Please make sure the sprinkler system is working. I have been having to hand-water half of the front yard. I can deal with that.
When your property management company sends their plumbers, please have then arrive before 6:30pm and tell them also not to flood my kitchen floor with 3 inches of water. I am pretty sure there is damage under there. Squeeks when I step near the dishwasher…well, go figure…
We still have a huge mold issue in our master bath. It has seeped under the floor, and creeped up the wall. Can you please take care of that?
You had your son install the gutters, finally. He negleted to put shoots on the downspouts. I did mention this to you, yet you have not done anything about it. Like I said, it’s eroding the patio and sidewalk out front.
As well, I tried to tell you that you need to take care of your outside trim work and siding…
We pay you $1500 per month, and have made many improvements to your property.
Can you please just hold up your end of the deal?
Okay boys, let me have it…
“He said “Buck up baby, it’s okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall.” ~ Sarah Harmer
Replies
There's no pleasing some people.
I suppose you'll want the septic pumped next.
A finished house is a house on the market
Be careful what you ask for
Why can't you move? That'll show him
Just renting due to DH's possibility of job transfer. That is, if he still has a job next week.
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
you the renter?
i will give you my reply as a guy that's been a landlord for 30 years.
sprinklers:
why would i want a sprinkler system,more upkeep,have to winterize,then when the tenant waters and makes the grass grow they won't mow it till i get a notice from the city that it's 2' tall.are you paying more rent to maintain?get a hose and a 5.00 sprinkler.
kitchen:
so the plumbers show up to fix something and they screw up,what you never screw up at work? they got it fixed and that's all they can do .yeah maybe i won't use them again,i hope the next guys better and shows up when he's suppose to.
bathroom:
wheres the water coming from,is junior in the bathtub playing submarine and spilling 5 gals of water every night or do you actually have a leak in the plumbing?
gutters: [this ones special for me cause i just did the dance this week!]
so when you rented the house it didn't have gutters and you wanted them,so being a nice guy i put them up,so they need extensions,if it really bothers you why don't you go to lowes and buy a couple 2' extensions for 2.00 a piece and put them on,your always telling me how you are IMPROVING the place.
here"s a idea when i decide the trim and siding needs painting ,i'll do it ,it's my house isn't it?
oh in 30 years of landlording i have never had a renter improve a place,they may think they did,but if i had wanted it done that way i would of done it before they moved in.what a renter doesn't understand is the next guy won't weed all those flower beds you planted,so as a landlord as soon as you move i bring my bobcat in and level it.so what have you done that is a BENEFIT to me?
i don't mean to offend you but i have always wondered why if a tenant is unhappy with maintanice why don't they just don't move,or go buy their own and take care of it the way they want????????
are you still reading this ,or do i have you totally p.o? larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Edited 3/30/2008 9:35 pm by alwaysoverbudget
Edited 3/30/2008 9:37 pm by alwaysoverbudget
lol
>>bathroom:
wheres the water coming from,is junior in the bathtub playing submarine and spilling 5 gals of water every night or do you actually have a leak in the plumbing?<<
Never actually used the master bath soaking tub. I just saw the vynil flooring going bad. It was creeping up the walls, just like i said. Daughter has her own bathroom, witch she keeps spotless, btw.
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
i give you all that and thats all ,i figured you would call me names or something.
now,i'll go a little gentler. the bottom line on why i own a rental property is to make money,not pride of ownership,not so i can have a tax shelter,it has to make money and if it doesn't i can't pay for my kids supper at mickey d's tonight.
now i know as a renter you think i'm making 1500. a month but thats not the case,theres the mortgage payment,taxes,insurance, and believe it or not maintance.normal deal like this i'm probably clearing 150-200 a month ,so you an see i can't fix everything perfect.
and i know you think that if i have had it for 30 yrs and the mortgage is paid off,now i'm making 1500,wrong because i could sell it and put a 150k in the bank at 4.5%=7000 a year with no taxes [1800 yr.] and no insurance [1200 yr],plus 1000 for maintance. that means that i own this house and take the risk for about 7k a year once it's paid off after 30 years.
if it was easy and fun everyone would do it. larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
"witch she keeps spotless, btw."
Nice Freudian slip.
Rats. I meant which.
But I do keep our house spotlessly clean.
I just want our landlord to take care of his property.
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
so now i'm going to hop to your side,how important are these problems getting fixed to you. if you say to yourself,i like the house ,the money's ok.then play some poker,call your landlord tell him these things bother you enough that your going to move.
as a landlord i got to ask myself,if this goes vacant i lose a month,maybe i get better renters maybe i don't. lets see i can fix all of this for 500.00 and keep them.
but he might also say,"hope you find a house that fits you better,i'll be over tommorrow and put up a sign" [75% of the time i'll let you move because next month you want something else and so on].
qoute
"I just want our landlord to take care of his property" really read that and that is the the reality"his property" .larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Hey,
We're not that picky. Just having a hard time getting past the tough spots.
Landlord left the sprinkler system going last winter. DH nearly took a header on the ice when he walked to his truck.
Did I mention we have made great improvements here? For instance, all the windowsills were painted with flat paint. I have painted them all with semigloss, now.
We built a patio cover. Planted nice plants. When we moved in, the backyard consisted of nothing but 4 trees, cheap bark, and concrete. Now it is a wonderland of redwood raised beds, full of flowers and veggies, and our patio cover.
I also installed a pendant light over the kitchen island. Just because we wanted it there.
Yeh, I just have to remind myself that we are just renting...still, I am eager to make improvements, just like it is my own house.
The baseboard drives me nuts. They caulked it after they painted it, so it collects dust that I can't vaccuum up. Also, all the bullnose corner pieces sit proud both ways. I may consider that my spring project. Here I go, crawling along painting the baseboard which should have been done properly in the first place. No big deal.
