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All Forum Posts by: Andrew Jefferson

Andrew Jefferson has started 1 posts and replied 5 times.

Post: Cats vs. Dogs - What do you allow?

Andrew JeffersonPosted
  • New to Real Estate
  • Salisbury, MA
  • Posts 5
  • Votes 1

@Bonnie Low

I am not an RE investor yet but I'd like to share my view from a tenant's perspective to hopefully provide some help.

My Wife and I love animals, which is why we've owned a chinchilla and a small dog while renting. For us, our past landlord was extremely lucky to have us as tenants as most of the things they did or didn't do could have ended very badly for them financially speaking... this is why.

1. Our lease contract did not have anything about pet policies even though our to be landlords knew we had animals. This could have ended badly for both them as well as us in ways... so my suggestion is to have a thorough lease agreement regarding animals if you do decide to allow them. I'm a firm believer of a very extensive lease agreement!

2. They didn't collect a pet deposit from us... I'd assume pet deposits may be limited in some ways depending on state laws but I'd think a deposit that would cover a thorough cleaning (if the tenants move out and leave the place looking and smelling like a barn) and refinishing/fixing the floors and baseboards if applicable should be a good standard.

3. Knowing the obedience of the animal(s)? I ask this as a question because again I am not an investor yet but this would be something going through my head. Is the animal trained? Can a animal's temperament be used as a metric to not allow a tenant to rent? Personally I would trust tenants with an excellently trained animal over a tenant w/o one because the level of responsibility proves to me the tenant does not take owning a pet likely and would treat the rented space with respect. And vise versa if the animal doesnt appeared trained then they probably won't care much about their rented space.

I hope this was helpful in some ways! And good luck on your rental!

Still in the beginning steps of getting into my first investment but other than work I love to go biking with the wife, hiking with my dog, and to be honest I do play quite a bit of video games in my free time as well! 

Andrew Jefferson 

Post: Any House Hacking advice?

Andrew JeffersonPosted
  • New to Real Estate
  • Salisbury, MA
  • Posts 5
  • Votes 1

@Michael Henry Thanks! Yeah a big obstacle I know that I am going to have to overcome is trusting and sticking with the numbers in my first purchase. I have a habit of being very reactionary in stressful situations so my hope is with more knowledge that I can condition myself to avoid overpaying. But again thanks for the advice! 

Post: Any House Hacking advice?

Andrew JeffersonPosted
  • New to Real Estate
  • Salisbury, MA
  • Posts 5
  • Votes 1

Currently, my wife and I are looking to live in a 2 to 4 unit rental investment property in the MA/NH border area. I am reading the investment guides, listening to podcasts and watching YouTube videos regarding house hacking but I still feel like I am missing information that may be crucial to know for my area. Is there anyone that may have some area specific advice or really any advice at all that's not typically read in the guides?

Post: How much lead time is appropriate before getting started?

Andrew JeffersonPosted
  • New to Real Estate
  • Salisbury, MA
  • Posts 5
  • Votes 1

@Steve Morris When my wife and I looked into buying our first home back in 2017 I had difficulty finding an agent that I feel I could trust. Granted I only looked at 4 or 5 agents but I always felt they tried to sell any home and not one that fit our criteria. That made us feel like they didn't take us seriously which eventually stopped our home search. Now fast forward to 2020 and I have spent a lot more time researching and reading what we want to do in real estate investments but still feel like reaching out to agents may be too early if I am still 6-12+ months away from feeling ready to buy my first property. I don't like wasting people's time but at the same time I want to get as much information that I understand so that I feel confident in moving forward with an investment.

So besides having a proposed price range, desired market location and niche, what else would you suggest to have ready to show and prove that you are a motivated future investor and not just another passerby?