All Forum Posts by: Kathleen Leary

He was buying, not selling. I'd certainly consider renting to him if everything else checks out.

I can only speak about my own little Midwestern town, but there are a lot of 1900-era 2/1 homes that are now rentals. I have one myself! There is as much demand for these smaller properties as for the larger ones, at least around here. 

Although my 2/1 actually had 10 (yeah, that's TEN) people living in it until it went up for sale, usually there are one or two adult tenants, which means less wear & tear on your property. And since it's often too small for folks with kids, you don't have as much writing on the walls, toys down the toilet, etc. 

If there's a college, hospital, manufacturing facility, etc. in the vicinity, you won't have any trouble attracting renters.

I hope you took very good photos at move-in, gave copies to the tenant & had them sign that they were accurate & that they received them. Same thing with the walk-through checklist before you turned over the keys. Both these things will give you (almost!) infallible proof as to who did what. If not, consider doing so for your next tenant.

Window treatments get trashed, especially if they're cheap to start with (like mini-blinds). I, personally, have unintentionally destroyed many sets. You might ignore those & the light bulbs in favor of the more high-dollar repairs like the countertop/knobs/screen. Gives the impression you're willing to "work with them" on a fair compromise for repairs.

But if it boils down to a matter of "he said" vs. "he said," you may have to back off without proper documentation.

Gas & electric are both common here - the only reason they catch on fire is because idiots let the lint accumulate & block the air flow, not because of the fuel source.

If you go with electric, be sure you have a dedicated circuit run for it - that's another source for horror stories. Definitely do it if the wall's already open.

It's easier for tenants to stick a plug in the wall than hook up a gas line - I would NEVER allow them to do that themselves, anyway. But if you have the option for both, go for it, especially if you might be providing the dryer as part of the rental, either now or in the future. That way you can choose the best deal. I don't think the operating cost is of too much interest to tenants - it's not substantial. 

I own a property completely done with polybutylene. My understanding is that over time, it becomes very brittle (& then breaks, obviously!), much of the deterioration coming from chlorine in the water. 

Usually folks who buy such properties have the entire system re-done with PEX. It's an expense, but you can pretty much count on the poly disintegrating. Even the newest installation is over 20 years old by now. It might be a bargaining chip in your favor. If it's still in good shape, you might be able to do one unit first, then do the other later to spread out the monetary pain.

In short, I would not pass on the property simply because of that. It's a relatively easy fix - it only takes time & money!

I provide smoke detectors & change the batteries myself twice a year (that way I know it gets done). I also provide an A-B-C fire extinguisher in the kitchen (not required), since my own home was saved by having one.

It is in my lease that use or misuse of these items by the tenant will require them to replace or pay for them. 

I would not provide a ladder, especially with students: "Hey, guys, watch this!" I shudder to think what happens after that.

Around here, an auction solves everything! Call around & when you find the right outfit, they will advertise the sale, pull all the stuff out of the locker, sort it (you can pick out the photos, etc. if you set it up ahead of time with them), conduct the sale & poof! All the stuff is gone & they hand you some money.

If your previous tenant is really interested in her stuff, she can show up & raise her hand with the rest of 'em.

Put the photos, etc. in a big box & send it to her via UPS/FedEx & say "Done!"

You've done what you're required to do (& more) regarding her possessions. They seem to be getting along all right so far without them. 

The REO I purchased was just like any other transaction - the taxes were paid up to time of closing by the owning bank & the pro-rated remainder was my responsibility. Nothing new or out of the ordinary.

The SFR I own had this done to it - double walls throughout, probably in the 40s or 50s, guessing from the paint colors & layers. That's not the long-term problem, however.

They also doubled the ceilings - put up furring strips over the existing plaster & installed drywall. After time, the original plaster gave up, fell out of the lath & collected on the drywall, causing it to bow between the furring strips & in some places, pull out the nails & collapse the drywall sheets.  

What a mess. If they had just knocked the original plaster out & attached the drywall to the existing lath & joists, it would've been fine. Plaster is heavy & drywall isn't designed to be load-bearing!

The double walls are fine, although fishing electrical through 1-2 feet of (again) collapsed plaster at the bottom can necessitate cutting holes in the wall - you can't poke anything through that stuff.

Anyway, that's been my experience - good luck! AND WEAR A MASK OR RESPIRATOR!

If mold were money, I could retire today!