All Forum Posts by: Nancy Tran

We have a few Section 8 tenants in Fresno, and as the previous poster said, we've generally had a pleasant experience. We do get an annual to-do list of some nitpicky things from them, but the payment is always on time, even through COVID. Our experience of the tenants have been very positive, they take care of the place because they don't want to lose the voucher either. 

Most of this was done by our property manager (Neighborhood Property Management), but they have a good website (Housing Choice Vouchers), including a specific section for interested landlords. 

We like Neighborhood Property Management, with Franklin and Lisa Spees. Franklin is a real estate attorney as well. They manage 9 units for us, and have always been on the ball and done things the right way.

Neighborhood Property Management

Spoke with our real estate attorney and CPA. Ended up with Alabama LLC ($100 per year), and registered as foreign entity in California via Form LLC-5 ($800 per year). We ultimately chose to do this as we may not be in California forever, and once we move, we can ditch the California LLC fees.

Hi,

Thank you both! It's actually a turnkey property, so they already have a GC who would in theory fix everything on the report. My husband did reach out to Gordon, and let him know the referral come from both of you. He is coming out tomorrow morning!

Thank you again!

Hi all,

In escrow on a 6-plex in Montgomery, AL. Does anyone have any certified structural engineer recommendations to look at a property's foundation and some cracks in the brick? Thanks in advance!

@Dom Chit

We really like Franklin and Lisa at Neighborhood Property Management, they have done a great job of managing our Fresno units.

Agree with Tom- it depends on goal. Yes, if you are looking to flip in a year, it can make it more difficult. But we are buy and hold for long term. You just have to calculate how long it would take to get to goal rents.

We have found thus far that a lot of tenants will just leave with that 5-10% rent increase every year, and then you can spring up to market rent. Or you reach it fairly quickly, often in less than 3 years. 

It's a California state rent control law, not specific to Fresno. But it's 5% + CPI to a maximum of 10%. California usually averages around 2-3% CPI, although there are those that believe it will be much higher in the coming years. 

You also have to be careful about evicting - there has to be a just cause. It's also very expensive and time-consuming (months) to evict in California. Here are a couple articles on this topic: 

https://www.nolo.com/legal-enc...

https://rentprep.com/landlord-...

Hi Ryan,

My wife and I can vouch for Jeff. He has helped us tremendously on our real estate journey, and we are now up to 10 units and 3 properties. He continues to offer us tips and insight, and keeps us out of problem areas and trouble. He is also a real estate investor himself, so he's well versed in the terminology and running numbers. We are still working with him as we continue to look for more property. 

Bruce

Hi Dana,

Landlords of non-single-family rentals typically pay water, trash, sewer, landscaping and pest. Not sure what you mean by HVAC - but landlords would technically be responsible for repairs and maintenance, while tenants would be responsible for the electric and gas. 

If you are talking about a single-family home, tenants could be responsible for all of this, it depends on what you want to put into their lease. 

There are ways to get water to be paid by tenant in 2+ units such as submetering or RUBS programs, but tenants so rarely pay for water here that your place would stand out.