All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Foley Ma

The replacement windows I used are installed from the inside. You only need to get on a ladder and get to the outside of the window to caulk and paint. I painted the trim around the windows because I was painting the whole exterior while in-between tenants. Replacement windows are not that difficult. There are some good Youtube videos on them.

I use a property management company for my rental house. I just do all the repairs and maintenance myself. I wrote a blog about it so I'm not gonna go into a lot of details. He charges 1 month's rent to place the tenant. He charges 6% of the monthly rent to collect the rent and deposit it into my account. I pretty much never deal with the tenants, unless I'm at the property. They contact the property manager for everything. If there is a repair to be made, then my property manager calls me. I can chose to fix it or he will send someone. Currently, I do all of the repairs and maintenance. I like to know what it going on at my property. It also saves me money. 

I like to have the property manager to help cover me legally and to guide me along. I've only been a landlord for 3 years so I've still got a lot to learn. I like to run things by him before I make any moves just to get his opinion. Also, if he calls me about a repair or tenant complaint, and I don't know how fast I should respond, I ask him. Maybe you should start out the first couple of years with a property manager. It helps take some stress off of me. Takes away that fear of not knowing what to do. Just have them contact you before they do any work and give you the choice of fixing it yourself or hiring your own contractor.

@Foley Ma

8. I think I would put a lock on the crawlspace door. The tenants don't need to be under the house. Problem solved. Make sure you inspect under there though if we get a lot of rain in GA. You want to make sure the sump is working or the water is evaporating. You don't need mold. 

9. My tenant is responsible for the lawn. It's in the lease that it must be cut every 2 weeks. I would not leave any lawn equipment for the tenant. If they break it, you're gonna have to fix it or replace it. If they break their own, it's not your problem. I usually drive by my rental at least once a month and make sure the yard is being cared for. I don't stop at the house, I just drive by it. If I was going to provide lawn care service then I would raise the rent to cover the cost. 

On a side note, I have areas in my back yard that are covered in monkey grass. No regular grass will grow there. Monkey grass will grow anywhere and its hard to get rid of. Green monkey grass looks better than dirt. I cut it like regular grass with my lawnmower.

@Foley Ma

5. I am always quick to respond to the tenants. It may take me a few days to get to the repair, depending on what it is, but I always keep them up to date on the situation. I talk to a lot of friends and other people I meet about how bad their landlords are. They report things over and over to the landlords and never get the issues fixed. Some have a hard time getting in touch with their landlords. I don't have a lot of cash laying around but I have credit cards if I need them. If my tenant is without heat or water because of something wrong with the house, I will act immediately. I had an ice maker go out before and it took me a week or so to fix it. I ordered one online and let the tenant know about it. When I got there to replace it, they had a bag of ice in the freezer so it wasn't a big deal. I personally wouldn't waste money on a home warranty for a rental, but that's me.

6. I had my house completely re-plumbed a couple years ago. It's on a slab so they had to go through the attic. I get nervous every winter. I don't tell my tenants anything about letting faucets drip. The water company will sometimes put notices on the bills, and I hear people taking about it on the news sometimes. Maybe they will get the info through one of those places. If a pipe bursts then I assume it is my responsibility to fix the property, but I have no intention of replacing their stuff. They should have renters insurance for that. If a pipe did break, I don't see how you could ever prove that the tenant did or did not let the faucets drip. They could just lie and say they had them dripping.

7. HVAC. I think if you want your filters replaced then you better do it yourself, or pay an HVAC company to do it for it. I don't depend on the tenant to do things like that. Most probably won't do it. I change my own HVAC filters and I clean my own gutters. I am protecting my investment. Plus, my HVAC is inside the home. When I go inside to change the filters, I can take a look around at the place. 

@Foley Ma

1. What's in it for the agent? I'm guessing future income. The agent could sell your house now for a fee and possibly never see you again. Or, the agent could help place a tenant for a fee. When that tenant moves out, you will probably call the agent again to find another tenant, and so on and so on. My property manager charges 1 month's rent to place a tenant. He could earn a few thousand dollars selling my home now or earn $800 to $1000 every time he finds me a tenant.

2. LLC? Do you have assets to protect? A lot of money in the bank? I don't. I only have 1 rental property so it's just in my name. After I get a few more properties and some money in the bank I will figure out the LLC.

3. Bugs are not my problem. It's in my lease that the tenant is responsible for pest control. I am responsible for rodents like mice or squirrels in the attic. I do get termite inspections though because my property has had them before.