Anyway, all you landlords would love a renter like me...lol.
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
You already did an exellent job on this already. I cant really add anything !
All I know is , Ive got one of um. Well actually I have two of them but I handled one already.
The thing is around here right now renters are expendable quickly. Its a landlords world right now with houses.
On the other hand I would like to have everything caught up but Im not gonna be able to do it . What they want is not what I want sometimes like you said .
Case one ;
I rented a house to a lady that had a choice of two of my houses . She picked the one with a garage instead of a carport. She wants me to build her storage building . Then she calls and wants mexicans to put up a car shelter in the back yard so she can park in it . She thought it would be ok to do that with out a driveway. Last week I roofed her house and asked for he to move her cars from the driveway. The one in front of the garage wont move and doesnt have a battery. I needed that space to load shingles with my backhoe . She picks that time to ask for gutters . I dont want gutters . Its a freakin rental. Why do I need gutters? Somting else to do clearing out leaves and rotting facier boards to replace ? They wont keep it clean if they wont pick up their trash. I told her to buy my new house and showed it to her and we are working on that right now .
Case Two;
I had rented a small two bedroom house to a couple that smoked like a freight train for 5 years. The color of the interior is nicotine. I ran an ad in the paper a week early and got 50 calls people wanting it . 10 of those calls wanted sight unseen. I knew I would have to paint it and clean the carpets from the smoke . I arrived to view the property and tell the folks I couldnt return their deposit and get a key on their way out . The Uhaul was loaded and they were waiting on me . So we did that and got hand shakes and hugs with goodbyes. This lady knocks on the door so they leave and I let her in. She wants it like it is ! I explain that I have to clean it up and then shes on a long list to call back. Theres lots of people who called before her . Nope she has to have it and wants it now just like it is . Im thinkin I would be crazy not to take this deal as she has the cash money in her hand. I ask if shes sure thats what she wants to do? Yup thats it . So I rent it to her 5 minutes after the Uhaul left and hand her the key with a years lease signed. We are both very happy! She showed up yesterday to pay her rent the second time . She wants me to paint the house and clean the carpet. It smells she says .
I explain the whole deal. If I was gonna do all that I would not have rented it to her period. She would not have got it . I told her ceiling and walls both need to be painted and I did recieve money for doing it and I will do it when she moves out . Its not enough money to do it with her in it . We made a deal for her to get it and if she wasnt happy she needs to move out so I can do it . Shes gonna keep what shes got . Im not feeling good about it cause shes a nice girl. I dont feel good about it at all. I should have done the right thing to begin with but Im not going to correct it with her in it .
Bein a cowboy aint all ridin and shootin.
Tim
people can't get that with a rental house the simpler the better, gutters,garbage disposals,dishwashers,garage door openers, all contribute to more maintance and none of those really bring in anymore rent.
i wish our market was that strong,it's getting better than it was 3 years ago ,but still not what i would call a good strong market where you have a good selection of renters.
wichita was picked as the number 1 r.e market in us the other day.4% appreciation and very afforable housing. so we just haven't tighten up like a lot of places and thats what is going to take to make the rentals work well again.
quick note on the house i had that had the shooting at,i've got a contract on it for 57,500.so it sold for about 15k under but i'm tickled to death to be away from it.using the funds to buy a lakefront lot down there in ar at beaver lake,i think were going to build a little cabin down there.larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
I was once lucky enough to rent from someone I could socialize with. Every week I'd go visit, and spend an hour or so just chatting. We spoke of many things, most having nothing to do with the rental. The point to all this chatting was to keep the lines of communication open. Far too often, the two parties only see each other when there's a problem ... setting the stage for an 'us vs. them' mindset. Tenants doing improvements? I hate to say this, but I've seen very, very few such efforts actually result in ant improvement at all. Even painting - I never knew folks could do such a poor job, or have such wild schemes. Dare I say it, but most such attempts actually result in damage, damage that has to be fixed when they're evicted for non-payment. I will admit that landlords and tenants have differing mindsets, different expectations for each other. I saw one example where the LL and the tenant moved in at the same time, in adjoining properties. The LL wasted no time having their immaculate part repainted ... while fully expecting the tenant to be happy with a much-repaired unit that -literally- had not been painted since the 70's. Poor tenant attitude aside - and there are plenty out there - LL's very often have unreasonable expectations. This seems to be especially true among the recent crop of 'flippers' and instant real estate experts. Landlords need to realize that there is more to the business than simply cashing the rent check! Properties do require regular maintenance, even with the best of tenants. This is especially true of older and converted buildings. When a tenant has a complaint, this is your chance to truly examine the place - this is called protecting your investment. That little drip can - indeed will - grow to where real damage is done.
I kinda compiled my own study a few years ago . I sat down and came up with it .
When I show houses they never look in the sink.
They never open the freezer to check to see if their is an ice maker .
They never ask about a garage door pad but will ask for a car remote.
Im sure I could probably get by with out an opener but I like them my self working there.
No one takes care of someone elses flower beds. Most dont even own weed eaters.
People dont park cars in garages , junk does.. Im sure they dont need an opener at all but they want one .
Screens arent important to folks as they tear them up. I dont know why.
They wont change the filter till the unit quits working . When you arrive to fix a unit it always has a new one installed. Yet the A coil is clogged.
I dropped some things I no longer have to repair with them being gone .
I havent noticed any difference in being able to rent them. Ive pulled most of the garbage disposals . I tear out flower beds with my backhoe and grade it smooth. They will mow the grass but will not tend to a flower bed.
"I sat down and came up with it."
Haw! I LOVE YOU, MAN! ; )
Not sure what it means exactly but that is HILARIOUS!
