All Forum Posts by: Theresa Harris

I'd definitely get it surveyed and a small head is a good idea...and less of an eye sore than what they put up.

Don't do work that you don't need to do.  If you are living there, take your time. A fresh coat of neutral paint does wonders and often you can get mis-tints at a paint store for less.  I once got a 5 gallon bucket of a pretty, neutral paint for $50.  Did the whole apartment and I had tons left (gave it to someone who used it to paint their apartment).  If you change flooring, go for something durable because tenant are hard on the house.  Look at things such as Habitat Restore and buy things gradually, but with a plan in mind.

You aren't entitled to do any more for her.  She wants to break the lease. Tell her normally you'd need 30 or 60 days' notice (whatever the rule in your area) and you are not going to charge her that.

As other said, you don't need a biohazard clean up.  If you are worried about anything, spray it with bleach and call it a day.

If you are in a market that relies on international travel from certain countries, international students or seasonal workers, then you may find it harder.  A number of countries have issued travel advisories (eg Canada, UK, Germany), but the US is a large place, so start changing your marketing strategy to target people who are already in the country and looking for a vacation.

I think it depends on what your goals are.  If you invest in long distance rentals, you need a really good person who you trust to look after your rental.  If your local area is not diversified (ie reliant on a single industry), then finding rentals elsewhere may be a good idea in case things go south with that industry.  Or perhaps you are planning on retiring in another area where the market is quiet different than where you live (ie prices are increasing faster), then buy there now.  Or maybe your area has a high vacancy rate and it would be hard to find good tenants.

I have rentals in another area as I plan on retiring there and house prices there go up faster than where I currently live.

It will vary depending where you are, but often a well cared for lawn (eg fertilizer, watering) will keep the weeds at bay.  You shouldn't have to spray them intensively all the time, but will need to spot treat.  Talk to your lawn company and ask for alternatives that are more eco friendly.

To me this isn't deep cleaning, this is regular cleaning and part of the tenant's responsibility.  If it was something like getting the drier duct cleaned, that would be on the landlord.

Make the eviction notice for the tenant and all occupants-then it doesn't matter if the person isn't who they said they are.

With $10k, I'd put it in a high yield savings account and save more until I had enough for a down payment.  $10K isn't enough to get started.