All Forum Posts by: Glenna Wood

Another vote for TCL Rokus. Just got a 55" for $298 from Walmart. 

Back to the original thread... I've had PMs at times in my almost 40 years of owning vacation rentals. Biggest complaint, stupid maintenance charges and missed damage.

1) PM: "The guest says there is a hot spot on the middle of the living room floor."  Me: "There is no wiring in the floor there. I can't imagine what they are thinking." PM: "We're sending an electrician." Me: "I am absolutely certain that there is no wiring under the floor in the living room." PM: "We're sending an electrician."  Result: $250 bill to me and 2' hole left in the ceiling below. No wiring found. To this day IDK what the guest's "hot spot" was.

2) Me: "I just installed a new heat pump. Here's the installer's number. Call him first if there are any issues." Guest in mid-July heat wave: "The house is too hot." PM to guest: "We will bring room AC units for the week." Me a month later: "What is this $50O bill? This is a new system. What problem did my HVAC guy find?" PM: "Who?"

3) Me at the end of the season: "The bottom shelf of the freezer door is torn off. The cleaner or inspector didn't see this? Where's the shelf?" PM: "Guess not. We don't know which guest this was so we can't do a tenant damage claim." Me: Bought a new frig. 

4) Me end of the season: "It looks like guests taped balloons to the ceiling fan blades. There are 4" tears where the finish is ripped off. The fan needs replacement or new blades installed. Please do a TDI claim. And how did your inspector miss this?"  PM: "We can't because it was not an accident." Me: "What? It's guest damage." PM: "The guest did this intentionally. TDI is for accidents only." Me: "If you won't do a TDI claim then you replace it." Back and forth...  Two months later PM installed a new fan. 

5) PM: "The guest sent a letter and said the house smells like dog urine and they want a refund." Me: "Only the living room has carpet and this is the first guest this season. Did they have a dog?" PM: "Yes." Me: "Call my cleaner to check it out." Cleaner: "Found active pee stains." Me to PM: "No refund. Their dog."

6) PM: "The guest says there is a shower ring missing." Me: "OK. Tell housekeeping to see if they want to change it at turnover." PM: "The guest doesn't want to be charged for it." Me: "They won't. You will be billing me." 30 minutes later... PM: "The guest says the are 12 water glasses but only 8 wine glasses." Me: "OK. Why are you calling me?" PM: "They don't want to be charged." Me: "They won't." One hour later... PM: "The guest said ( I can't remember the third stupid issue)." Me: "I'm at a wedding. If the guests are unhappy with my house, move them otherwise don't call me again unless it's a true emergency." This had to have been a really new employee.

7) Me end of season: "A picture was stolen or broken. Please file a TDI claim." PM: "Are sure?" Me: "Yes. I write "picture missing" on the wall behind the large, more expensive prints. The inspector didn't report this?" PM: "No." 

Hope this provided a few chuckles! Like any service, you just have to wade your way to the good ones. Best wishes on your properties! 

This may sound snarky but...

Learn Rule #1: Always pay your bills on time. 

Learn Rule #2: Reread rule #1.

Also, yes, I have seen a county GIS be wrong. Bought a lot in Gulf County, FL, in 2015. GIS said it was 50' wide. Seller sold it as 50'. Survey showed it was 40' wide.  I bought with cash so no survey was involved and I chose to not get one as a condition of the sale. There were no grounds whatsoever to dispute it so I adjusted my house plans to fit. This was in a beach area and it ended up just a few square inches to spare on the lot coverage. I submitted the updated copy to the county and they subsequently adjusted the county records. County GIS systems do not trump legal descriptions on deeds.  

Mexico Beach and Port St Joe are small communities. I bought there 20 years ago.  Finding good help was a challenge through the years but there are good people when you find them. Hurricane Michael displaced many (including me) so I don't have any current referrals to suggest. Enjoy your new place. Prettiest, most pleasant little beaches in FL!

A "measure" doesn't equate to a survey. The survey is the only true measure of the boundaries. You don't have a survey from your purchase?  Online GIS records can be off. But you would expect that a subdivision plat to have been digitized correctly. Are you certain you have 6 more feet? If you're going by a fence line, it's possible that the former owner built it on an easement or common land and no one complained. As far as "taking it", it's possible that the 6' wasn't yours to begin with. If you're wanting to change the footprint of the building, a survey would be needed for permitting in any locale I've ever encountered. 

"Won't you be my neighbor?" Sounds like a hoot!

I think you are already being fair and thinking very clearly about this. You have plan if she stays, she pays 50% of your costs to date and you continue the 50/50 split on all future costs on your co-owned house. If she goes, agree on a price to buy her furniture in the two rental BRs. $10k to replace new sounds high. Then pay back her $5k and you're even. The hassle to replace sounds high but it is used furniture and does she really want to transfer 2 BRs to her new duty station? Maybe only one set since you are currently using your BR set. Best wishes in the future and thank you both for your service. 

Some guests might enjoy chiming in about your remodel plans. Leave a guest book and something like "Hey, Folks! (House name) is getting face lift this winter. What would do to make your oceanfront experience even better?" I would have fun with that if I were visiting. Best wishes! 

Quote from @Jimmy Woodard:

@Christine M. it seems like you already answered your own question about which market to choose. If the Smokies is the market you're most interested in, go with the Smokies!

You mentioned you want big increases in appreciation and then stated the fact that the Smokies had the largest % of YoY price growth in any market you looked at. Sounds like a winner...

Even if you think you're overpaying for something and it plummets in value, your 30-year fixed mortgage will be locked in no matter what. And as long as the cash flow is at a level you like, the property will pay for itself and then some. Sounds like a winner...

There's a pretty awesome quote by George Addair that says “Everything you've ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear.” Don't let fear get in the way of an opportunity you've been saving up money for years to take advantage of. 

Good luck! And if you need specific, actionable advice related to acquisition, renovation, or self-management, feel free to DM me.

What an awesome quote!! IDK what rock I've been under to have never heard that one.  For location the FL panhandle has been great for me. Plenty of more rural beach areas east of Destin that continue to grow as they are "discovered". Try to get a minimum 4 BR in a family vaca destination. Room for couple of siblings, their kids, and the grandparents.