All Forum Posts by: Samantha Klein

It is definitely cheaper. I have one and its way more convenient and less expensive than having individual policies. Talk to Jason Bott here on BP. 

What kind of traps? I just had a mouse problem too and went and bought 3 Victor Pro Electronic mouse traps on eBay and I caught a bunch of mice and so far have not seen or heard anymore at the property.

I would recommend them. They are $25 each so you'll spend $75 or so but its still less than a pest control company.

Also go seal all cracks/holes on the exterior with steel wool and caulk. Winter is coming and mice want inside for the warmth. 

Typically a permit is required and a licensed plumber does the work. You should check with the building department. I used my handyman once to replace without a permit but then I got to thinking about if for some reason the tank malfunctions and causes injury, I'd be liable and insurance wouldn't pay so for the small cost compared to leaving yourself exposed, its worth having a plumber do it and pull a permit.

If you want to save a little money, go buy the heater from Menards or Home Depot. 

I use Glidden paint primer from Home Depot. I usually have to do two coats though but a gallon is only $20. I use Medici Grey color. It has been working very well, all units get the same color. 

I would absolutely not have the tenant responsible for any repairs under $50 because your tenant will not fix whatever is broken and then you'll have a bigger problem later. I understand the concept of making a tenant responsible for small repairs but tenants in nature live paycheck to paycheck mostly so it likely won't get fixed. 

Absolutely not. Already have cats, they don't need a dog. Say no but then watch carefully as they may get one anyway and not tell you. 

Once every 6 months unless there's a reason to do it more often like suspicion of a lease violation but I tell my tenants when they sign the lease that I do random inspections twice a year or so and its for their benefit so if there's maintenance I need to do, it gets done.

I checked the crawlspace out a little further this morning after posting this and previously they were venting it to the outside but for some reason they uninstalled it running to an outside wall and just ran some flexible duct straight down under the crawlspace. I can easily vent it to the outside now using rigid metal duct. I will make sure to call the building dept and make sure that is up to code. 

I purchased a duplex in July and one side has laundry hookups however the dryer has been previously venting under the floor into the crawlspace and obviously I don't want that. The hookups are on an inside wall and there is no easy way to vent it outside. I was thinking of setting up this product - https://adr-products.com/

You can get one on Amazon for $48.00 and it seems like a decent alternative. Has anyone heard of this or used it and if so, were you happy with it?

I just had a property re-roofed that had 3 layers of shingles and shake. It was 20k for tear-off, resheet and re-shingle with 50 year shingles so know your numbers because it won't take much to quickly go over budget on older houses.