All Forum Posts by: Karyn T.

Welcome!  Sorry to hear about your job loss...I grew up in Alief and many of my old friends have moved out to Ft.Bend / Cinco Ranch / Katy over the years.  Some of them have had the same bad luck...as did my father back in the 80s.  Definitely comes in cycles. 

The good news is that the Houston Metro area is always hot, hot, hot, and there are LOTS of BP members out there for you to learn from.  You have plenty of inventory to choose from, as well!  Keep learning and best of luck to you!

I think that will be plenty, to start with!  Most big name RE companies will have their own internal training as well, and the rest is just going to be getting your feet wet and getting on the job experience.  You should know that most US companies (I don't know about Canada) do not pay a wage...you are an independent contractor, which means you will want to either have a backup income of some sort....either another job, pension, or savings, to pay your personal bills until you get your first commission check.  In addition, that check may or may not be very large, depending on what you sell, and your next check may be soon after....or months away...depending on how well you hustle / sell.

From another traveling healthcare professional, one of the great things to know is that, with education and good, trustful connections, you can invest anywhere in the country! Welcome and good luck!

Hi @Jerry W., 

Yeah, I wasn't trying to connect the draino to anything other than the old pipes finally having enough.  It more the fact that she, and her family, seem to be "tough on plumbing", coincidental or not.  

 I.e.: I wonder what she and her two young boys are putting down it....some people just don't seem to know plumbing "etiquette" despite education from us, the plumber, and the contractors.  

(PS - the master bathtub drain and sink drain are brand new from the prior repairs, less than a year ago.)

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

The follow-up is that after 2 days of the original tech not calling us back we finally got through to one of the "foremen" of the plumbing company who said he would be going out to do the toilet replacement the next morning, and that he would snake ALL the drains / toilets with the tenant present.  When he did, he found big globs of hair / soap scum in the master bathtub and sink.  The lines were otherwise clean, and everything was functioning properly.  He intentionally had her try to recreate her "issue" and, naturally, it did not happen.  She then sent me a meek email stating that she and her husband had "tried" to dislodge the goop from the drain but were unable to do so (right).

Unfortunately, I am currently working in Maine, so self-inspection and repair (which is what I would normally do unless really big stuff / electricity involved) is not an option right now. We had to rely on the HWC assessment.  Since I have to pay the service fee, I'm perfectly fine with getting a new toilet out of the deal.  She is a "high-maintenance" tenant and unfortunately, I did not write a thorough enough lease to keep from having to deal with these petty annoyances from her.  Her lease is up in September and I have already let her know that there will be significant changes to the lease and a sizeable (likely really sizable) increase in her rent.  If she doesn't like it, she will be welcome to move and the next tenant will have a very long, and detailed lease to sign.

Our rental property is a very well kept, historic home, built in 1924, located outside of Seattle.  We moved our current tenants in October 2014.  Within 4 days, they (the wife, in particular) had caused $12K in plumbing damage by pouring draino down the 100 year old pipes.  The trap under the master tub let go (I realize it was likely coincidental, but likely hastened by the heavy chemicals), the water then ran down 2 stories into the basement, taking out 2 "vintage" plaster ceilings, basement carpet, etc.  We had it all repaired and a week after the final payment to the plumber, the hot water heater let go (which had been inspected prior to rental).  It was replaced with new as well.  The entire system was scoped at that point, and found to be clear.  We got a home warranty at that point....

In January 2015, there was another stoppage.  "Sand" and a child's toy was found (she claims her boys are "too old" to have done this...8yo).  We had the system cleaned out again.

Two weeks ago, she notified me that "all 3" of the toilets and sinks are "running slow" and wants the system checked again.  The plumber came out and determined that the basement toilet has a "hairline crack" and needs to be replaced.  I was told by the home warranty company that the plumbing report came back as a "hair clog" in the master bath sink.  

Today I get an email from the tenant stating that the toilet repair was approved by the HWC, but not additional scope work, which the plumbing company wants to perform.  They are concerned there may be blockages in the "Main Line".  

Because of times zone issues, I have to wait until tomorrow to talk to the plumber, and I'm currently on a 20+ minute hold with the HWC.  Assuming they won't cover anything but routine snaking (which seems to be covered in my warranty) am I responsible for issues in the "main line" (ie: outside the house).  The city forced the entire neighborhood to put in back-flow valves last year at the same time we were getting all of the repairs done, because they were replacing the 100+ year sewer lines that were already known to back up into the houses (causing a few lawsuits against the city).  It is my understanding that the lines past my back-flow valve are "not my problem".

Also, what is my responsibility for "slow drains"?  Where does it end?  When is good enough, good enough?

Thanks in advance.  

PS - this is a ~4000sqft, "high-end" rental.  It is NOT a typical investment property.  It was our primary residence for 2.5 yrs with ZERO plumbing issues.  I know old houses need maintence, but with a clean bill of plumbing health last fall, this is getting ridiculous.

Yeah, I'm working in Bar Harbor, but living in Southwest!  Beautiful here right now....hoping the locals are wrong about the Farmer's almanac. ;)

I'm doing some Locums work in the oh-so-terrible Bar Harbor, ME for the winter & was wondering if there are any others up this way??  I'm working on my ME RE license while I'm here...because I'm an over-achiever like that.  Would love to have someone to talk local (state of Maine) RE with!

Karyn

Steve B. Private student loans are almost impossible to discharge. I think you need a little more reading in that area. You basically have to be completely disabled, and even then, there is no guarantee. Both of you have mentioned students "not worthy"[sic] of getting into college, and then assume those students major in underwater basket weaving. Who do you deem "not worthy"?? Are you also suggesting that we don't need English majors? How about history? Music? Art? How are you qualified to determine what a student should or shouldn't major in? Sport science? What about all those "worthless" athletes? Everyone knows they're just dumb jocks, right?? They shouldn't get any loans....oh wait, they don't....they get scholarships (even if they can't write their own name). Strapping people to unmanageable debt is inhumane. EVERYONE else can charge off their bad debt and get a fresh start...why not students?? The guy with a gambling problem can discharge. The housewife with a shoe fetish can discharge. Big business can ruin lives....and discharge. People in real estate who get stuck with bad deals can discharge. But not students. Not the people who are trying to elevate themselves beyond their familial background. Not the ones who majored in astrophysics, but can't find a job because Wall Street tanked the economy, causing the universities to lose billions in endowments. That same university this kid has wanted to go to since he was 7 and saw a rocket take off, so they charged him more tuition, to make up for the endowment loss, but then closed hiring once he was ready to graduate. Yeah, stupid, foolish kids, & their "worthless" degrees!!!