All Forum Posts by: Andrew R. Lucas

@Will Gaston, Whats your court date, and let us all know how it goes. 

@Will Gaston I have been to that magistrate.  It was quite interesting.  I had to sit through 2 different days of cases while dealing with ours.  From what I saw, the judge was extremely reasonable and had no issue ruling in favor of landlords.  

You may want to bring 1 of those pest control guys if you can.  Or maybe get a statement from them.  

Take all documents! Every contact with her and with her roomates. 

 If it was unlivable 7 months ago then why would she continue to pay rent for moths while she was supposedly living else where....

I agree that if she has a lawyer then you may need one.  If she wins then the other tenants could follow suit with the the same precedent.

@Jake Lazas I'll vouch for @Christopher Bunge.  Just closed a deal that he found me in West Columbia.  

the 1st eviction can be nerve racking.  However, like the previous posts outline, it's very cut and dry.  The process is straight forward, quick and cheap.  

Your time line might look like this:

File eviction. Then 2-3 weeks for court date.  Judge rules in your favor. Then 3-5 days to process.  The sheriff will arrive to give them 24hrs.  If not gone then you call someone to put their stuff on the lawn with sheriff present.  

Hopefully they will move on.  Good luck. 

I would only buy to flip if the property had enough land for horses or has historical significance/character.  The equine and history businesses are big in Camden.

There are more "regular" houses than their are buyers. The market is steady but not growing very fast.   

You can do okay with rentals if you get at the right price.  Most certainly a good renter town.  I think you could find plenty of motivated sellers since the sales are slow.  

Make sure you factor in SC property taxes in your decision to buy a rental.  A $100k property will likely cost over $200 a month in taxes.

Hope that helps. Please reach out if you have any specific questions. 

@Michael Cox Welcome!!

The podcasts are great!  But if you are new to this  you should check out the Book on Investing in Rentals by Brandon. 

After 8 years, I've just brought on property management and highly recommend Cantey & Company.  Good news for you is that you could "test drive" a PM or two while you build up your portfolio.  

I think you need to look at regional banks and credit unions.  They have more flexibility.     

I'm sending you a PM.  

My business partner's father in law specializes in mobile homes.  He is your guy!

Had my first eviction in December.  Starting landlording in 2008 so it took a while but I finally got one.  I was a bit nervous going in as well, but it turned out to be pretty simple.  

Make sure you have the signed lease, any notices and a statement of their account.  Simply tell the judge that they have a signed lease and the rent was due.  They didn't pay and then you gave notice.  They still didn't pay and now you are evicting.  My judge was very landlord friendly.  There were a few cases that day.  Keep it professional and all business.  The law is pretty clear on what the court has to do in these cases.  

Good Luck!  

Welcome @Jasmine Norris!  I wish I had this site when I was just starting at 23 years old.  

Look forward to meeting you at a meet up soon.