All Forum Posts by: Ben Muska

@Rashad Ellis

Hey Rashad. It's...progressing. One tenant is still here with the pets and kids, but I called the police on the husband for domestic abuse. Ugly situation, she's okay, and he's gone now. She intends to leave, and I've offered things like cash for keys, rent forgiveness, and reimbursement for the moving truck.

I know I'm not seeing a dime from these people, but it's not worth pursuing legally to me since they don't have anything to go after.

If I've learned anything from this experience, it's that I wish I'd have gotten these tenants out with cash when purchasing the property. Would have been a lot cleaner and faster. Even if I offered 3 grand, that would have saved me money. If it weren't for that police call, this could have gone on for many more months.

I can't wrap my mind around not paying someone for something that have provided me, buy I also can't understand why someone would attack their wife or berate their kids. Some people are just wired differently, and the moratorium only empowers them in their irrational behavior. General advice for the time being (as well as life in general): don't buy a property that you can't pay for in worst-case scenarios. I'm fortunate to be able to cover the larger mortgage on my own, so it's not the end of the world. I just know it will all have been worth it when this baby starts cash-flowing.

Stay strong and don't lose confidence, tough times weed out the weak and leave plenty of opportunity for those who can hold on.

@Kyle Debiase

We'll see. This is in Camden County, in one of the nicer neighborhoods. It's a real mix of very nice and very not-nice in this area, haha

@Kyle Debiase

Hey Kyle, sorry for the late answer. I served the notice to quit for the end of the lease. I offered them a chance by offering to forgive the rent they owe if they vacated by the end of the lease. Due date came and went, and they're still here. I'm in the process of eviction now. I contacted a lawyer, and we are proceeding on eviction of two counts: possession and non-payment. At least for now, the non-payment will be thrown out. The possession charge should stick just fine though. There is a new bill that should go into effect soon allowing evictions in NJ not related to non-payment. We'll see. Some people have no sense of right and wrong. The tenant has been aggressive since day one, so I only interact through email

@Scott M. Would you offer cash for keys, or simply a forgiveness of debt?

@Eric James would the eviction process start now, or only when they haven't vacated by the given timeframe? I don't think that I could start eviction in NJ because of rent payment itself

Hi everyone!

My wife and I just bought a duplex in South Jersey to house hack. The current tenants in the other unit are on a month to month lease. There are a few problems:

1. The rent is too low ($1350 for a 3 bed/2 bath, plus 5 pets with no pet fees)

2. The tenants aren't paying rent

I provided a notice that either the lease would not be renewed, or the rent would increase to market value (after renovations that are meant to be done when they leave) of $1650 plus $50 a pet. They did not respond in the given timeframe. According to the lease and in observance of NJ law, I provided a 45 day notice of non-renewal. After a few days, I have heard from the tenants telling me to start the eviction process and to go ahead with the increased rent.

This is my first property and I'm not entirely sure what to do here. According to NJ law, a landlord can choose to not renew a lease for any reason if it is a small, owner-occupied property. I'm going to talk with a lawyer, but I'd like to know if anyone has gone through this. They threatened to bring in a lawyer. Do they have any legal grounds? Am I able to evict in this situation while Covid is still a thing? I'm having difficulty finding laws pertaining to this circumstance.

Thanks in advance!

@Stephen Kappre @Joseph Scorese @Steve Schulman @Kevin Zolea

Thanks everyone for your help! I just closed on a duplex, and so have started my journey into real estate investing!

@Kevin Zolea

Hey Kevin! I've put a few more offers out. One is on a 4plex that wouldn't initially cash flow, but would if I increased rents to market level as the leases cycle out. It's been on the market for around three years. I've been staying away because I would initially take a "loss" (meaning I'd pay ~$1000 of rent, which is still not bad), but I know I have to get a little bolder in today's market. I'm also trying cash for keys since it is fully rented.

@Steve Schulman

That's something that we've been trying to stay away from since we are looking to occupy immediately, but it may be time to widen our criteria. It's definitely intimidating for our first deal to be a complete overhaul, but I won't say know if it makes sense at this point. Thanks!

@Joseph Scorese

We've gotten a lender who is on board with our goal, and they've been great to work with. We've put in around 10 offers, so I know we have to stock things out and keep offering