Tim,
Thanks for all the posts, a lot of great thoughts and information over the years. As a LL I get a kick out of your's and Larry's posts. I've had good renters and bad ones, like you say, you just have to know where to draw the line. Some folks I've rented to seemed incredibly nice and sensible and turn out to be complete kooks.
The main thing I've learned is you really don't know somebody until you rent to them or marry them.
- r
If you lived around here landlords would be begging you to rent their houses. A guy up the road came looking for his tenant who had skipped out on three months rent, left a dumpster worth of junk, wrecks, five cats and a dog. He seemed sort of relieved there also wasn't a grow-op.
" ... if a tenant is unhappy with maintanice why don't they just don't move,or go buy their own and take care of it the way they want????????"Usually there is a thing called a lease.
if a person is living in a house that has mold and you have asked in writing for the landlord to fix it, and he hasn't.i don't think there is a judge in the country that would hold the tenant to the lease.
a lease is such a worthless pc of paper to a landlord,if the tenant moves with 6 months on the lease,the first thing i have to do is start trying to release it. now on a 100,000 sf commercial building that will take a while.but on a normal house you can usally get it bringing money back in in 30 days or less.that is all the tenant is responsible for,the cost of releaseing and the 30 days.
now let me try and move someone that has a lease and is paying their rent,no way i'm in for the long haul. i have a building right now with 13 years left that i would love to move the guy from,but i'm s.o.l.larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
"now let me try and move someone that has a lease and is paying their rent,no way i'm in for the long haul. i have a building right now with 13 years left that i would love to move the guy from,but i'm s.o.l.larry"Well it's not such a worthless piece of paper now is it? Depending on which side of the fence you're on.
Found this a very interesting thread.The landlords generally display unwillingness to invest any time or money to satisfy tenants requests even when they appear on the surface to be quite reasonable and justify that with complaints about the quality of tenants in general.Makes me wonder which came first, the chicken or the egg. Seems to me if you don't respond to tenants, you aren't likely to hang on to the good ones, and if you let your place get rundown, you aren't likely to attract any good ones either. You do reap what you sow.
Good observation.
Life doesn't often leave a very easy trail to follow.
I think the landlords in this thread have been a bit jaded.
I'm sure there are bad tenants and bad landlords.
But when you get so disgusted and bitter it's time to get a different job. Sell the property, if you're not willing to provide a good level of surface to your customer find something else to do.
Same should apply to any business model.
That customer or in this case, tenant, pay's your bills, if you can't respect that something is wrong
That is exactly what I was thinking.For anyone... Go to the photo gallery section.Pick out all of the Mike Smith project threads.Have a good look. Take your time.Now think about this...Consider the time he takes to do the job right.Consider the quality of the work he does.Consider his relationships with the clients.Do you see any slipshot work ? Do you see him doing anything the cheapo way just because he can get by with it ? Does he do only as much as he has to do ? Is he more concerned with his wallet than he is with client satisfaction ?No ?Hmmmmm.Ok, do you suppose he gets more than his share of krappy clients ?Or even "His share"...Why do you think Mike gets the good clients ?And what do you think he does when he gets a bad one ?Like Cag said, if you are this jaded, this angry with 'the customers'...And you are incapable of coming up with a business model that maximizes the positive for both you and the tenant...Then you need to be looking for a different line of work. You are piling negative on negative, and just getting deeper and deeper into that pile yourself.Or as BrownBagg would say... "Get over it. The angry going eat you up."
Life doesn't often leave a very easy trail to follow.
Luka
I've followed along with Mike Smiths threads and yea, he does a pretty good job for his customers, but does he give them a lot more then they are paying for? Maybe little things but not major things, otherwise he'd find himself out in Wichita, KS looking to rent a house from Larry!
The business of owning and running rental property is just as demanding as Mikes jobs are. I know, I've done the rental property thing, not very good at it, I've also worked on houses that are built well. Both demand hard work and good business acumen.
Consider the time he takes to do the job right.
Consider the quality of the work he does.
Consider his relationships with the clients.
Do you see any slipshot work ?
Couldn't those same things be said about how Money and Larry and numerous other landlords do their jobs?
I recently worked on a house that cost way more then the house that Mike Smith did, the one that had the title about the adverse neighbor???? not sure but you probably remember the one. Now why is it that Mike didn't add all kinds of fancy woodwork, expensive kitchen cabinets............ would of made the house that much nicer ? Reason is the money wasn't there for those things, same as landlords that don't do extras that aren't going to be paid for or are not going to add any rental value to the place.
I'd imagine that Mike Smith has had days that he didn't care for a particular customer, same as a landlord, doesn't mean either one of them should pack up and get out of town.
I'm wondering where all the accusations regarding landlords on here, or mentioned in this thread, are burnt out, angry towards their tenants, doing less then quality work for the money are coming from?
