All Forum Posts by: Alex Verdugo

My guess is that inherited tenant = inheriting the reason the previous owner is selling.  I'm sure this isn't every case but it could be for many of them.

Tucson is all over the place. I've seen very nice neighborhoods in bad parts of town.

for the price you want, you shouldn't have a problem finding a duplex on the MLS. I will use google maps to locate the property and then stroll down the street to see what the rest of the neighborhood looks like.

as far as renting to college kids, you have a much smaller area to work with if you want something near campus. I personally don't want to rent to students that are only renting for a year.  I'm sure there are plenty of students that would love to take your new build and completely trash it.

I've heard from a lot of people on podcasts and in the forums say that if you have a deal, the money will come.  Hope that is the case for you. But you need to run that flag up to the highest pole you can find. Good luck.

Go with an SFH. Get as many rooms as you can, rent them out while you house hack. This way you know immediately when something needs to be repaired, replaced, etc. You won't have to schedule repair around the roommate's schedule because you're one of the tenants.

Why don't you contact the previous owner and see if they dealt with this situation?  Maybe they already went through the whole process and still ended up where things are now.  

I was just using the $100 as an example. I think here in Tucson, $100- $150 is about average for utilities included apt.  That might not work in your area.  I haven't had any complaints but I also do leave lights on or let the water run all day.  I'm sure if there was a tenant that did those sorts of things, rent would get increased to compensate for the difference.  Good luck with your property. 

I'm looking through the MLS and find this duplex. Looks nice and in a decent B-class neighborhood. There has been some rehabbing, floors, walls, etc. throughout both units. Both sides have 2 beds but one side is one bath and the other has 2. The 2 bath has 70s style tile in each bathroom around the tub, shower, and sinks. The single bathroom unit has an updated bathroom. Other than the bathroom situation, both sides seem to be recently remodeled. The 2 baths are listed at $1000 rent and the single bath is $800. Also, the 2 bath is 1200 sqft and the single is 850sqft.

So how much is an extra bathroom worth?

 I'm sure that having a modern bath is nice but is having two slightly less updated baths really worth an extra $200?  (The shower in one of the bathrooms has the classic replaced tiles with a completely different color patchwork.)

So what happens when you decide to move out? Are you going to find someone willing to put up with those conditions or tell your tenants that the storage they've been enjoying is now gone?  

I say suck it up, get 1 roommate that you can stand. Give it a year or however long you'll be living there. Then move out. You already have a tenant in place that now has the opportunity to find his own roommates. You get the help with your rent while living there and don't have to find a new tenant when you decide to move into your next property.

Out here in Tucson, most duplexes have either shared power, water, or both.  Most landlords simply add it to the rent.  I've had places where I've been the tenant and paying an extra $100 above-market rent for utilities included is a good deal.

If you have a PM, do you really need the landlord insurance? I would think that the PM acts as the landlord, i.e. schedule repairs, collect rent, settle disputes. You are simply the property owner and the LLC is the one that needs the insurance. To protect the owner and the LLC.

IM NOT 100% on how that all works, it's just me guessing.  

I have an LLC but don't plan on using it til I move out of my house hack. Then I'll put that property into the llc and keep the next house hack in my name.