All Forum Posts by: Greg Smith

@Michael Seeker I think you're right with respect to comparable cities.  It just feels high I guess because it's up so much.

I've been feeling like we were approaching a bubble.  Housing prices are growing so much faster than incomes... I figured appreciation was driven by low inventory and low interest rates.  I don't know if inventory will change any time soon but rates are definitely trending upward.  If I can afford $1000 / month, at today's rate I might be able to get a $200K house.  At 5%, I'm more like $180K

That is all good advice.  That's in line with what I was thinking.  I'd rather lose some money than deal with a nuisance tenant.  I've been thinking that maybe I just needed to "train my tenant" as some of the books talk about but it doesn't seem to be working (or else I'm bad at it).  I think instead I need to cut bait.  My HVAC guy is going today... If he doesn't find something that changes everything I will have a conversation telling her I will allow her out of the lease and that she can start looking for a place.

I've never heard of not allowing space heaters.  The oven 8-O  but not space heaters.  Is that common?  I am sending out my HVAC guy now.  So by get rid of her Thomas S., should I let her out of the lease?

Additional: I just called my HVAC contractor, they reminded me they were out last month and replaced a part. It was working fine when they left.  That doesn't mean that it hasn't broken since then... just that a licensed person has looked at it.

Thanks, Levi T.  I'll make the call.

I am fairly new at landlording. I've been at it maybe 2 years and have had mostly positive experiences. I have a few section 8 rentals. An older woman just moved in a SFH and complains of being constantly cold. She says the heat wont stay on (handyman checked - it heats to the set temp, 80 degrees and then turns off). The previous tenant never mentioned a problem. The furnace is maybe 10 years old. The house feels warm when I walk in. She has a space heater going in her bedroom and sometimes uses the oven in the kitchen. She hasn't been sleeping at the house because of the cold and it isn't even winter yet. What should I do? Should I let her out of the lease? This would be a hard time to replace her but an unhappy tenant is a headache. I am going over this week to winterize the windows with plastic.