All Forum Posts by: Tommy Townsend

Looks nice, they should all be this easy right? If you (or anyone else) wants to try painting the cabinets, try a company like get a grip or the like. They do counter and tub resurfacing but also have a hard enamel or some such finish for cabinets that is really durable. It's almost like a cars's paint job. Give it a try, little hardware, it'll look great!

Hi @lauren nelson.  Im from richmond, always nice to see someone from home.  You said the property is in oregon but i didnt see where mom lives.  If she is not in oregon, i also would not limit myself to a small market because you will be limiting your choices and will definitely have the potential to limit your returns.  Also I believe @Dani Z has the right idea, especially for someone starting out - invest locally.  Its difficult enough to be involved in a projext down the street, you dont nees to add travel to it while you are learning.

I also agree with @Charlie Fitzgerald about looking at a range of investments.  Even if your mom ends up putting part in real estate, I would diversify over several investments.  Good luck!

Chicken always came first!  Good luck!

The only thing I can add to this is, there is a lack of grace in the world.  Instead of kicking people out on a whim, try to understand where they are coming from.  This particular situation, it sounds like the tenants have been up front about their difficulties and are honest about their situation.  There are multiple ways it can turn out but how about two very different hypothetical scenarios:

1) You kick them out, they have a hard time getting established elsewhere, you have a hard time back filling with someone equally as good of a resident (taking care of the place, paying rent, etc.).  You go through 3 more tenants who are awful to the place and are difficult to work with before finally finding someone else you call a good resident.

2) You find out their medical deal is temporary and they expect to get back on track in 2 months when one of them returns to work (I'm making this part up).  You have them pay the late fees and you set that as a deadline.  They start paying on time again and are all caught up - what if after that they rent for 10 more years with no more problems?  You would have made a move for nothing and possibly caused yourself more problems.

Before I'm labeled as a newbie, I am a professional property manager.  I've heard every excuse (just about) and I've seen every scenario.  I work for a large company and while we do not have a lot of flexibility for waiving late fees we do have the option to have some grace, try to figure out what someone's situation is, if it's likely to resolve itself, and if there is anything more we can do to help them be good tenants.  Those of us in the rental business provide homes, no one said we couldn't be human about it and not make it 100% money focused.

I would use the ozone machine sparingly and not near the kitchen. It dries out the seals on appliances like the fridge and makes them brittle

I think before I had any decision in mind, I might sit down with them and the property manager and find out if this is an ongoing issue that might resolve and return to normal or if they feel it won't or act like they don't care. If it's a temporary thing, might let them stay but put a timeline for improvement on them. They may just need a break. Don't think I would make any decision without speaking with them first.

Trust is the way to go, either selling and investing the proceeds or maintaining and income going in. Keeping them is probably messier. Good that you are thinking about it now. Get a will by tomorrow. Huge pain to pass without one in most states.

They will charge what the market will bear. Most people who have this same concern would charge fair market price if they were the owner and potentially could be leaving money on the table. If you owned a house that you rented out for 1100 a month and all the houses around you rented for 1400, you might consider an increase. As has been said, thank you for you service to our country.

He is in default of the lease. Depends on how badly you want him gone. If I read your post correctly, you already have your next renter? If so let current move out and charge through the day before the new person moves in plus damages. If he has caused anything you have to pay for beyond a normal turn to get back on the market, I would charg. Make sure you have plenty of pictures and documentation. Also check your local and state laws for how long you have to return the deposit or provide an accounting of any portion not returned.

First question: no sure fire way to get it out of something already there. You are doing the right thing by replacing items. Leads to your second question; pony up for the zinsser. You will never look back. There is a reason it is so much more expensive: it is the real deal. May take a couple of coats. Before I would seal the concrete I would get down and smell on hands and knees. It can absorb liquid but might as well make sure it doesn't need it before going and doing extra work. Since you are doing the subfloor, I assume you are replacing tack strips, base, quarter round. Those hold way more odor than you can imagine. Might consider the first few inches of drywall too. Best of luck!