All Forum Posts by: Evan B.

 Try to find these items (corkscrew bottle opener etc) that are wall mounted, or able to be mounted on a cable

This way, they are impossible to remove from the property

The appreciation rate in CA does not seem sustainable to me, the home values are absolutely insane there (compared to almost everywhere else!)

 I agree with what a few other people said - unless you are planning to do a major rehab soon (that would need to be undone to access pipes) or you are having problems with the pipes, I wouldn't worry about it. There are lots of things that will eventually break on all homes, from siding to the roof, the pipes, fixtures in bathrooms etc. Just have a plan for each thing, and take a look at everything logically when you plan to improve the property or replace something else (better to fix a pipe once the floor is already ripped up like you said)

is there a specific scenario you are looking at? and this is for, for example a month long vacation rental?

Short term rental is higher profit, but higher upkeep / attention

Long term is lower profit, but lower upkeep / attention

Mid term doesn't provide higher profit or lower the upkeep, tenants will "move in", but not really, so you have to clean up more sustained messes and deal with more problems, but you don't get any reward for it. Maybe this would work with a richer clientele that takes monthlong vacations

Unless it is a specific situation that will benefit you in some way, I personally wouldn't do anything "mid term" unless it jumped out at me.

+1 Vote for buying a heat pump mini split

That adds convenience and value to the property, and there is no risk of a fire or other issues with the woodstove. Your climate isn't too cold anyway :D 

I want to know this as well! Hopefully some knowledgeable people jump in.

A lot of the time, it seems like the ridiculous or trivial repair requests will often turn into a back and forth argument, creating tension. 

It can be hard to tell if the tenant is doing it on purpose, to give themselves ammunition to use against you later. Or if they are just nitpicky.

I have a newer woodstove in my house,

as long as the tenant follows these rules theres only a low chance of a house fire:

1.) The woodstove is installed correctly, with correct clearences to combustible materials (including the chimney setup)

2.) The wood they use has been seasoned properly (below 15% moisture content, you can buy a $30 tool to measure it)

3.) They don't overfire the stove, and keep it within the safe operating range,  this is tricky because softwoods like pine can take off faster, and well seasoned Oak will output 2 - 3 times as much heat per piece of wood as softwoods / other hardwoods do.

4.) Adaquate fire alarms and fire extinguishers are installed properly, in correct locations, and confirmed working.

Overall I personally wouldn't want a woodstove operated in a rental that I own, they are a bit complicated to run correctly.

But at the same time, if the person is knowledgeable about wood stoves, it should be ok. Make sure you do research on insurance for this - I pay $10 more per year on my home's insurance because of my wood stove!!

Can you share some pictures of the wood stove? Also check out Hearth.com forums for wood stove information.

What is the short term rental? is it a Cabin or a house?

in my opinion it would be risky to raise is so suddenly, even if its at market rate, because people are budgeting for the current cost.

Maybe you could do a 5% per month raise over time? or 5% every other month? Do the numbers still work out to cashflow (or at least cover costs) at the current rents?

My only idea; "close it off" in a way that makes it Look like there is a full masonry lined block, when in reality it is just a piece of plywood with a sheet of concrete backer board over it... or something similarly easy to remove when the time comes to sell.

Then tell them that it's fully closed and unusable to avoid any issues :D maybe you could even put some sort of decoration or fake fireplace setup to make it look nice?