All Forum Posts by: Dena Puliatti

Those are both very desirable zip codes here.  You can command higher rent.  I can run some rental comps for you if you are interested. 

In order to not be a evicted, a tenant must sign a sworn affidavit stating that they have been paying a little all along and making their best effort.  You can learn more about it at cdc.gov

Definitely address the late fees with your property manager.  What may be happening is that when a tenant pays late, part of it is going to be distributed to pay the old late fee first before the new charge, resulting in a continuous balance. 

Also, when a new owner comes in, there are often a lot of maintenance calls because now the tenants are actually getting taken care of!  Congratulate yourself on being a good landlord and staying on top of things! I agree with @Nathan Gesner - your maintenance numbers are good, and not excessive.

There are going to be discrepancies between a lower income potential tenant and a higher income potential tenant. If the house is $600 per month, you're probably not going to get a 730 credit score applicant.  Look for recent paystubs - a month's worth is good.  Call the current landlord - no rental history is a no-go. Check for major felonies, undischarged bankruptcies, and evictions.  

So is the 15th the day they are supposed to be out on their own, or is that the day the sheriff has a set out?  Usually the judge will give the tenant at sufferance a day to move on their own.  If the tenant ignores that date, the sheriff can set a date for a set-out (the tenant gets to hang out but the cop car while your maintenance team hauls everything to the curb).  The set-out can be pricey.  In Madison County, AL, the landlord must provide 4 able-bodied individuals to haul the belongings out, which can take a few hours.

In Alabama, you have to have a real estate license to manage other people's properties, so I'm glad you've checked with your attorney.  Buildium is one that will allow tenants to pay online, place work orders, advertise the properties, and run credit checks.  They don't require a minimum number of properties.

Short term rentals are in short supply here.  Good for you for tapping into that market!

Feel free to reach out to me.  I'm a property manager and realtor here in Huntsville.  We can get you set up with a Collaboration Center so you can see what your price range can buy here.

Definitely look in to the Huntsville, AL market.  Our city is growing by approximately 100 people per week with all of the new developments and companies coming into the area.  From the projections, Huntsville is slated to be as big as Birmingham within 10 years.

I did this very thing this summer for a long-term, fantastic tenant in a property that I manage. The owner set a budget, and the tenant and I met at the carpet store to pick it out, which made her so happy.  We told the manager that the installers would have to move things, and it was no issue.