Doug
Doug, There are an awful lot of really bad contractors out there.Guys that rip off the customer.Do the least they can, or nothing at all. Etc.There are a lot of adequate contractors as well. And there are contractors like Mike, (And I have no doubt... Yourself !) It is the same in the world of landlords.Not all contractors are concientious, have ethics, etc. Neither do all landlords.Your example of the two houses is a great example. Mike didn't add all those things because the money was not there. But conversely, Mike didn't look down his nose, and decide these people were below his concern about giving the best product/service for the price they COULD afford.Since you have done the landlord thing, I'll go out on a limb and say that from what I know of your own personal conscience and ethics, if things needed done, you did them without griping. You had sense enough to figure out the difference between foo foo and what was actually needed for a healthy, well maintained house. You wanted and needed your profit, but you wouldn't have put your profit above a healthy living environment for your tenant."I'm wondering where all the accusations regarding landlords on here, or mentioned in this thread, are burnt out, angry towards their tenants, doing less then quality work for the money are coming from?"I probably should have left any remark even close to that area, out of my post.But since you ask, I think the reason the accusations are made, are because of the aggregious remarks about tenants, previous to those accusations.Pretty much, they have been accused of being burnt out and angry, because they TALK burnt out and angry. A question was asked. A fairly simple question. And the response could be nutshelled as... "Because all tenants are scumbags. Crackheads. Vandals. Thiefs. Etc..."Yeah, that is going to bring about some pretty level-headed and considerate debate.Just like treating every tenant that way, is going to net you a bunch of tenants who are angels.~~~I'm sorry if my post came across as attacking of landlords. That was not my intention at all. Nor do I or would I expect any landlord to go above and beyond the call of duty. Again, Back to Mike and that non-fancy house. Mike didn't do all the fancy stuff, because it wasn't in the budget. I would no more expect a landlord to go above and beyond and do all kinds of foo foo stuff, than I would expect Mike to crack his own budget and put the foo foo into that house.But I also wouldn't expect Mike to get greedy and cheap out, just to squeeze more money out of that client. Or refuse to fix something that wasn't done correctly, just because it's going to eat into his profit.I think you and I are on the same page here. Just a quirk of communication...As for Mike... I don't think he goes through his day looking for the easiest way to make a buck, if that easy buck means he has to treat someone else like they are second class, trash. I simply do not see Mike as trying to make the easy bucks, and trodding on anyone he has to, to do so. Or kicking to the curb anyone who is not immediately useful or profitable to himself.And I certainly don't see you as doing so, either. It occurs to me that one of the biggest factors going on here is respect. Some here just want to make a buck, and have absolutely no respect whatever for the tenant, other than that.They are totally self absorbed, self centered. And they see the tenants as a cash crop, not as human beings.You have to make a profit to make a living. But you don't have to make someone else's life miserable, to squeeze out just a little more profit.You and Mike make your profits. But you do not do so by treating your clients disrespectfully.You realize that you are in business. You realize you are going to have problems. You realize that you just have to continue to respect your customer, expect respect in return, and find some way to deal with the problems that is beneficial to both you and the customer.You don't get all jaded and angry. Decide that all your problems are the fault of scumbag customers. And further decide that all customers are scumbags, so you are going to just make as much money off of them as you can, and 'screw' their concerns. You do not treat them with disrespect until they "earn" your respect...Your approach to life and business is the other way around.~~~Sorry, I tried to make this short. And I have probably repeated myself several times.But I didn't want you to think I was attacking landlords in general.I loathe those negative, selfish, using... disrespectful attitudes, regardless of what kind of business the person is in.
Life doesn't often leave a very easy trail to follow.
Luka
I only responded to your post because you had the stuff that I could copy and paste all in one deal, not because I thought you were singling landlords out as scum of the earth.
But conversely, Mike didn't look down his nose, and decide these people were below his concern about giving the best product/service for the price they COULD afford.
And I don't doubt for a minute that Mike is trying to make the most profit that he ethically/legally can. I didn't take Larry's comments about bad tenants as looking down his nose at tenants as much as I did him playing the Devils Advocate, of course he's the only one that really knows.
Since you have done the landlord thing
Truthfully I sucked at it. I only wanted to do it because I thought there was a lot of money in it, there could be but you really have to like something to be good at it and I didn't like it - to me it was tantamount to having milk cows, gotta be there every day, I don't like to "be there" every day! There were a lot of other reasons but the main one is I wasn't cut out for it.
I probably should have left any remark even close to that area, out of my post.
But since you ask, I think the reason the accusations are made, are because of the aggregious remarks about tenants, previous to those accusations.
Pretty much, they have been accused of being burnt out and angry, because they TALK burnt out and angry.
Again, I think Larry and even Mooney in some part, was playing devils advocate. Of course those are just my thoughts on it, could be wrong but you and me both know that's not likely!
You don't get all jaded and angry.
Oh, you should hang out with me on some days! I can get pretty jaded!
I don't think that you were attacking landlords per se', I think that there may be a little miscommunication going on here as you said.
There are certain risks involved in landlording that are not as avoidable as there are in the GC business so maybe that's why there was a defence mechanism that kicked in when some landlords read the OP'ers comments, not sure. Just as you, I gotta guess on some of this stuff!
Doug
I have a real problem. Putting too many words on the screen. Most of which could be, and usually are, taken the wrong way.I think I've probably already unintentionally insulted half the people on this forum. I think I'll stop here, before I insult everyone else.;o)
Life doesn't often leave a very easy trail to follow.
"I think I've probably already unintentionally insulted half the people on this forum. I think I'll stop here, before I insult everyone else."
Don't stop now, this is a good thread. Not exactly a How many nails per stud? type discussion, but fascinating non the less.
my rentals are finished while my house is not, One could put it this way , My renters would not live in MY house. and my wife reminds me of this every day;}
Thats funny. Everybody that sees my rental says they're better than where I live.
Conversely I wont rent a house I wouldnt be willing to put my family in.
does this mean my rentals should be dumpier?
luka, you must be reading a post over at Mr landlord.com. i went thru all 50 post and i could find no one that made this statement or even implied it.
"A question was asked. A fairly simple question. And the response could be nutshelled as... "Because all tenants are scumbags. Crackheads. Vandals. Thiefs. Etc..."
i have never thought that about a renter [although i have had a few nicknames for a couple:]one i have right now i call mrs.bathrobe,no matter what the time of day she is still in her robe ] .
let me go back to the very first post,do you think that the landlord should run over there and fix ALL those items? and what about the dog that might bite the neighbors kid,is that completely the landlords resposibility,how about the owner of the dog,whats his resposibility? everyone has a problem if that dog bites a kid no denying that . larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
No. I don't think the landlord should run over there and fix all those problems.As for the dog... Respect and consideration goes both ways.We can go completely past landlord/tenant and move on, instead, to dog ownership.Putting myself in the shoes of the tenant/dogowner... I asked for the dog. I got permission. I got the dog. The dog is now my responsibility. I should have thought of the fence myself. Apparently it didn't occur to me. Now that it has come up... It looks like it's time for me to get to work on that fence myself.If I had a landlord that didn't allow kids... My wife gets pregnant... I asked for permission to stay, and got that permission... Is the landlord now responsible for building an addition to be used as a nursery ?
