All Forum Posts by: Mark Schneider

I am hoping someone has some advice on how to approach this peculiar situation I just had during a routine home-inspection.

We have great tenants, but during our walk-through we noticed a friend of our tenant was living, or seemed to be living, at the residence (the lease outlines that guests cannot stay longer than 14 days unless pre-approved by us). If the individual has in fact been living there for longer than 14 days, and was planning on staying longer, what are some possible courses of action we can take? Run them through the approval process and add them to the lease? Marginally increase the rent? Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Hello,

My brother and I recently purchased our first single family home rental property in Des Moines. I am starting to build a quick-list of trusted/recommended plumbers, electricians, etc. in the Des Moines area that I can call in the event of an emergency. Please let me know if anyone has any recommendations or businesses you've worked with that you are pleased with. I appreciate any input!

-Mark

I appreciate all the help from everyone!

Hello, I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a CPA in/near Des Moines, Iowa who can help us manage our accounting for our rental property and to help prepare us for tax season. Thank you for the help! -Mark

Thank you for the great responses. I had no idea Facebook was such an asset in reaching people interested in renting!  We will absolutely use that as an outlet.

And the yard sign will be the cherry on top. We've already had several people approach us when we were at the home telling us they are interested in renting. Thanks for the help!

Hello everyone, my brother and I just recently purchased a house in Des Moines, Iowa and we are currently getting it ready as a rental property.

I was wondering if anyone can provide insight on the best way to advertise the property to potential tenants? I'm planning on using Craigslist and Zillow. Are there any other outlets I should use?

I appreciate all the feedback!

Summary of what I'm understanding:

-Psychology plays a huge role in pricing.

-Tenants often come armed with a "Zestimate" for prices. I'll run Zestimates myself so I can see what future tenants are seeing.

-The comparable properties in the neighborhood are a big factor in determining price.

-Property Management firms are a helpful resource for identifying rental prices in not just one neighborhood, but neighborhoods in several towns/cities. 

Hello fellow Iowans, I am wondering if anyone can shed some light on the best way to decipher average rental prices for various areas around Des Moines: Waukee, Johnson, Ankeny, Urbandale, and Indianola. I have been looking at the rentometer website; however, it does not offer information on if the unit is fully furnished or not, or if the landlord or tenant are paying the utilities (I feel like these variables would dramatically alter how much is charged for rent).

I would greatly appreciate if anyone has advice on finding out how much I should/could charge for rent for a property in the cities above. Thanks!