All Forum Posts by: Mark H.

There's a window in the shower - not sure how you could handle that with a fiberglass surround & still get a durable product - leaks from the window sill apparently caused the tile to start falling off. I've seen some "window kits" for fiberglass surrounds before, but the surrounds themselves had mixed reviews- if the walls are wobbly, they just don't look right.

Personally, I'm a little scared of fiberglass, just because a tenant *could* scratch the sniggers out of it with the wrong cleaning product.

Funny, since buying rental houses, I've found myself eyeing hotel bathrooms extra-carefully. Most seem to have Moen water valves & solid-surface showers of some sort. A few Hampton Inns I've stayed at had slab granite tub surrounds, almost like the backsplash on a high-end kitchen..

I think the primary idea is to get a finished product that lasts a long time, so you don't have to pay for it twice.

I think I might have been in your earlier thread, and the scope of work is the key.

If your quote was for removal of the tile, repair of the base & installing the new shower, it doesn't sound too terrible. The figures I quoted previously were just for installing cultured marble over an existing drywall base - not tearing anything out.

Just for comparison, I was quoted about $10 per sq ft by multiple different tile guys to install tile I supplied over a new backer-board base that was already installed, so installing tile would have cost $750~ish for the same area, but that wasn't a quote from licensed guys who would be installing Kerdi membrane & doing the work "Holmes on Homes" style, they wouldn't be using a "water management system" or using epoxy grout.

The tile job you would get from those guys would be exactly what you have now, a shower that is guaranteed to leak & grow mold & start falling apart in less than ten years.

Just the materials to *properly* install a tile shower to current standards are going to cost you if you want something durable, and there's no way I'd put tile in a tub or shower for tenants - it's just too easy to grow mold & mildew in grout.

I lowered my costs significantly by doing my own demo & controlling the subs. I hired my own plumber to replace the tub valve, & my trusted drywall guy to replace the drywall. Both only charged me their minimum charge because it was a quick-small job for them.

The cultured marble guy was an artist, wobbly walls are the standard here, and making it all look square & straight is why you pay them.

Well, every state is certainly different, but in my state, "secret agents" can and will be taken down by the real-estate board. Blind ads can be proven & verified by the board fairly easily, and the "enforcers" are often other agents dropping a dime on the competition that is skirting the rules. The state board can also take down those who are operating without a license that should have one, and at least here- its one of the few enforcement actions that's easy to prove & has some teeth behind it.

I'd investigate your state laws & see what they actually enforce. You might be able to empty out the competition on Craigslist in a few months with a few well-written complaints.

Just a thought. Ymmv.

Or, if the potential room-mate actually *has* good credit & real income, they had other choices & didn't feel like getting put through an invasive wringer, or waiting around for ten days + while you dinked around & called ex's, bosses, & third-grade teachers for references.

I'm renting single-family homes, not rooms - but I can get the info & make a decision quickly - often the same day, perhaps the next day. So can most other landlords and apartment complexes.

Don't forget that your tenant is interviewing you while you're interviewing them, especially in a room-mate situation. You're *selling* something, and the tenants you want have choices.

While the grizzled opinions of some of the burnt-out landlords here are worth considering, don't forget the grizzled opinions of burnt-out tenants. Experienced tenants may have had deposits taken wrongfully by previous landlords, landlords who refused to fix things, and most-importantly, landlords who were all up in the tenant's business.

I'm going to step against the grain here and admit something that breaks all the "rules"... I've taken a check for a move-in deposit from a tenant before. Done it more than once, actually. If the tenant is 760+, with good credit & a verifiable job (with some time there) they're "collectible" - in my state, I will get my money, or they'll have to quit their job & leave the state.

If you look at the approval process for the big complexes in your area, a good credit history & a stable job will often get you a $99 deposit & ASAP move-in, without much "hand-wringing" on the part of the property manager. That's who you're competing with for *good* tenants.

You might be "better off" without this particular room-mate, but you might have also scared off a good tenant by demanding cash for move-in and appearing to be an "in-your-face" landlord. It's a balancing act, and it's easy to be "Joe Harda$$", multi-billionaire-landlord, fills-every-vacancy-the-same-day-with-800 fico tenants-who are rocket-scientists that don't smoke, have pets, cook with curry, or defile my toilets by pooping in them.

Just sayin'...

Doesn't your state regulate real estate agents? In my state, there are no "secret" agents - if you place an ad you *have* to disclose that you are an agent.

You are the one paying the appraiser, so if you were getting attitude, speak up.

As for whether or not appraisals are scientific or subjective, they're both.. If appraisals are done right, a different appraiser should reach a similar value- but that isn't how it happens today. Lots of hacks in the biz..

The landlord can say "get out right now", but eviction is a legal proceeding supervised by the court. The sheriff won't be there at midnight, and if the landlord starts tossing her things out, without the court's consent, she will get in trouble with the court.

Sure, I borked the terminology- the bottom line is that the "ductwork" in a modern home is a bunch of $5-$10 parts zip-tied & duct-taped together. Not much to it, no reason to pay a lot for it.

Well, there are a number of members of this forum who will buy a house sight unseen, but if they're making up a price & guessing, it'll be in their favor.

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