Life doesn't often leave a very easy trail to follow.
luka,i saw your post to doug and thought you were going away mad, you haven't offended me,heck this is the most fun a guy can have on a computer and not be on a porne site.:]
when were done bashing landlord/tenants, i used to own a used car dealership,now we can really have some fun...........larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Could we do lawyers after that ?And then clowns !!!
Life doesn't often leave a very easy trail to follow.
ADJECTIVE: 1. Worn out; wearied: “My father's words had left me jaded and depressed”
Well , its an open subject we are discussing, not the business it self. You would have to pick a particular topic and we would run with it . This is an open pizzin match fixin to start.
Renters are not owners . Thats the biggest mis conception for lanlord and tennant. The lanlord wants them to act like they are taking care of their own and they wont just like a fish wont walk. Then somtimes a tennant wants a place to be a home and gets possesive which is a false feeling in a rental.
But yea , were jaded. I know both Larry and I both are but thats not the whole business . He likes the money just like I do. Its the easiest money Ive ever made . He wont deny it either . Lots better than working by the hour or job . Those two dont compare with lanlording . But do we repsect renters? I dont generally unless they earn it . I dont want to like them too much. Im not there to be their friend . Im there to make a profit and hold up my end of a business deal. I expect them to hold up to their agreement . Thats about it .
There are many different points in this thread . Too many to generalize.
The guy with a dog would not be around me very long griping about fencing .
The problems in the house are completely different and would be my job.
Im at a luxury right now being able to pick and choose renters quickly. Its easiar for me to replace a renter than spend much time dealing with any problems that are not mine . I still take care of good renters and run bad ones off . Its a hard business and certainly not for everyone . Its not for good ole boys . Over time we get seasoned to say what we want to when we want to. We are not in sales . Its hard for people to understand the difference . We are not social workers taking care of the needy either .
Ill say this though for those wanting to criticise.
The only way the rental business works is to have paying tennants that dont tear up properties . If you leave any part of that format you better be selling out.
". . . The lanlord wants them to act like they are taking care of their own and they wont just like a fish wont walk."And there is the contradiction. If a place is shabby to begin with and is geared to someone with limited means then you can pretty much expect that if the landlord isn't taking care of the place, that is letting the paint peel off the walls, faucets leak, toilet that rocks whenever it's sat on, etc. the tenant will get the feeling that the landlord doesn't give a hoot either. And so if a couple of beers get spilled without being cleaned up or a hole gets punched in the walls etc., you can pretty much bet they're thinking so what, who cares?
Who said the place was shabby?
I love public opinion.
You ever listen to a sports show and listen to all the opinions and then watch the game they talked about ? Most of the time they knew less than my weather man.
Im not geting on you honest .
My RE agent wants to show me junk to buy as rentals .
Others tell me deals I should buy and they are dumps .
Ill let you in on a secret. Thats not where the money is made .
You buy the best house you can buy to get the best rent . You keep the house renting it hoping it goes up in value so when the renter pays for it you have great value in appreciation. In that respect a good house costs way less than a dump. We arent paying for either one but we are baby sitters.
I would live in any rental I have also. Refer to Larrys post . We dont have junk.
While the little house would be too small I would be proud living there . Nicotine goes away with good paint and soap. Thats a minor condition. The outside is drop dead good lookin. Very sharp place that draws top money.
Junk draws junk you are correct and theres no money in it either.
Tim
You buy the best house you can buy to get the best rent .
Tim, this is so true in everything we do. I buy and occasionally sell an antique or two. I used to always go after that bargain table or chair with the broken leg or missing drawer or.......... that needs complete redo. They sit around and never get taken care of or you spend way to much time on it and don't make shid for profit.
I worked with a pretty reputable antique dealer, one who buys and sells pieces in the ten's of thousands of dollars regularly, he always told me, "quit going to those sells and coming home with a truck load of damaged goods, just buy the best piece out there, even if its just one item, You'll always have something of quality which will always sell." "Good is always good!" Took me a while to realize that but I finally got it - and practice it.
Doug
Took me a while to realize Im not the one paying for a rental. Thats a key bit of information. Ive never ever paid for a rental. In every case the renters have paid for it . I just manage it and make payments to the bank off their deposits.
As long as the numbers work it doesnt matter how much it costs. But like you buying a piece to sell , if the percentage is there then the higher dollar stuff brings in more money. So its possibe to make more on a deal or a single renter.
The real value is in the future. DW for some reason ordered some books as a set to learning what we already do. Its a course and she wanted to take it . She showed me a video. It was his students in the sucess modes. In every case I nailed the success because it was really the same thing over and over .
I bought this house for 35,000 and sold it for 75,000 , lotta da .
Then they would say I paid 45 grand for this one and Im getting 700 per month. Im getting 200 per month clear profit .
Stop the tape , thats what Im doing .
I paid 32 grand and Im getting 500 per month . Its worth 75 grand right now but wait ! I bought it 15 years ago. Key bit of information right there. Its paid for but I didnt do it . The renters paid for it . Its never had a month being unrented except the first month I owned it while I was fixing it . I invested 3 grand when I bought it of my own money and two weeks work daylight till dark kinda work. Thats it .
The other key to it was it is a brick home in a good hood. Pretty nice house for the hood . One of the best in it . Its got the best lot in the addition . Its a large lot and tree shaded. Chain link fence for children but I dont allow dogs. Yard looks nice and shows well from the street. Thats made it desirable all these years.
