All Forum Posts by: Rachel N.

I think it’s standard for property managers to take the first month’s rent and 10% thereafter. As for your second question, you are talking about home warranties. We have one on our primary residence and it has been useful, but I have heard people say that with rental properties they can be a problem because service people sometimes take a long time to respond, get to the house, etc. Also property managers don’t like home warranty companies because they typically use their own people. Since the warranties also cost $500-$700 per year, they can also cut into your rental profits.

Hi Ricardo, Cocoa Beach and New Smyrna/Daytona are also desirable areas, and closer to Orlando.

This is like the eternal chicken-egg question on Bigger Pockets... what it seems like most people advise is that if you don’t have a ton of assets at first, it isn’t necessary to go to the trouble of getting an LLC until you own a lot of assets outright and you’re worried about someone going after them... also as you point out, if it has a mortgage it will be difficult to put it in an LLC. Probably you want to get a good insurance policy to protect yourself and LLC’s can come later... but it depends on your situation, what your accountant says, etc.

@Harry Williams, I am in the same boat as you are with Mac and Quickbooks (see comment above). I have done so many Internet searches looking for comparable software for Mac but I haven't found it. I am thinking what I might do is install virtual Windows on my Mac using Bootcamp and then get the Quickbooks desktop for PC.

@Account Closed

You said the tenant had "good landlord reference"-- do you mean one reference or many? I would be more concerned if they had only one landlord reference...

Here's one: https://www.google.com/amp/www.mercurynews.com/2011/11/07/marin-tenant-wins-1-1-million-lawsuit-against-landlord/amp/

I think the general consensus is photography and curb appeal. I would go with drought resistant shrubs, pebbles, cactii, etc. Then no worries about watering issues.

I know nothing about your area, but going on photos alone, if I were a renter, I'd probably see the photos and pass... I think it's purely a photography issue but also the place needs a little more curb appeal on the outside. Although actually your place looks pretty nice, some of the photos don't show it at its best light. For example, when I click the link, the first photo I see is just of a couple windows. The second photo is the landscape, and it needs curb appeal - some desert plants or rocks or grass or something - the yard looks bare to me. Then an entrance that could be jazzed up with some planters or something, because it also looks bare... Kitchen is really nice, maybe feature that photo sooner? Also the lighting is a little dark, except in the bathroom pictures... and I would delete random shots of closets, bathroom storage, etc. 

If I were you, I'd jazz up the yard a little, the entry, and re-shoot the photos with better lighting, featuring the kitchen first...

Awesome! Let us know what they say.