All Forum Posts by: Melissa W

I think that we ought to look at bringing back ddt in a controlled fashion. When it was first available people went nuts with it and sprayed everything and that is when the problems started. If it was used specifically in small amounts for treating bedbugs I think it might be ok.

I'd put up a sign and talk to the neighbors. That seems like the kind of place people might know co-workers looking for housing.

I agree with Joel on this. As a property manager, I've seen "nice" people do some not nice things when they realize the BS isn't working and they are really getting evicted.

Personally I'd buy a lot of single family rental homes in [SOLICITATION REMOVED]

You didn't give any info on your friend but he should learn as much as possible about whatever he's going to invest in before investing any money.

In my area it doesn't cost anything to put a rental in the MLS - beyond what agents already pay to have use of the system. There is no listing fee. Usually there is a commission split between the listing agent and the agent who brings the tenant.

I'm an agent and property manager. We charge an average of half a month to find and screen tenants and handle the lease. If I am the buyer's agent for the property I do it at a much reduced fee.

Also in my area, though we have rentals on the MLS they are not a good source of rental leads. Working with other agents means I have to spend a lot of time educating them about how the rentals process works because it's really not something people specialize in here. I've had other agents bring totally unqualified prospects and get irritated when I wanted to do a background check. Maybe having rentals on the MLS is more common where your property is.

Leasing is hard work if it's done right - property advertised, references checked and a background report with credit and criminal history should be run. If you hire someone, make sure they actually do this. Ask to see the report! Sad to say but many property managers claim to screen and let anyone in without checking.

In my area it's usual to have the tenants responsible on the lease for single family maintenance like snow removal and gardening. That is part of the reason my investment strategy is for single family and not multi.

You should put in the lease that they are not allowed to store things outside the apartments and that attic is only allowed to be accessed to change furnace filters or reset breakers. If there's no stuff like that up there then put a sturdy lock on it.

I lock all of the attics because in Syracuse we don't have any hvac or electric stuff up there. If left accessible they end up as junk storage or smoking/drinking hangout.

That seems like a really long time to me - I'd give the tenant a break on the rent.

I'd like to see a documentary on house flipping. That would be really interesting and also educational. They should tell the stories of people who lost money as well as the ones who were successful.

I'm not a fan of reality tv with it's fake and scripted dramas! So sad for people who take it seriously and think it's easy to make money on house flips.

My name is Melissa. I'm a property manager and investment property agent in Syracuse, NY. I have been working in the industry for three and a half years now.

I'm looking to purchase my first investment property now - hopefully a mixed use building which will have my office on the ground floor and rental units on the top.

I'm so glad I found this board - can't believe I never saw it before. I've already learned a lot from reading old forum and blog posts.