience.

5 Reply

Dawson Burton
OP
New to Real Estate · KS · Member since 2025 · 35 posts · 25 votes
1mo
@Henry Clark thank you so much for all of your advice! We really appreciate it!
1 Reply

Sasha Fukuda

Walpole, NH · Member since 2018 · 66 posts · 34 votes

1mo

Well, I’ve already written one response to this thread, but I have a couple more things to say. First, I’m not surprised that the property inspector missed issues. I’ve never used a property inspector that I’ve been impressed by. They go through the property with a checklist, but they don’t necessarily have an amazing understanding of houses, or are proactive in identifying potential problems, or see it as their job to communicate well with the home buyer about the property. Furthermore, they can only identify problems that are openly visible on the particular day they arrive, which is quite limiting no matter how good the property inspector is.

Secondly, investors are usually buying neglected properties. If the previous owner wouldn’t even clean up the yard, then what other issues did they choose to ignore? They probably chose to ignore all but the most serious or absurd problems. Furthermore, if you’re buying from a true slumlord, they probably chose to ignore even the most serious or absurd problems. I would avoid buying properties from the true slumlords because there’s too much risk of something being seriously wrong and too difficult to anticipate every possible thing it could be.

I would buy from only somewhat neglectful owners. I would usually talk to the tenants first because that’s often the only way you can find out about certain types of problems (such as recurring seasonal problems). I would bring my own experienced contractor to walk the property unless I had a property inspector that I knew and really trusted to be thorough.

1 Reply

Drew SygitBusiness Member

Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 8k+ votes

1mo

Did you get the sewer line camera's?
- If not, do so ASAP!

Also, you will need to learn to, "Maintain to the Market"!
- Do NOT fix the property up for your personal standards. Go visit several local rentals and target matching their finish & quality - anything more and you will be throwing money away.

You seem to have a Class C property - not sure why it needs a pool?
- Who will take care of it?
- Surprised you got liability coverage on a rental with a pool in that neighborhood!
- You probably want to just fill it in - cheaper in the long run.

[email protected]248-209-6824

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1 Reply

Eric FernwoodBusiness Member

Realtor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2014 · 988 posts · 1k+ votes

1mo

Hello @Dawson Burton,

My experience closely matched yours.

My first investment property was a Class C (D?) 4-plex in Houston. Before I bought it, I projected a 12% to 14% annual return. On paper it was a cash cow!

Instead, it was a money pit. Tenant turnover was constant. There were constant evictions, vacancies, property damage, repairs, and vandalism. One tenant skipped out after just two months, leaving the unit badly damaged. It took a lot of time and money to return the unit to livable condition.

At first, I was losing more than $1,000 per month. By doing all the maintenance and repairs myself, I eventually reduced the loss to about $1,000 per year after taxes. However, I spent nearly every Saturday and many Sundays working on that property. The best day of my early investing career was the day I sold it.

My next two investments were Class B 4-plexes in a suburb of Atlanta. They were newer properties in good condition and attracted young professionals. These tenants paid their rent on time, followed the lease, and took care of the property. The experience was completely different. The condition of the buildings certainly helped reduce maintenance costs, but it wasn’t the biggest reason for the better performance. The tenant segment was. Once I realized that tenants determine income reliability far more than the property itself, it completely changed how I invested.

Your maintenance issues will eventually sort themselves out. But tenant issues will remain. So, the bottom line is, if your property is likely to attract and retain good tenants, you can eventually turn this around. If good tenants (tenants who stay many years) are unlikely to rent your property due to its location, neighborhood, condition, etc., you will likely continue to have tenant problems.

[email protected]702-358-8884

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2 Reply

Vijay FriedmanBusiness Member

Miami, FL · Member since 2026 · 766 posts · 121 votes