All Forum Posts by: Mark Graffagnino

I've used Cage It Up (www.cageitup.com) on two intown deals and they did a good job.  Very quick response time too.  Good luck.

Hi Ryan.  I'm a native New Yorker living in Atlanta.  Good luck with your deal.  What part of 'Greater Atlanta'?

@Aaron McGinnis

sent you a PM.

@Andrew Cordle one thing I'd suggest is that when you are into the inspections phase, make sure you get one of the newer "combo inspectors". These guys are specifically for small projects (like a SF house) and they can do framing plus all the MEP inspections in one trip (if all are ready). I've found these guys to have a much better attitude than the old guard guys who only do one trade and try to look for any reasons to not pass you, or to tell you why they can't do something. Combo inspectors make the process faster and easier.

Good luck. Looking forward to seeing progress photos.

Congrats on the purchase. As Aaron mentioned, dealing with the City of Atlanta means lots of delays. The City's Historic Planning Board delayed a rehab I was doing for 2 months because I wanted to change the function (not the size or color or look) of one window, on a basement level, on the side of the house, which you could not see from the street. Two months.

I hope you are a patient person with a high tolerance level for incompetence mixed with arrogance.

Please post some during and after photos.

Construction Management is what I do in my day job. What specific questions do you have? You can PM me; I'll be back at home this evening and be able to respond.

I appreciate all the replies. I'm actually in the process of setting up an ACH account, but this tenant pays by money order so that wouldn't work.

Will look at some kind of plan to get her back on track or set up due date around her work paydays. She's a good tenant and was in her last house for 7 years, so I like her domestic stability....just need some financial stability.

As far as "not letting her get 3 weeks late" we file a dispossessory if she goes past the 10th. One benefit for me personally, of setting up a plan and getting her back on track is not having to go to the magistrate court once to file the warrant and a second time to cancel it after she pays.

Funny side story- the first time I filed a dispo warrant I mistakenly put my info in the "defendant" section....the sheriffs deputy called me from in front of my own house to ask if this was the correct address...."because if this house rents for $985 I'd like to get on your waiting list".

Not onerous or predatory at all.

5% if past the 5th

10% of past the 10th, plus $5 per day for every day past the 10th.

They also pay for the dispossessory warrant fee if we have to file.

Jon, great question. She was on Section 8, which was paying $300 of the $985. She was taken off the program because she makes too much money. She makes $22/hour. I think the extra $300 is more of a planning problem than an affordability problem, although she does drive a nicer vehicle than me. She's also been a good tenant, no complaints, keeps the place clean and the grass cut. Her adult son is now finished with school and has a job and will be helping towards the rent, so she says.

I'm curious to see how other landlords feel about this. We have a tenant who has paid late the past two months. Between the late fees and penalties, it's been about $200 extra each month (rent is $985)

My partner wants to set her up on a temporary payment plan over the next three months where she makes a mid month payment in addition to the first month payment, which is scaled to help her get back on track to paying full on the first again by July 1st.

I want to help her get back to paying on the 1st but also like getting the extra money in late fees each month. We send out late notices per the payment schedule in the lease so we maintain the lease agreement. When she goes past the 10th we file a dispossessory, which she has to pay for. There is no loan on the house, so we're not fronting any money each month.

She makes good money, so its not a situation where she can't afford the rent. How would you proceed? Thanks.