All Forum Posts by: Abby Weinstock

You may not get truthful answers, but:

(1) What were the start and end dates of the lease? Did the tenant remain there for the duration of the lease?

(2) Did you have any issues with complete and timely payments?

(3) Were there any complaints lodged against the tenant or other disturbances?

(4) In what condition did he/she leave the property?

(5) Did he/she sue you?

(6) Would you rent to him/her again?

Also, if the prospective tenant gives you the former landlord's telephone number, see if you can independently confirm the telephone number.

I just returned less than a week ago from a week-long rental in Cape Coral. What is nice about Cape Coral is that is relatively convenient to the Fort Myers airport (approximately 30 minutes). We rented a house with its own amenities (pool and hot tub) and on a canal. In looking at the various rentals, that was one of our top priorities. The one thing I did not like about Cape Coral (and would probaby mean I would not rent there again) is that it did not feel close enough to the popular family-friendly activities in the area (Naples Botanical Gardens, Naples Zoo, Fifth Ave. in Naples, etc.) and there did not seem to be enough activities right in Cape Coral if your kids are seeking entertainment. But if you just want to hang out and relax, then I think it works well. If I were to rent again in that general vicinity, I would probably look at Naples or Sanibel Island.

https://www.rentcafe.com/avera...

https://www.latimes.com/busine...

I am not sure if this is an authoritative source, but here is an article on this very subject: https://rentprep.com/landlord-tips/stop-your-rental-property-from-becoming-party-central/#:~:text=No%20party%20clause%20in%20rental%20agreement&text=As%20long%20as%20the%20lease,eviction%20for%20failure%20to%20comply.&text=Especially%20in%20college%20towns%2C%20landlords,elsewhere%2C%20not%20on%20their%20property.

Also wondering if the house is staged? Staging can be a real game-changer if it is staged attractively.

We used this company to do interior painting work at our home: https://www.pikesvilleremodeli... They did an excellent job. I can't personally speak to the other types of work that they do, but have heard very positive feedback from others who have used them. Another recommendation is http://highviewconstruction.co... I have not used them personally, but know the owners well and think the world of them.

(1) A brightly lit room feels more open, cleaner, and warmer. You can find attractive and modern pendant lights at any of the big box stores (or on Wayfair or Overstock).

(2) Quartz countertops require less maintenance than traditional granite; they do not require resealing like granite does. Not only is there an upkeep benefit, but there are also more styles/colors to choose from than granite.

(3) Love a bold backsplash!

(4) Open shelving is popular and attractive - just bear in mind that it will require dusting to keep everything looking fresh.

Some questions to ask a potential CPA:

(1) First, confirm that their CPA license is active at www.cpaverify.org (select "Start Search")

(2) Find out if the person you are interviewing is going to be the person who will handle your account, or if the work is going to be farmed out to a lower level staff member (which means the hourly rate should be lower).

(3) Find out if the person has real estate specific experience.

(4) Ask probing questions about the person's workload to make sure that a smaller account is not going to fall by the wayside, with the CPA ending up needing to file for extensions.

(5) Ask the person for references from current clients that you can speak with.

(6) Check the public domain to make sure that there are no negative reviews.

This definitely seems odd to me - both the down payment requirement and the fact that it is increasing the size of the loan.

@Vaughn Powell, the title work would reflect that the property is Leasehold versus Fee Simple. But, you can also easily identify whether there is ground rent by pulling up the address on SDAT.  In the upper right-hand corner of the property result, you will see a link that says, "View Ground Rent Registration." Once you click on that link, you will either see a notation that "There is currently no ground rent registered with this department for this property" or you will see the actual ground rent registration. But you should check the title work too because sometimes there are strange instances where no ground rent is reflected on SDAT, but the property is actually Leasehold.