All Forum Posts by: Madeline Burke

@Daniel Wolz congratulations! Your first rental is really exciting! And while the transition will be tricky it could pan out well too - a long-term tenant could end up saving you tons in marketing and paint over time.

If I were you I would meet her in person and emphasize that you're excited to work with her. "Moving out soon" is probably a tactic. Try doing a tour of her unit, fixing every complaint she has, and mentioning that you'll bring a new lease by before the beginning of next month. Then she'll trust you, see how effective you are, and not feel threatened. If you decide to waive the security deposit I'd make sure she knows you are. And prepare her for a small rent increase annually to keep up with market rates. Run the numbers but usually keeping a decent tenant in is a lot cheaper than turning the unit over every year :)

Good luck!

@Ryan Drowne I vote North Quincy! For better or worse its already gentrifying, there are a lot of cute New England homes waiting to be renovated, you've got the cute new town-center, and the tourist appeal of wollaston beach... it's where I'm putting my money.

While the area is a bunch of families and you'll probably find plenty of wholesome renters I'm definitely with @Account Closed on tenant screening, though.

@Patrick Moore thats inspiring to hear! Great work! And I really respect your willingness to step back and collect yourself.

It sounds like you're on top of everything but from personal experience I recommend designing the systems you'll want to use to manage renters in advance - so you can just plug people in as they come instead of reinventing the wheel for each new tenant. Good luck!

Yuck indeed! I run the check anyway but with a grain of salt. 

@Dana R. I'm sorry you're having to make this call, he could be totally fine and just hard up but, like @Scott Hollister said, if this is just a business decision he sounds risky. I'd try asking about tax returns and do a little research on his company (and run a new credit check to see if he addressed that collection) but if you have other applicants... you'll probably find a better bet.

@Clay Monahan Welcome! I appreciate your self deprecating sense of humor but you've got this. I recommending starting to play the BP podcasts while you're in the car and you'll accidentally learn a ton. :)

@Bruce N. Then you're in the right place! Welcome

@Maria Phelps Welcome! Hope you love it!

@Erin Estes

I liked my free land lord software so much that I applied to work for them!  They market to dozens of sites, have online applications, and run credit checks (rent payments coming soon). Link below

good luck!