All Forum Posts by: Dorothy Butala

Are you a landlord in Pennsylvania? Do you hate how long the eviction process takes? If so, read on!

LETTERS NEEDED! If you want to reduce the time it takes to evict a tenant by 10 days, please take action with the following information! Please send a letter in SUPPORT of House Bill 1875, which would reduce the time required to evict a non-paying tenant by 10 days. This does not interfere with the due process afforded to tenants, but rather overlaps the 10 day appeal period with the 10 day writ of possession. As it stands right now, those periods runs in succession of each other.  This 10 day reduction will reduce the amount of times eviction hearings move into the next month.   The bill is scheduled to be voted on by the PA House Urban Affairs Committee within a few days, so it is important to act on this IMMEDIATELY! If you are not a member of the Apartment Association, contact me and I will send you a sample letter.  The sample letter is for your guidance. Do not simply copy the sample letter. Write your letter in your own words, using the same talking points. Your letter should be addressed to: Honorable Mark K. Keller, Chair House Urban Affairs Committee 108 Ryan Office Building P.O. Box 202086 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2086 A second copy of your letter should be addressed to: Honorable Michael H. O'Brien Democratic Chair House Urban Affairs Committee 302 Main Capitol Building P.O. Box 202175 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2175 To eliminate mailing time, sign both copies of the letter, then scan them to PDF format. E-mail them to Rick Allan, our lobbyist in Harrisburg, to be printed and then hand-delivered to the two chairmen. Rick Allan's e-mail address is: rick @ puglieseassociates.com The bill is already scheduled for a vote, SO PLEASE ACT IMMEDIATELY!

I guess I will throw my "hat into the ring" for this conversation.  There are a couple options for everyone to meet up, if you all are still looking to do some networking.  The Apartment Association of NW PA has dinner/educational meetings every month (except in the summer) and there is also networking event called Cashflow and Cocktails that me and another investor started up last fall.  I know some of you on this thread, but for those of you I don't, come say hi at one of the meet ups, or if you happen to start hosting one, drop me a line and let me know when and where.  Hope to meet you all soon!

Hi Alex, great question.  It's not cut and dry on whether or not to become an agent before an investor.  But in my experience, becoming an agent does not propel you to becoming an investor any quicker in most cases (maybe if you are working for a Broker who focuses on investments).  When you ask about becoming an agent, do you mean you want to do sales?  or work in Property Management?  Both have their pros and cons, but could make a stronger argument for getting into PM with a license to help with your investment career moreso than focusing on sales (assuming you are going into passive income and not flips).  With all of this being said, I was an investor for 8 years before I got my license, and decided I didn't want to work for anyone any more, wanted to replace the income from the job I was leaving, so I got my license and use it as a complimentary piece of my investment business.  I have found that most agent's have no clue about investing, and I try my best to educate them when they ask for assistance.  If you are looking to make income and be in some type of real estate activity while you are building your portfolio, it's not a bad way to go, but if you have a decent job you are considering quitting to become a sales agent because you think it will help you become an investor faster, I would caution you on that course of action.  The best way to start investing is to start surrounding yourself with other investors by going to meetings, conferences and any education in your local market so you can network with those who are doing it day in and day out.  In my opinion, surrounding yourself with those who are active and successful investors is the best way to become an active and successful investor.  

More details needed please...

What are your 5 and 10 year goals for the property/properties you are investing in?  I am curious why you use cap rate in your metrics... 

Also, you may be able to put money into a C class property, but deferred maintenance isn't the only factor in making a property a C Class property...desirability of location and lower rent rates should be taken into account, and regardless of how much money you put into a property, sometimes it can only hit a ceiling in terms of rent that can be realized as well as the class level it can achieve.  

Checking and savings accounts. 

@Mark M. Review the 3rd link that @Steve Babiak gave in his response, that is the easiest and most accurate information on the PA Act for Abandoned property.  Technically on the eviction notice there is a notice about them having 10 days to contact you about removal of their items, however, I err on the side of caution and also mail them a letter with the verbiage about their property.  If they do not contact you within the 10 days, you can throw everything away, however if they do contact you and say they want their stuff, they have up to 30 days to coordinate to remove their belongings.  I suggest the following, however I don't know how it holds up in court due to the fact that the Act does not give clarification on the following points.  Many tenants will string you along and think they can come and get their stuff a car full at a time, which wastes a lot of your time and I don't let them play that game.  In your letter, also state that the day and time they choose to come take their items can only be rescheduled once from the original date and time and that if they don't show or call to reschedule on the first time, you will remove their items.  I would also state that anything left behind when they do show up for their scheduled move out, will be thrown away, so they need to ensure they bring help and a large enough moving vehicle to take their stuff.  Hope this helps!

Hi @James Ayres  I am in the local market and have been investing here for years, I am also licensed and very familiar with options that may be available to you.  If you are interested in speaking with me, send me a private message, and I will see what I can help you out with.  Talk to you soon!

Hey @Jess Mcguire, great question.  I have grappled with a centralized electronic management system and pieced together my own using Google Drive, but I am upgrading to Buildium.  They seem to have everything I will need to manage my portfolio as it is now, and also be able to handle my portfolio as it grows.  I won't lie, price point was a large part of my deciding factor, and I didn't find many in the price point that I needed or liked until I came across Buildium...the interface closely aligns with AppFolio and the book keeping looks and acts just like Quick Books.  I am staring to on board my company to the platform this week.   Feel free to drop me a line in a couple weeks and I'll let you know my thoughts.  

Hey @Jordan Maroules, would love to offer some advice, what specific questions do you have?