All Forum Posts by: Jim S

Sorry, image didnt work the 1st time.
Here is an example of the rope lights installed behind the crown molding on top of the cabinets

We take a deposit from my customers when they purchase from my store and then we manually enter the credit card info (not swiping thru the machine) for the balance. We received a charge back request on the balance amount about 2 months after our involvement was over. We had signed delivery forms stating everything was acceptable. The charge back request was unique in that it did not have an actual complaint from the customer but just asked for documentation. I called Visa and spoke to a representative. She told me that this is a way some banks use to collect some of their lost $$ from dead beat card holders. The banks will do charge backs to the merchants that were on the card looking for transactions that were not swiped or imprinted. If they are just key punched in.....we automatically lose. The charge card game is always in favor of the bank and the card holder.

I like the dark cabinets the best.

Here is an example of the rope lights installed behind the crown molding on top of the cabinets.

We always install under cabinet lighting which also makes a big difference. I get them from HD and they cost about $15 each. If the ceiling is high enough, we always put rope lights on top of the cabinets too.

Plus most banks will ding you for 2.75% in merchant fees when you accept the credit card. If your rent is $1600 per month that equates to $530 per year lost.

Their credit card company will always side with the card holder. We deal with it all the time in my retail store. Plus if the card hasnt been swiped thru a terminal or imprinted then you have nothing to stand on.

Definetely dark cabinets need a light granite top. We usually use a light to medium granite like Santa Cecilia.

This was a very small kitchen. We wanted to make it look as big as possible so we went with white cabinets and a lighter granite.

'Just starting out... how do you handle spouses fears?'

This might help!

After a lot of sucking up the manager at HD said she would take a 10% off coupon from Lowes. I went to my local post office and got one out of the new home owner packet. I returned to HD and gave them my coupon and received the 10% off. The sales person at the pro desk went out of his way to reference he managers name as the one responsible for giving me the discount. I own a large retail store and I would never make it this difficult for a customer. I never had much loyalty to HD but after this experience, I have zero.

I think it's impossible to have rental properties and not have one trashed every once in a while. Part of the game. In regards to the backyard wear and tear....you knew they had dogs. It seems like a normal side effect of allowing dogs in the rental. That's why I stopped allowing any pets in my rentals. Between the pee stains in the carpet, the ad smells, and the liability of a dog bite, it's just not worth it to me. If you allow dogs as a tool to find more applicants then the damage they do should be part of your normal scope of work between tenants.
I learned the hard way that you need to make a fair decision that makes good business sense concerning their damage vs their deposit and then quickly move on. Spending time dealing with these dead beats in the future will only cost you more $$.