All Forum Posts by: Christen G.

School ratings never hurt, but I'll say this much: my rentals on the south side of I-5 have longer term, blue-collar great tenants and the buildings print money. Whereas the North end, Old Town, etc.. the neighbors are a bit NIMBY, call-the-city on a trashcan types -- that's caused more headaches tbh. They don't like renters.

Congrats on making the jump! I am invested in Tacoma and am happy to share my experiences with you. I have a duplex in Old Town and a triplex and duplex *just* south of I-5 - I'd suggest both areas - happy to chat any time.

In Washington there are a few programs helping landlords with back rent + utilities that go directly to us thank goodness. I am awaiting a $4k check now for this. It was slightly annoying and time-consuming to track down and herd the tenant to answering an email or provide a document or 2, but I am so glad I found the program. @Andrea Coulter I found this program because the Section8 folks wrote me (I have a Section8 tenant in another building) saying they had new funds that they needed to spend by year's end and if we needed it to apply. I wrote them and asked if they knew of any other programs for non Section8 tenants. They were happy to pass me to the folks helping out that sector thank goodness. Best of luck to you and I'm sorry it's happening.

Ugh, sorry this happened. Not a great way to start out!

I'm a superhost with a niche rental: off-grid, no wifi, solar power. 98% of the time, our guests are great and love us, but that 2% --- wow. I am often floored at how stupid and inconsiderate people can be. 

I would be truthful and factual in your review for sure and in the private feedback you can let them know that you were disappointed in them for X, Y and Z. Also, I'm not sure how your budget is, but one way to get a few more reviews in there, and make them positive, is to deeply discount the rental for a few weeks and be honest about why it's that low. "The price is accurate and it is so low b/c we're new to this and want your honest feedback on the space - what can we do better, what do we do well, etc..." I did this with my STR - along with asking friends to book it at full rate and then reimbursing them - and got a handful of 5-star reviews + great feedback on what I needed to amend. Good luck!

Hi folks,
I'm buying a new primary home and the floors are trashed. So yay! New Floors! 
We're dabbing with the idea of radiant heating and I had a few questions for those of you who have them or have installed them recently.

- Approx. how much should I budget?
- Electric vs. hydronic? Seems to me I wouldn't want water under my floors, but....?
- Do they work better with certain types of material (poured concrete, tile, engineered hardwood are currently on the table)
- Will they fully replace the HVAC/Heat pump that's there now? It's super old and will need to go in the next 3-5 years.
- I've read a fair amount about them, but I'd love to know any tips/tricks or suggestions that you have that otherwise isn't google-able?

The section I'm replacing is approx. 950-sqft - in Western Washington.
Thank you. Happy holidays,

cg

@Michele Fischer - thank you for sharing that - super helpful.

I wouldn't waste time with snap traps. This is something Im going to try at my remote cabin with something 100% living in the walls. Let's just hope it's mice and not a rat and that if it's a rat it doesn't die in the walls 

@Ryan Rogers congrats! Super exciting. Where in Tacoma?

Best of luck getting your first duplex. My 2 cents? Spend the time between now and then reading 1 or 2 books - it's way easier than you think it is once you have a few steps and checks and balances in place. Heather and Brandon Turner's book on managing rental properties will give you everything you need to know - including state-specific leases. You got this. Good luck!

Good luck with the acquisition! I wouldn't bother re-leasing for 60 days (if they are on M2M?) but I would photograph the units (+ drop off your contact information) to the tenant on closing day. This way you're documenting the state of the unit and if that person trashes the place on their way out, you have proof of its "original condition." As for the $25 garbage fee we spell it out as a flat "utility fee." Calling it rents would increase your NOI on paper out of the gate but you'd still be paying the garbage out an an expense.