The best part to me other than solid rents is that its low maintenence. . Brick, six inch walls , drywall, double pane windows, etc. Its cheap to operate which helps rent over older houses that leak air.
If I would have bought a dump with that three grand , theres no telling how much more money I would have spent and rents lost.
tim,let me pitch the pet thing at ya.
you talk like you have a real stong market right now and if you do and don't want pets thats great if there are enough renters without pets.
we found about 15 years ago that we were passing on good people with a dog or cat and ending up taking someone who was not as good or they would have 3 kids,which can be worse than a dog.
so we started taking a pet deposit,250.00 non refundable deposit per pet. it has worked pretty well. now i know what your thinking 250 won't fix nothing and your right,but what this deposit does is weed out the people that went down to the local pound ,got a dog and don't really pay much attention to it. they are not going to pay 250.00 for a dog they got for 25.00.
but the people that really think alot of their dog will pay this in a flash,because rover is part of the family.since we started doing this we have had one place hurt with a dog,they moved in without one,got a puppy,of course didn't tell us and you know the rest of the story.
now i should say we will not take on a puppy,any less than a year or 2 old,no way .
i would venture to say we have probably collected 10k in deposits doing this and to tell you the truth around here if you say no pets,you have elimanated at least 75% of the renters out there.it bogles my mind at what people are thinking as renters,go get a puppy then try and find a place to live.......
just something to toss around if you have someone that looks good ,but has a pet. larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Larry, I was in Sears at Town West tonite and they had a $300 natural gas water heater for $200. Pretty good price for a 40 gal water heater I apologize to OP for thread drift.
Thanks for the insight.
This is somthing Ive thought over a lot .
Ive been hurt the worst on outside dogs . They have done a lot of damage outside and inside . When the place was rented I allowed an outside dog but Rover did his share of sleeping in. One such time they left Rover in and went to the store . He didnt like that and tore out the front room of carpet starting at the front door. The house was only 6 yrs old and of course the carpet matched . I had to re carpet the whole house to get top rent again.
That left me pretty sour along with all the back doors and yards Ive repaired.
I finally said I dont rent to dogs inside or outside.
Ive been doing that for about 5 years now.
It has worked out fine because of demand. I still have somthing they cant go out and get somewhere else .
My style is to rent a very sharp house . Thats my calling card with agents. Biggest reason I should have painted and cleaned that small house . When someone asks for a nice "house" to rent Im the guy in a town of 8,000. You can rent houses but most of the time they are not select. When I do have one I dont have any problem in a show down with whats out there .
So no dogs goes with what Im doing . The reason I did what I did above is because I do the work and that has been my niche. Most people that have a house for rent dont work on it . I normally pull in a tool trailer after every renter leaves. It has a little of everything in it and has been a wise decision. Ive got a pretty good stock of things I normally fix like switches and comode flappers. Good supply of screws to repair fixtures ,faucet repair parts, wax rings , caulking, etc. . Vacumns , cleaners ,drop cloths, etc. Im rigged like a framer rigs a tool trailer only that stuff you and I use are on it .
I had to have a way to keep up those rentals in top shape with minimal time . For years I spent a good portion of my working hours at a hardware store looking for the same thngs over and over .
Dogs are counter productive to what Im trying to do. I often dont keep renters over a year because my rentals are expensive . They can always get a cheaper house and I know it . Ill evict at the drop of a hat if things arent going my way. So I have a lot of change overs . That has to be done in minimal time .
There are renters who make good money and want a nice place to stay that end up paying the premium. Those have been the heart of the business Ill admit . If everyone moved every year Id be sunk. I take care of those people the best I can and have allowed them some pets. Seems to always cost money though. Then again if they stay 5 years I can see your point very well.
Ive been thinking about no smoking .
Tim
Larry, I bought a ryobi circular saw at home depot yesterday for $36Regular price is $49 and they come with five free saw blades.Seems like a pretty good dealhttp://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100618269
sounds good,the blades are worth the 35.00,so that makes the saw a freebie.i went on a saw buying spree about 3 years ago,must of been some sort of virus i had [lol] i think i have 5-6 circular saws,one still hasn't been out of the box yet.
were selling the house where the shooting was today.i'm doing a 1031,i have found 1 property in arkansas,but still looking for a second,this is a long shot but if you see something along this line let me know,looking for a bigtime fixer upper,maybe a fire job something like that. need to be in the 15-20k range.
i found one i think a guy could buy for 5k 2bdr,basement ,brick house,but the problem is the basement has been pinned and i hate to start with a iffy foundation.so we'll keep looking,if i have to pay taxes on the 15 no biggie but would just as soon do something with it. thanks for the saw alert larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Larry I don't know of anythingMy sources are:MLS bank owned homesHUD homesBuying "wholesale" from HomeVestersBuying "wholesale" from another Realtor - Investor who somehow got my name and is sending me emails periodically.I'll review the above sometime later today or tomorrow and let you know if I see anything of interest but I really doubt there will be anything to get excited about.
Larry Ive got the same problem. I need to buy for a job.
How do you do it ? My sources are dry at present . Ive looked at every repo with out leaving town and I cant make any of them work. Theres a burn house but its total. Nice lot and utilities are there but I was hoping to do less .
Tim
tim,you know how it is,when your thristy,theres not a drop of water nowhere. i've seen you talk about "falling into deals" and thats what it takes and i don't know how to make it happen. like i've said before i don't have much luck with repos,so thats never been a good supply for me,if i'm out looking ,i look at anything that sounds like it's somewhere in the market for me. but when i here the word estate house my ears pick up a little. if you can find a family that just wants loose from moms old house and they don't have to deal with the gold carpet and wallpaper just pick up a check at closing ,i have made some good deals that way and also bought some really good solid homes.
i ran a ad on craigslist in the rogers ar area looking for a lakefront lot on beaver lake and was surprised at the response i got. one was even a estate deal that they wanted to get sold to finish out the will,i had already bought something or i would of been interested. anyway i can't remember if your by fort smith or little rock but you might give craigslist a shot,doesnt cost anything and you might turn up someone that wants gone from their house. my ad i ran under real estate for sale even though i was looking to buy.
good luck,one morning you'll wake up and hear about 3 good deals that day and wonder how to buy them all...........feast or famine larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Ill try it , thanks .
