All Forum Posts by: Ingrid Nagy

I became full time as a result of the recession. Previously I had a job managing commercial r.e. and did the residential evenings & weekends. I think the amount of time you spend depends on the locations/distance of your properties. I can certainly see managing SFR's as being more time consuming. Mine are in 3 bldgs. The smaller bldgs don't require much mgmt. For the larger bldg I give the super a free unit and a small weekly salary. In return he makes all repairs, handles maintenance. Each morning he faxes me what happened or what he did the previous day. Every few days I go to the units and verify the repair and check that if a faucet was replaced, he put in a new faucet. During periods when there might be more work than others I pitch in and help. He handles no money and all rents are money orders placed in a lockbox on site that I pick up. I have a security system that allows me to watch what's going on at the bldg live whenever I feel like it

LOL - well in this case it made them run, to the neighbors' apartments. You must have seen the show on cable they ran about eliminating bed bugs. It was pretty fascinating. They brought in panels and raised the apartment temperature to 120 degrees for a certain period of time. When they returned the bed bugs were all dead. Can just imagine what such a treatment costs.

I have to honestly say that I can't even remember the rental market being this way in the last 20+ years. I see signs for vacancies down every street I drive. Competition is fierce. We are all lowering rents, offering free rents, accepting rent subsidy, etc. There are lots of lookers but very few takers, particularly in smaller size units.

I had thought that I'd seen every possible "teaser" to attract a tenant out there. This week I saw four ads offering 32" flat screen t.v.'s with a newly signed lease! Where is everyone going?

One bad apple CAN spoil the whole bunch unfortunately. I am happy it is soon to be over finally but not looking forward the necessary work and expense nor the vacancy.

I do have extinguishers for each 8 apartments so there is one on each floor and also the pull station and alarm system but I don't have them in the individual apartments.

You're not kidding!! Have the HEPA vacuum, suits and booties all ready to go.

I'm in Jersey City, Passaic and Irvington and I use yearly leases. Of course not everyone abides by a yearly lease of course

She's going!!!! January 31 pursuant to my settlement agreement with her Legal Aid Lawyer.

Got that call at close to midnight that my famous tenant, I call her Bed Bugs, had a grease fire while cooking french fries. I arrived at the bldg to find all the tenants standing in the rain and about 15 firefighters doing what they do best....running in with hatchets ablazing. Fortunately everyone was safely evacuated and damage was kept to a minimum. Unfortunately, the bed bugs have traveled perhaps because of the smoke etc. So on to the next set of bed bug treatments.

I'm happy to report that bed bugs has found another apartment and will be moving at the end of January.