All Forum Posts by: Stone Teran

 Yes, this neighbor and other tenants need to tell you who is doing it.  It's been my experience that 1 or 2 tenants out of 30 are always responsible for 90% of the trash in the yard.  Once you figure out who is doing it, come down hard on this person and/or evict and the problem will be solved.

Thanks for the suggestions.  Shop Vac it is!

I've been using vacuum cleaner hand-me-downs and I keep breaking them.  I need a vacuum cleaner that will suck up all kinds of gunk including small drywall debris and drywall dust from carpet.  Should I go cheapo because it will probably break anyway, commercial vacuum or shop vac or something else?  Thanks.

 I agree.  I've been evicting people lately that I might have chased around in the past.

"But you know I always pay!" they say.

But there is a cost to me having to chase them down every month.  Enough is enough.

 Yeah, same here.  That guy is probably wondering why there are so many visitors turning around in his driveway at 6pm once a month.

 I wish I could give you 2 votes for this post.

I absolutely agree.  So many people pay good money for seminars which fill their heads with fantasy.  I started small because, like you, that's all I could afford.  I made mistakes, just like you, and over time the business will grow if you work hard.  I'll keep making mistakes but that's ok because learning never stops.

I always try to maintain the philosophy that my tenants deserve privacy unless they are damaging the premises and hurting other tenants.

I also have regretted whenever I've stuck my nose past that line and tried to give them advice.

Domestic violence is a tricky one though because they aren't damaging the premises or (usually) disturbing other tenants.  In the past month, I've seen:

1. She ran out and told me to call 911.  He ran out and grabbed the phone out of her hand.  I called 911 and let the police handle it.

2. Different tenants:  My employee saw him pull her inside while grabbing her arm and her hair.  She said help and he didn't call 911.  He didn't hear anything after they went inside.  I think they left by the time I heard about it.  I don't think I want to talk to him about it.

What's your general philosophy on how to handle this type of stuff?? 

It varies.  I've seen banks negotiate back and forth with gusto and I've seen them sit back, take in all the offers and pick the top one available at the time.  It's a tough game to play if you don't have insight on the specific individual negotiating on the bank's behalf.

 Cost.  What kind of digital lock do you use?  I have some on my front doors but, at $120 each, it's limited.

 Yup, I've seen enough fantasy P&L's from sellers to know that I need to calculate my own numbers.