All Forum Posts by: Maria G.
Maria G. has started 46 posts and replied 123 times.
Post: Tree roots pushing the sidewalk

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
I received a letter from the city saying that I am in violation of codes because my tree roots are pushing the sidewalk. I have the option to repair it myself or pay them (they send me a work order including 96SF of "sidewalk" and 30SF of "tree roots removal for sidewalk area"). I didn't plant the tree, it may have been done by the developer. The area is maintained by an HOA, shouldn't they be the ones paying for it?
If you have been in a similar situation and can offer any advice, please share it. Here is the picture they attach.
Thank you.
Post: Where in TurboTax do I expense a computer?

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
@Michelle Bacot: Sorry to hear that your property took a hit because of covid. That wasn't my case. I got it rented out in January (phew!), at least I can breathe for another year. And the lease goes until May 2021, so hopefully we'll have some sort of vaccine or drug by then...
Post: Where in TurboTax do I expense a computer?

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
@Michelle Bacot Thank you, you're right. Since this one rental is new, it only had expenses (remodeling) last year, so my income is 0. And apparently, until I make money on it, I won't be able to get the deduction.
Many thanks, again.
Post: Business overhead expenses on a Schedule E

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
@Ken Weiner: From what I was told by a TurboTax community pro, the place to put it is as an asset along with the rental properties and then choose to use "Section 179" (to take the full deduction in one year).
Post: Where in TurboTax do I expense a computer?

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
Thank you, everyone. I found out how to do it from a TurboTax community pro. I misspoke: the computer was bought in 2019, so that is not a problem. What has surprised me is that it appears now in the "Carryover of disallowed deduction to 2020" for some reason, so it seems it won't make a difference for this year :)
Post: Where in TurboTax do I expense a computer?

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
In what category should I expense a new computer that I bought this year? In looking at the list of expense categories, the closest one I find is supplies, but I know a computer is not considered a supply. I'm not a real estate professional, does that matter?
Thank you.
Post: Business overhead expenses on a Schedule E

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
@Ken Weiner (and everyone who many know!): Good idea about splitting it among your properties.
I have a simpler question: In what category should I expense a new computer that I bought this year? In looking at the list of expense categories, the closest one I find is supplies, but I know a computer is not considered a supply. I'm using TurboTax. I tried to do it directly on form 4562, but it didn't let me, so I guess that one is autogenerated after some other election. I wish it'd be as easy as knowing it is a repair or a maintenance expense :)
Thank you.
Post: Need condo insurance

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
No, nothing else really. Check out your HOA's CC&R info and see if your HOA will be generous in covering more than the shared spaces. Most don't and in that case flooring, cabinets, and counters will all be under your Coverage A (dwelling).
Post: Need condo insurance

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
It took me a long, long time to choose an insurance. I ultimately went with Hippo from a local broker. I would have gone with Lemonade but they would force me to have a "property loss max" (coverage C) of $20K, higher than I needed. Since I don't have any personal belongings in the rental, I wanted to keep that one at $10K (enough to cover the appliances I own).
I used BBB and this article (from cleasurance.com) to guide me. I checked cleasurance on BBB (founded in 2016, A+ rating). At the time I bought the policy (almost 3 months ago), this is the summary of what I found through them:
- Lemonade (4 years old): 4.87 (over 5) and 89% reliability. 67 complaints (49 open closed in the past 12 months). It has a BBB rating of B+.
- Hippo (3 yo): A+ on BBB and 1 complaint.
- Travelers (167 yo): A+ and 386 complaints (152 closed in the past 12 months).
- Safeco (108 yo): A and 1000 complaints (338 closed in the past 12 months).
Other reference articles I read were:
https://www.policygenius.com/h...
https://www.bbb.org/us/ny/new-york/profile/insurance-services-office/policygenius-inc-0121-147942
A pro tip, indirectly related: "Before closing on a property, ask for 3-5 years of loss history from the current owner."
I hope this helps you :)
Post: Need condo insurance

- Rental Property Investor
- Northern California
- Posts 129
- Votes 20
Thank you, Rod and Matt. Here are some questions:
- Is it true that there are companies that specialize in condos? If so, what does that mean? Isn't a claim just a claim?
- Some agents seem to only want to know the address of my property, how can that be? For coverage to be complete, shouldn't they want to look at the HOA pages to know what is not covered under that policy?
- I read in BP that the agent doesn't matter much, as it doesn't play a role when a claim is filed. Is that so? Is the placement with an insurance company the only significance of the agent?
- Why would any client reach out to an agent that works with only one insurance company as opposed to working with a broker that can find quotes with many companies?
I have more, but I think these are a good start.
Again, thanks!