All Forum Posts by: Bill Ward

$300 pet fee up front, $30 per month for 1 pet, $50 for two pets. Utilized numbers of a local apartment complex when I started. I like having military members and will advertise pet fees waived for active duty military to help. 

I grew up in a flood zone and currently live in one. I pay $150 a month for mandatory flood insurance. When I was 18 my parents' house got the 1 in 40 year flood (hurricane Isabel). 3 ft of water inside the house. I forget the exact numbers but it was something like insurance paid $30k but all the repairs and required to raise the house level, totaled $60k. We couldn't live in the house for 3 months. I will never buy a house again in a flood zone. That being said I currently live in the same zone because I got a good deal on my house (trade off of flood vs. quiet town). My yard and garage flood 3-4 times a year. And flood is saltwater here, so it may as well be acid. Personal opinion, stay away from flood zones. 

I did the same thing, didn't change the loan type. Changed insurance from Homeowners to Landlord insurance. I'd deep clean everything in the house before leaving or showing it. Have a friend or someone come over and look over the whole house for dirt or repairs needed. Things left on your to do list (small crack in the wall, replace blinds etc. ) that you don't even think about anymore a renter may notice immediately. My first tenant complained about a draft around the back door, and then I remembered I had meant to get around to fixing it...but living there I had just gotten used to everything. 

@Scott Lyons they may have renters insurance that covers housing while their’s is unusable

He's got more red flags than my toxic ex.

I rent out my previous single family home. It's nicer inside that others comparable in rent here, nicer carpet/windows/paint vs. the standard plain white walled rentals and cheap carpet. I always have a surplus of interest to rent it. Tenants also love the privacy fence and that I allow pets. Anybody with a dog knows it's hard to find a place that will accept them. I usually get my pick of tenant applicants which allows me to get the highest qualified.

@Nickolay S. I’ve been a cop for 14 years. If it’s a significant scene, or you can’t handle (stomach) the cleanup, you’re gonna want to hire a private company. They specialize in it. If you’re lucky it’s just a carpet replacement. Really depends on how bad it is. Remember it can be a bio hazard too. Never know what they left behind.

I get contacted all the time by 'investors' over the phone asking if I'd consider selling my rental house. Sometimes I say I would for full price, (top of the market value for what it is) $150k...I know they wouldn't take it. They "get together with their partners" then call you back. It was maybe 20 minutes. They were looking at $75k.....so that's how that went

The house is older, 2010?? LOL my house was built in the 70s and it's the newest house I've ever lived in!

In my rental the washer and dryer are a tight fight (difficult to physically get them in and out), left there from when I lived there. They work just fine, so I put a clause in the lease: Tenants are welcome to use the washer/dryer there- but if it needs repair or maintenance they can fix them at their own cost or replace them with their own. At which point I will remove the broken set and fix or sell them. If they are damaged by the tenant they are charged a replace or repair fee. This allows the tenants to "choose" to use what I have already there, while taking any responsibility for their repairs off of me. It's been 10 years with only 1 or 2 issues on the washer, and none since the 3 years of renting. No one has suggested me removing them to put in their own.