All Forum Posts by: Suzie B.

I too would recommend you try and find a community closer to where you plan to live. It will give you better access to finding properties as far as travel time, and give you easier access to drive by occasionally to make sure they are being kept up. Much of Indiana is great for investing as the housing costs are low. The county we invest mostly in in Indiana is known for one or two county schools being great and we try to invest most of our monies there as people are looking for nice rentals in those areas and they are hard to find. We never have trouble renting in those areas, and have found a few great buys.... had to do some small renovation/updates, but well worth it!

I think it depends a lot on the community/area.

There was a home in our small town where a lady was beaten almost to death. When it came up for sale the first time, someone bought it quickly to help the family out (or so the story goes). When that person went to sell it, it took quite a long time for someone to buy it, and then the purchaser was someone from out of town who probably hadn't heard the story yet. I don't know if any of that information was disclosed to the buyer, but I would hate to move into a community and find out the house I bought had a negative mark on it.

I agree with Derek's response ... letting them know someone else is more qualified but that you are not able to tell them how they were better. Of course this only works if you really do have another tenant ready to go.

We came down to almost renting to someone once and allowed them to come and tour the property. Just before we left to show them the property, another interested individual called and was more than professional on the phone, we sent him an application. He agreed to meet us at the property shortly after the other possible tenants with his application filled out and ready to go. He should up promptly at the suggested time and his application was far better than the previous individuals. We were so grateful he called when he did!

You will find plenty of people out there that don't like real estate as an investment for one reason or another, most of them think it's too much work or they just don't understand it.

Any investment has it's risks, you just need to educate yourself in your choice of investments.

Me, I prefer real estate because it's something I can see, understand, and after our initial expenses to obtain and renovate a property... someone else pays for the rest of it for me!! What other investment can do that for you?

I would believe it would be based on when you acquired the actual deed as the lien itself isn't ownership... just an interest in the property that needs reimbursed. In this case it wasn't reimbursed, so foreclosure was sought. Ownership didn't take place until the deed was handed over to the lien holder.

That would be my guess... ask your tax guy or real estate attorney to be sure.

Of the ones you mentioned as favorites...

2 & 5 are ok, might darken the colors a bit

6 maybe with a different font... looks too spa-like to me with the leaves and the current font.

I agree with the others that have answered. Call the billing company and see if you can negotiate a payment plan or a large % off for payment in full.

I would find a good property management company to find you a tenant. You can ask the neighbor to let you know how things are going periodically.

I would be concerned about letting the neighbor handle any of the details. If they are inexperienced, they may not get you the tenant your property deserves.

@Brandon Turner thanks for the tip... pretty cool!

Since you had a no pet policy and they obviously slid one in on you, I would ask them to kindly replace the screens at their expense. You didn't ok the cat, you aren't ok with the damage of one living there.

I would also consider charging them a monthly pet fee if you had made them aware of the no pet policy when you signed the lease with them (we do $25 a pet- but see what is standard in your area). Pets are extra wear and tear on a property... and cats can be a big problem, trust me! I don't want another cat problem! My nose cringes at the thought.