All Forum Posts by: Jon W.

"BTW, No political stickers, as polarizing as politics gets you don't really need to tell people you're for or against anything. Same with religious matters with stickers on controversial issues. Consider if something could be offensive to others and what the statement is. I've seen some crude ones......not good."

@Bill Gulley ..Great tips.

@Michael Herr I always laugh when I see a really nice vehicle all tricked sitting in front of a dilapidated house ....You see it all the time driving through Detroit. It usually has 30 inch rims and looks like a moon rover.

@Jon Klaus I like the idea of a truck...functional.

@Christopher Hunt I agree. I try not to be flashy either. I drive an Audi but use my wife's mazda when meeting with tenants. It is not convenient to swap cars so I am leaning toward getting a different vehicle.

I wanted to get the BP community's take on driving luxury vehicles...

Do you think they send a negative message when meeting with renters or sellers? Do they hurt your negotiating power?

I tend to think luxury vehicles might reduce your ability to negotiate.

What do you think? What is the best vehicle to drive?

@Vicki K. I read that as a request the tenant can make if there is not a clause in the lease specifically addressing access by the landlord. If the lease does not state anything regarding access to the property, then the tenant can write a letter with expected access terms.

Bottom line, make sure it is in the lease. Hopefully, 99% of the time you will not have a tenant with this issue anyway.

If your lease states that you can enter the unit after reasonable notice has been given then you can legally enter. I think the minimum time for "reasonable" is 24 hours. Your tenant cannot deny you entry just because they are not present. Regarding the AC unit, unless it is poses a danger to use then they cannot require you to replace it. Remind them that they leased the property with the old AC unit, not contingent on an new one.

Take a look at these websites for clarification on "reasonable"...good luck.

http://www.landlord.com/landlord_right_of_entry_by_state.htm#MICHIGAN:_

http://www.michiganlegalaid.org/library_client/resource.2005-05-30.1117489737513/html_view

I would make vacancy 10% and up the PM to 15%. I do my own PM but from talking to local providers the all in cost is somewhere in the 12-18? range. It depends on how much they charge to renew or release a unit and all of the other fees. Good luck.

@Alex Martin Hello, there are a lot of Michigan REIs here. You should be able to find plenty of people up your way. Welcome to BP.

That is a good idea. Maybe i will call him before we meet to check random prices against HD. Thanks @George P.