Larry, I ran a search and the lowest priced home for sale in Wichita is
1701 N Grove priced at $6,000They are calling it a ranch style home, 900 ft, 2 bedroom, and built in 1935. The next house on the list is priced at $6,500 and it has been in a fire. It's at 511 N Ash in NE Wichita and it's a 3 bed built in 1920. No other info on that one.On the West Side, the lowest priced home is $89 K and it's on Jennie.There may be some other opportunities in W Wichita but you're talking about paying 90 + for something and trying to make that work (if you buy something listed in MLS)On a side note, in the past few months, I watched Graham Realty fix up a house close to mine and put it on the market and sell it in less than a week.The house had never been on the market when Graham bought it to fix it up. Must have bought it through word of mouth, estate sale, or some kind of mass mailing program.Another thing, I watched an investor pay $95 for a bank repo about 3 blocks from me.I said to myself "they will never make any money on that house"They fixed it up and put it on the market for $139,000 !!!!And it went under contract in less than a week but has not sold yet so I don't know what it actually sold for.Sorry I don't have any hot leads for you.Good luck!
was that 95k house the one over by the saturn dealership that sold a couple months ago?that one was pretty rough.
but he who laughs last gets the best laugh.........
i stopped by a auction today over in riverside about 5 minutes before it sold,thing was i was last bidder! so much for mulling over the idea. so i'm clear out of the market now.
not real proud of what i gave but we have a couple in riverside and college hill and people go nuts over the old house,quaint neighborhood stuff,so i paid way to much for a good buy. it's a 2bdrm 1400sf,real nice on the outside but inside it's old people decor.orange carpet the whole deal. gave 82k for it,blows my mind to give that for a 90 year old house.
so i had 15k to spend so now it's out to the loan sharks and see whats out there. didn't you check around here a while back and find someone that would loan on rentals? do you mind sharing info, i haven't pulled a loan out for a rental for probably 7-9 years so i'm pretty rusty at it. larry,one more good buy and i'm broke :]if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Larry, the investor I work with maxed out at 10 loans and then we couldn't do anything because Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Country Wide, etc limit you to 10.So I stumbled upon a guy named Eric Walsten at Credit Union of America on West Douglas (east of Seneca) and she bought several more through him and the reason she was able to do it was because they were going to "keep the loans" at CU of AHis number is 265-3272 X 174 The last time I talked to him was in DecAre you in a situation where you now have 30 days from today to get your money together and close the deal?You'll need to get a termite inspection done if you're going to finance it.We've been using "Arrest a Pest" at 945-8400Sounds like you bought a house in a nice area and you'll have your phone ringing off the hook with people wanting to rent it.
Good morning Tim,
If you were going to have the exterior of the rental house painted, wouldn't you give your tennants more than 2 hours notice?
Also, it would make sense to repair/replace the trim that was damaged (because he didn't finish the downspouts with elbows at the bottom) first.
He's generally welcome to stop by any day, unannounced. We keep the house and yard spotless.Your opinion?
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
Yes I think they should with no excuses.
The very best way ro treat a renter is respect the place as their home . Thats what it is after all. Its very important .
Tim
As well, all renters should also treat the rental as if they owned it, which is what we do.
(Lol, just realized what I just said. Let me add, well, maybe not in all cases...)
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
Well, the "Painters" came.
It was the landlord's son and his friend.
His friend fell off his ladder through our metal gazebo bending it in three places and dumping 5 plants and dirt on the patio.No caulking at all.Just paint the field, then just paint the "face" of all the trim.
Well...afterall...it's not our house...
.
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
Just move.
Contribute somthing that is useful, please!
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
Fishy, it's not about you here.
It's about him. And the fact that he was pushed into an investment (from his buddies, a magazine, bad experience with a stock, something) into real estate a few years back when real estate was getting hot. And he bought too late and/or didn't get around to selling soon enuff.
Just like his other pizz poor investments, he didn't do his homework. And now, he realizes he doesn't like the responsibilities.
You're not gonna change him, only get him more pizzed at his mistake. And he's wallowing in self pity (again) not realizing the good you've done.
If you're on a beautiful cliff overlooking the ocean or mountains, I'd suggest you keep quiet and put up with things. Otherwise, either you moving or his selling will be the ultimate end to the relationship.
Something tells me with him sending over these workers, it's the latter upcoming.
Methinks he wants to dump this bad investment and get into a nice stock when things are low.
After 20 years of listening to people's great ideas of how they were gonna make money or some version thereof, I've seen and heard it a hunnert times.
On the positive side, I expect things will turn more into a buyers market after the election. Such a change of personnel up top always reflects on the mood of the investment community. Maybe it's an opportunity for you?
