All Forum Posts by: Brendan Spaar

I don't know how it works where you are but in Louisiana, my friends would threaten to call  law enforcement (police, sheriff, etc) & have them removed as squatters. If there's no valid lease with those people's names on it & they haven't paid rent, they might be ignorant enough to take your offer & not risk law enforcement being involved. If they're as sketchy as you say, there's probably legal stuff they don't want coming up. Worth a shot & you can always do legit legal proceedings if you have to.

How good is the tenant? Do you know what the felony is for? I understand your concern but being a felon doesn't always mean the person would be someone that is a danger. I would talk to the tenant & get more information. It isn't unreasonable to ask if you expect he will be spending considerable time there.. 

It might just be me, but I always wonder if there's an underlying reason. I understand them being turned off from the former owner but I would worry about damage from unheated pipes too. I guess your inspector could look at the breaker box & see if the panel is ok for the house. Is there a way to turn the water on at the street just to check it out?

Sounds like they just want to complain or are hoping to get something from you (discount on rent, etc). I would inform them ASAP that when their lease expires, it won't be renewed. You could always say you're going to need it vacant to make repairs & do a thorough inspection with no idea how long the property will need to be vacant. Since they've been complaining about different issues, they only have themselves to blame for you taking steps to check out the problems.

How badly do you want it? She was being vague so it would buy her time to consider it & maybe get a better offer. I would give her a week or so & then contact her again. 

You could say that you hoped she had time to do her calculations & you were interested in what she'd decided. Then give the reasons why you thought your offer was a fair one- based on comps, condition of the property, amount of work to finish it, etc.

To close, you could say that you look forward to discussing the property further in hopes that the two of you could come to an agreement that was mutually beneficial. That way you show you're still interested, that you acknowledge the property has worth & that you're willing to negotiate.

When my sister was looking for housing while going to grad school, she looked on craigslist & the university housing website. She found her rental from the craigslist ad. The campus site wasn't updated & had few choices.

I agree with Phillip. My sister was in grad school & wanted to rent a condo. The owner wasn't really happy renting to someone with pets until she met my sister & her pets. Plus my sister had vet references & a letter from her last landlord giving her positive recommendations.

Some cities publish real estate transactions in the paper. You can scan them to see if your target area has movement, up or down. If the neighborhood has an HOA, you could see when they have meetings & attend one. Talk to people. Say you're interested in buying a home in that area (they don't need to know you're an investor) & ask their opinion. If there's any open houses, go to them. See what agents have to say about the area. Also check the crime reports to see if there's any trends you should know about.

Using a credit score to determine a good pet owner is not really a sound idea. What if your tenant has a great credit score but looks at their pet as property- keeps it outside, unfixed & never sees the vet? I would use the credit score to determine paying habits & then ask for vet references for their pet. If the vet says they're good pet owners then you can use the credit score to determine if they're a safe risk.

I have a friend with very little credit. They always paid cash while in college. They have graduated & are working so can afford to pay. Their pets get better care than they do themselves. The dogs go to the vet for the least little thing while they put off going to the doctor unless it's a big deal. Their landlord loves them & they've been renting there almost 2 years. They pay rent 6 months in advance.

Just be careful painting floors especially a dark color. Scratches will show & if a person had pets that's bound to happen. Maybe try a solid stain or deck paint that is designed to hold up under tough conditions. A friend painted their kitchen floor red & white & it looks great but they have a small kitchen & minimal traffic.