All Forum Posts by: Randy E.

@Account Closed, with all due respect, you're being very selfish about this.  It's the buyer's problem because they had the house inspected.  It's Lowe's problem because they sold you a so-called defective refrigerator.  It's our (the readers and commenters) problem because we don't understand things the way you do because you went to law school.  But somehow, none of it is your fault.  None of it is your problem to address.

Look, it's your flip, your reputation, your money.  In the end, it's your decision.  You posted a question here, ostensibly looking for suggestions on how to handle the situation.  Nearly everyone (or was it everyone?) who has replied has said they would ensure the fridge worked.  You're the only one who feels otherwise.  

Fair enough.  Good luck in this business, John.

@Account Closed  I'd pay for a new fridge.  I wouldn't wait to see what Lowe's will do with the broken (I won't call it defective because we don't really know if that's the case) fridge.  

After the new fridge is in the homeowner's home, I'd start investigating how to get the old new one repaired.

You did not put a new appliance in the home.  You put an 18-month old purchase in the home.  There is a difference.  Maybe it was defective, maybe you (or your crew) did something to damage it.  The fact is, you don't know.  Make it right for the buyer, even if you lose a few dollars.  It's the right thing to do.

I wouldn't give them any of the security deposit.  

1) The gas company (especially in cold winter states) will work with poor customers to set up payment plans to keep the heat on.

2) Low income customers can request a "one-time" grant from the city and/or various non-profits to assist with paying heat bills.

3) It's not winter any more.  Even if the gas company discontinued service, the tenant would have five months to pay the bill before the next cold season.

4) The security deposit is for your protection, not the tenant's.  If you return a substantial portion of the SD and the tenant then skips paying the rent for a month and/or damages your property, you have no way to get money from the tenant.  From what I've heard, NJ is a notoriously difficult state to do a quick eviction.  If true, you don't want to have given the tenant back her SD of your own volition, then discover you wish you had kept it.

Bottom line: Don't do it.

Sometimes, if a refrigerator is placed on its sides (or, GASP, upside down) something bad will happen.  That happened to my family when we moved one time and friends placed the fridge on its side in the front yard after taking it out of the truck.  A couple of weeks later, it stopped cooling.  I bought a new one.  Since then, I always keep refrigerators in an upright position.

I am not an appliance expert.  Everything I know about this subject is anecdotal evidence.  Someone else is probably a better reference for the subject.

If the sex offense charge was a case of a 19 year old having sex with his 16 year old girlfriend, I'd listen and decide based on what I heard. 

Any other type of sexual offense, and I wouldn't want the guy in my property.  He'd receive a 30-day notice to move.  Period.  I'll work with some crimes, but sexual offense isn't one of them.  

If someone makes three times their rent and they can't pay their rent, the income/rent ratio is not the problem.  The problem lies between the tenant's ears.

I've had tenants that earned 2x the rent and never missed a payment.  I've had tenants earn 4x the rent and were often late.  It's not the income.  It's the spending habits.

My guess is one of the owner occupants of the other townhomes called the city.  If you have six unrelated people living in one unit, you probably have six vehicles parked there.  When friends visit, you might have nine or ten cars taking up too much space in the parking lot.  If I lived there, I'd look for a reason to stop the madness.  Looks like they found a way.

Locally, there was a case a few months ago where a resident in a small condo community shot and killed three people in another unit over a parking space dispute.  And this was in a very good neighborhood.  It's not nice to overcrowd a property.

@Alexander Daus, I don't know how long it takes in your county, but in my NC county it takes about ten minutes, depending on the line.  Actually, it takes longer to park in the parking deck and walk to the building and to the office.

Check the clerk of court office first.  That's where mine is.  The employee at the desk asked me for my name, address, and phone number.  And of course, the 5% cash payment.  But, the clerk doesn't accept the payment.  She sent me to the cashier's window a couple of offices away -- the cashier gave me a receipt which I then gave to the clerk of court who added it to my bid file as proof of payment of downpayment.  

Oh, and the 5% isn't always 5%.  Initially, there is a $750 deposit in my county.  Once the bid surpasses a set amount, the deposit becomes 5% of the bid.

Subsequent bids on the same property take less time, because the clerk already has your contact information in the file.

Good luck.

 I have a 5-day grace period.  Since joining BP, I've considered the idea of removing the late fee altogether and assessing the late fee on the second of the month.

Last month, a new tenant who has paid after the first (but before the sixth) four out of five months, finally paid after the fifth in April.  I wasn't upset, because he paid on the seventh, and included the late fee.  I asked why he waited so long to pay every month.  He said, "The rent isn't late until the sixth.  Why should I ever pay my money before I have to?"

I told him he just helped me make up my mind to make all rent late as of the second of the month.  I haven't asked him and his roommate to sign a new lease yet, but they paid their May rent yesterday ... on the first of the month.

I would ask the bank which option they prefer.  Each lender might have slightly different ideas on the subject.