All Forum Posts by: Walt Dockery

If you have had a decent level of interest I would stick with aug 1, if they can’t do that move to next applicant.  Their uncertainty around their own schedule is their problem IMO and if they want certainty of having a place they should be willing to sign an aug 1 lease. If not, move on. 

I may be more generous than most but personally I probably wouldn’t charge the tenants for any of that (unless the “holes” were unusually large - why $600 to patch holes?). Most of that is normal wear and tear. People out pictures up, nick paint etc. Carpet wears, that’s why most here don’t recommend it for rentals. Cosmetic damage to a used washer and dryer is immaterial imo. 

it’s been awhile since I’ve had an entire interior painted but ballpark that seems reasonable esp as it incl garage (I assume that’s not included in 3150 sq ft?) and there is a lot of detail work in there - cabinets are expensive and time consumInc to paint, plus all those doors, baseboards, stair balusters etc. and ceiling repairs. I’d maybe get a second est just as a gut check, I usually get 2 estimates for things this size unless I’m working with someone I have an established/recurring relationship with and trust.  

I think it’s useful to have a good independent insurance agent you can call and run these things by.  It varies so much by region and myriad other variables that it’s very hard to generalize on a forum like this. 

A/C guys are slammed this time of year and a holiday week to boot, I don't think that's unreasonable at all for him to make it there tonight or first thing in the morning, in fact that's actually pretty good response time.  I would rather have the A/C guy I know and trust fix it first thing tomorrow than call some random emergency repair company.  Taking 24 hrs to get a repair out guy does not make you a "slumlord", that's ridiculous.  

I have a lawn/landscaping service and include it in rent - I want the yard to look good. I too live in FL. 

If it's a nice-ish rental it would bother me as it looks trashy and negatively impacts curb appeal.  This is not being "emotionally attached", wanting your properties to look good and have curb appeal is perfectly rational.

I would start by asking to remove and offering to buy window coverings.  

I just signed a lease with a couple that are longtime home owners.  If they have good credit I would never view it as a neg and potentially a pos (in my case they have far better credit than most applicants/renters).  As others said ask why renting, there are lots of reasons (building a house, moving to a new area, empty nesters, divorce, don't want to deal with homeownership anymore etc).  

I've had good luck listing on zillow, which as mentioned is free.  Take the time to get good pictures - get the house cleaned up pristine and take good pics with good lighting.  If you aren't good at taking pics see if you can get a photography student do help you for cheap.  Also a yard sign.  In my (limited) experience the majority of my leads have come from zillow (and it's affiliate sites - trulia, hotpads etc), followed by yard sign, with craigslist a distant last.  Consider a google voice account so you don't have to give out your phone number - the google voice account can be setup to ring to your phone and you can text and listen to voicemails via the app.

Read the ultimate guide to renting your home stickied at the top of this forum. I am an amateur myself and have found I have not needed a property manager and have not missed having one. This is something you can do yourself - it takes some work and some reading, but can be done yourself. Personally if I didn't like doing it myself I'd just buy something passive like a REIT etf or something. Individual rental properties are not passive investments.

Where did you think the money was coming from?  Of course if you "forgive" rent it's coming out of your pocket.  This is self evident.  

The tenant/buyer is not in "default" of rent - you forgave it.

Further, you did not understand how mortgages work (why would the bank just forgive the partial month's interest?).

Return the security deposit and chalk it up as a learning experience and going forward to actually understand how things work.  Don't forgive money owed to you that you don't actually intend to forgive.