All Forum Posts by: Marian Smith

@Ali Jafari If the flooring is all cracked maybe have someone come in and remove it. Then you will see what is underneath. It is hard to guess what is going on when it is tiled over.

@Austin Paulenske I went to the library and photocopied the 3-4 pages of the j Lassitor tax guide explaining tax write offs on rentals when I first started.

@Anand S. I imagine plenty are selling their dogs...but it may be a difficult decision with rising rents and reduced vacancies.

@Bishoy Said Yes. Saw a neighboring house sell, get fixed up and a sign placed out front. Never saw it on zillow and it took a while to rent in a super hot market. It was priced high but I think it languished because the listing broker checked the box to disallow the mls from allowing other websites like zillow to display the listing. Cost the owner about a months rent.

@Ryan Yoos Is that really an issue? I know many places regulate how many non related individuals can live under one roof, but never heard of any place disallowing even one non-related individual. Couplescohabitate all the time.

@Marian Smith But you may be able to write off the loss come tax time if you file a counterclaim...your lawyer should know. You may need to itemize to write it off.

@Sylvia Santelli Normally you'd follow your lawyers advice, you are paying for it. Did you pay her 10k and she wants $7500 more or did you sign a contract for 10k and pay her $2500 and she wants the rest of the 10k. How much extra to file a counterclaim...because you will not see a dime. She could be trying to extort more money...seeing if you will pay her a few hundred to drop the lawsuit. If you feel charitable maybe you could "settle out of court" for a hundred bucks or so but she may be delusional and really believe you owe her 7k. Ask your lawyer if your lack of a countersuit implies anything to the court. If your documentation is good enough, that should be that. No need to try to get money from a pauper.

@Robert Godfrey Your existing cabinets are cute. Paint them, including the interior. Navy blue is very popular right now and the younger set loves that look. (white interiors). used cabinets look nice but look to be builder grade meaning wood doors but mdf boxes. ok, but not much of a step up. If you buy replacement cabinets you might be better served with rta plywood boxes and a lazy susan in the corner...huge improvement in storage...and drawer bases. If you are handy. You can also just order doors but cabinet door world seems to take 3-4 weeks.

@Michael Parkins Ice makers yes, imo. Water dispenser, no. No one wants to buy filters. You might tell your tenant that you will buy but not warranty the ice maker...if it breaks they pay to fix or do without.

@Michael Keane Appliance color/brands shouldn't effect an appraisal, only capital improvements like cabinets, countertops, and you can give your appraiser a list of all you've done. But appraisers are human and a white, no clock Roper range with coil heating elements will likely lower the perceived quality of the property. (It will to renters too.)