I would get rid of the swing set, then you aren't liable for anything. If it's metal you can probably post it on craigslist as "free metal, you must remove". People drive around my neighborhood sometimes looking for metal. If the tenant wants to install their own swingset, I would allow it. I don't see how I could be held liable for something they installed.

4. Windows. I just spent about $2500 replacing all of my windows. My rental house was built in 1988 and had the same problems as yours. They were painted shut and difficult to open. Plus, I think painted windows look horrible. They were single pane with condensation all over them. They were drafty. The glaze was cracked and I was concerned about glass falling out, which would definitely result in a tenant calling. I was able to find all 10 of my windows on the shelf at Lowes. I replaced them myself. They look amazing! instant curb appeal and makes a great selling feature to potential tenants. My new windows are double pane, which should be more efficient. I heard on one of the BP podcasts that if the tenant saves money on utilities then they will have more money to pay you rent! Obviously, I did not put the best quality windows in the rental, but a decent quality. The first 2 years the house was rented I worried about the windows constantly. Then I replaced them in-between tenants last summer. It's worth the money I spent just to not ever have to think about them. 

@James Masotti

Cabinet and countertop choices for me depends on a few things.

What does the area call for? I don't want to put granite or solid surface in my neighborhood. At least not in a rental. I ordered new laminate countertops from Lowes. Laminate countertops have come a long way. There are so many styles, textures, and finishes now. I would never use granite or solid surface in the area that my rental is in. I've got laminate but I'm sure I have the nicest rental house in the neighborhood. 

What is the quality of the cabinets in the house? Some older houses have cabinets that are built very well. I only have 1 rental. It was built in 1988. It has some very nice quality cabinets in it. I just cleaned them, sanded them, and painted them white. It took a few weeks. It was very labor intensive but they came out great. If the tenant scratches them I can just touch them up. I also added all new hardware (hinges and handles) to the cabinets.

I have done the same thing to the house I currently live in. I want to make it a rental when I move out. It was built in 1978 so it has some pretty good quality cabinets. I painted them and ordered new laminate countertops from Lowes. It took me several weeks to refinish the cabinets but they look great now.  If they get scratched or dinged and will just touch them up.

A lot of newer homes have junk cabinets. I don't think many of them are worthy of refinishing and they don't hold up well over time. If the cabinets were cheaply made or not real wood then I would probably just replace them. 

@James Masotti

I put the cheapest laminate I could find in my rental. It was a mistake. Lesson learned. Cheap up front doesn't save you money in the long run. I got 6mm for Floor & Decor for .49 cents per sq ft. It was a nightmare to install. It was too thin and poorly made. I've been lucky to have a great tenant for a couple years that took care of it, but it isn't holding up well. When I replace it I will definitely go with a higher quality flooring. I'm interested in the Traffic Master at HD. 

@Craig Miller

I would remove the tree. I had a cluster of 6 or 7 pine trees and oak trees removed from my front yard a couple years ago. Cost me $1900 here in Georgia. One company quoted me $2750. It gave me instant curb appeal. I don't have ugly pine straw and pine cones all over my driveway, yard, and in my gutters. I used to have a problem with squirrels chewing on my house. Now that the trees are gone, no more squirrels. We used to have problems with spider webs also. It was like a haunted house around here. They would build spider webs from the trees to our cars. Cutting those trees was the best move I made.  I also had the company leave me some of the oak tree sections. I've got enough firewood for 3 winters. The only issue I have left to fix now is my driveway. The tree roots ruined the driveway. I hope to get it replaced soon.

Do you have to tell them it's borrowed money? It might be too late for this deal, but on the next deal just don't say anything about it, unless you are required to. I thought people used borrowed money all the time for down payments on investment property. Usually, its from a HELOC or they refinance one property and pull cash out to use as a down payment on another.

The home that I currently live in needs a new driveway. I am thinking about keeping this house as a rental property and moving in the next year or so. Is there any tax advantage for me to wait and replace the driveway after I actually make it a rental property?

I know if I could write off the whole driveway as a repair it would be an easy answer. I would wait until I made it a rental house. I think that a driveway replacement is a capital improvement though, so I don't know if I should wait to replace it, or go ahead and do it. Any thoughts on this?

@Alan Morrison

I'm not an expert by any means, but I would recommend you go with what is popular or common in your neighborhood. I am going to be replacing the driveway at my house soon. All of the driveways in my neighborhood are concrete, so I am going to use concrete. I know a black top driveway would be cheaper, but I don't think people would like it in my area. I am planning to rent or sell this property. I think all driveways in neighborhoods in my area of Georgia are concrete. People that don't live in a neighborhood often have blacktop driveways, so in that case I would replace it with another blacktop driveway.