All Forum Posts by: Rik Hunter

I hope and think so!

I hope so. It's just the old sayings of treat others as you'd like to be treated and paying it forward. Even when selling my duplex, these were guiding principles, and I think they contributed to me selling it. My wife and I have gone back and helped the new owner with landscaping questions, for example . . . months after the sale closed. 

It's a great question and attitude that I wish more landlords had. If you have the ability to own a rental property, you're better off than so many, and I think that comes with the responsibility to do good by those renting from you. It's something you pass onto your renters and to those in your family. 

It might simply be small things like making repairs in a timely manner, but even that matters. 

I had some buyers looking at homes and complaining about how their landlord wouldn't fix things, for example, the pneumatic screen and storm door closer. They took it upon themselves to buy and replace the broken one. That just should never happen. 

Hi, Sam. I'm in Chattanooga, if you'd like to connect. I just did a quick MLS search for USDA properties, and from what I found, I'd likely refer to an agent much, much closer to the search results.

I'm in Chattanooga and started of with house-hacking. I couldn't find a SFH in my budget that wasn't a total gut job, but I was lucky enough to find a duplex that was, and it came with a tenant on one side who covered all expenses. I could use my income to fix up the property. That was huge in my journey, and I got the chance to serve my tenants and get called "the best landlord ever" many times. I sold it last year and am working (slowly) on a live-in flip while starting my realtor business.

Have you checked out the facebook group "Real Estate Investors Local Meetup-Chattanooga (not REIA)"? They have happy hours. I've only made it to one, myself.

There has been a lot of new construction. But have you looked at what comparable properties are renting for? Maybe you rent needs an adjustment? 

On Apartments.com, if it's the one near the cemetery, the first photo may not be the most appealing view. There also isn't a good image of the kitchen. Maybe use a professional photographer. A couple other townhomes in the search results allow some pets. 

Hi, Steven. It's not my area of expertise, but I can put you in contact with someone who does this work and comes highly recommended in my office. I'll message you the contact info. 

Great story! I'm also in Chattanooga and have been eyeing a lot next to me that I'd like to do this with, but the owner is elderly, and her children just won't sell it, even though they have to drive from Cleveland to mow it. 

Just catching up on BP and saw your post. I’m a newer agent in Chattanooga with Coldwell Banker, but I’ve been (modestly) investing here myself for over a decade. Happy to chat if you’d like to chat.

One thing I hear often from local investors — and you’ve probably heard this on BP podcasts — is the importance of building a trusted team early. That can include a great agent, lender, contractor, and a solid property manager (probably the most important part). Some here are fantastic… others, less so.

Being local, I managed my own rentals (sold my duplex last year) with strict tenant screening: background + credit checks, clear standards for applicants, and even monthly HVAC filter changes so I could check in on the units’ condition. That kind of thing isn't part of most property management packages, so they’re worth asking about when building your team. 

Hope this helps! 

"New Listings in the Chattanooga region increased 6.1 percent to 1,432. Pending Sales increased 15.7 percent to 1,008. Inventory increased 28.0 percent to 3,233.

Median Sales Price increased 0.6 percent from $346,250 to $348,200. Days on Market increased 28.2 percent to 50. Months Supply of Inventory increased 23.3 percent to 3.7."

What buyer wouldn't want more inventory? The population continues to grow at about 1% per year; the metro area's pop. is 562,647. And we're seeing continued job growth. 

There are 57 residential income properties currently on the market. I've heard some say the investor market is softening, but sales everywhere seem to be softening, and 2025's overall market is expected to be slow.