Edited 9/5/2008 9:01 am by peteshlagor
One can debate philosophy, cite law, plead common sense ... until the cows come home, and one fact remains: Are you ready to vote with your feet? Any contract, any deal, only matters to the extent that both parties are dealing in good faith, and the deal benefits everyone involved. An example might be my place .... it has a split foundation, pre-dates WW2, and is just plain tired. Do you really think any real effort or serious money will ever be put into it? Not until the bulldozer is finished. Until then, all I do is help pay off the mortgage, keep the owner from going broke, and keep the riff-raff at bay. Yet, for the time being, it serves my purposes quite well. While rented at "market rate," inflation and my long tenure has resulted in my having a bargain today. If I wanted something different ... I'd move. Period. Heck, I'd live out of my truck, or a storage locker, if I had to. I've done both - and worse. It comes down to another maxim: if you want something done right, do it yourself. An example of this principle is the way rentals are insulated. If the tenant is paying the heating bill, there's no reason for the owner to replace windows, insulate, or have efficient equipment. Rather, he'll use whatever is cheapest to purchase and install. Which, again, highlights the differences between renting and owning. Spare me the cant about 'treating it like you own it!' To properly insulate my place would require, probably, 20 years for the savings in utility bills to pay it off. What are the odds I'll rent - I'm renting month-to-month - it for that long? Why should I subsidize either the next tenant, or increase the owners' profit when he sells?
I just think we should get more than 2 hours notice when they are going to paint the exterior of the house.
Even though I usually get up at 4am, I still don't appreciate the phone ringing at 6am.
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
ok,you addressed it to tim but i gotta jump in. he's painting the house at no cost to you,not many homeowners get that deal. so your inconvenacne by his timing,oh well.
all these things you talk about,his garden area,it's his to do what he wants he owns it.it was there when you moved in.
he don't want to scrape the paint and caulk and do a great job,your not paying him are ya.it's his choice of the quality of job that gets done.
bottom line you have the power to move,find a better place at a cheaper price.
sorry for the attitude but i've been getting whiney az renters for the past 2 months. i shut them all up 4 days ago,raised there rent 75.00 a month,they will either quit whining or move,it don't matter to me. larry,one grouchy landlord!if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Your impression of who our landlord is, is completely different from the type of landlord that you are.
He is not a hands-on-kinda-guy like you seem to be. He's a computer tech guy for a large pharamacy.
We respect this house as though it is our own.
Therefore, when we see "issues" we feel responsible to make them known to the landlord. Hell, it's HIS property...wouldn't ya think he would want to keep it up?
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
i'm in a better mood today,so i'll go easier. it's hard for a renter to understand why i own property.there can be lots of reasons.1. i want it to make me money every month 2. i look for long term apperciation 3 i inherited it and really have no intrest in it,just don't know what else to do.4 i watched tv and decided it was a way to get rich,but it only makes the payment and i don't have any money to put into it,5 it was my house and i couldn't sell it [this is the toughest] 6 maybe i wanted a garden and bought this so i could split the lot and do it,7 i make so much money as a pharmist that i need a tax write off. on and on.
i'm in it for 1,this is what buys my food for dinner. so i have to try and get it to make a profit and as simple as it sounds that means i spend less on it than i bring in.sometimes thats tuff.
maybe i have a house making 150 a month clear,boom the air goes down,thats 2500.that means i don't even get to buy a 1.00 mcdonald hamburger 18 months. now you as a renter call at month 9,"hey i've got a great idea,if you buy the materials i will put up a retaining wall". now this would help the value of the house in your eyes [and mine too] but when i say no i don't want to do that,as a renter you get ticked off "that cheapaz landlord all he wants is my rent,i pay him a 1000 a month and he won't even buy 800.00 in materials!"
now on the postive side of being a landlord,that air should last 12-20 years so after the payoff on it i'm back into the black,but it's been 18 months with zero income and i'm sure you know ,something else is right around the corner.
it's a tough bussiness,i wish all my renters felt that "it was there house "and took care of it that way,your landlord is lucky to have someone with that attitude,but understand his view of this property is a lot different from yours.
larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Edited 9/5/2008 8:53 am by alwaysoverbudget
Looks good.My saw is a 35 year old Black and Decker. Monstrous start up. And has a wobble in the arbor. Can't get a clean cut, no matter what I do.Those blades, do they have carbide tips, or are they just plain blades ?
Politics: the blind insulting the blind.
Click here for access to the Woodshed Tavern
It comes with six bladesFive are carbide tipped.Blades are 7 1/4 DiaThree are 24 toothOne is 40 toothOne is 16 toothThe non carbide blade is a 24 tooth is just called "combination circular saw blade"Probably more than what you wanted to know ! lolThe blades are labeled "Ryobi"I bought my last circular saw at Walmart about 10 years ago.For the past several years I would pull the trigger and nothing would happen.You just have to be patient with it and keep squeezing the trigger and eventually it would take off and run until it got tired and then it would shut it self off.
Perfect info.Thank you.I just hope they still have them that way, in 2 and a half weeks.
Politics: the blind insulting the blind.
Click here for access to the Woodshed Tavern
I finally caulked under all the exterior doors, since everytime we got some heavy rain, it would flood. Yep, earthworms in my livingroom.
It's just another item that I had mentioned to him, and yet he did nothing about it.
It just kills me. Wouldn't you think he would want to protect his investment?
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
seems like everyone here thinks i'm complaining about tenants,i'm not sure how that happened,but let me give a quick overview.
if my house caught on fire right now i would move into any rental i own,except for 2.the reason i wouldn't move into them is they sit on a busy street and i have been there done that,not again,but the houses are clean enough that wouldn't be the problem.now thats not to say that i would prefer living in the ones that rent for a 1000. a month over the ones that rent for 575. the more money the bigger and nicer they are. but they all are in good repair and very presentable.i probably get in the top 25% for rent ,so the market confirms that also.
my tenants,
in 30 years and i have no idea how many renters,i have never had a tenant tear the hail out of a house,now i have had some tear up some stuff,but never kick walls in,become the local meth dealership,none of that. i have had more than a few that i was glad to see leave and i have had alot that i hated to see leave.most of my tenants are going to go from my rental to the next step of buying a home. i would guess that if they are a good renter that 80% have bought a home when they leave my house.thats the people i'm looking for to rent a home to.
now if you have a old run down house that hasn't had carpet or paint for 15 years,siding needs painting,roof leaks,there is not a way in hel that your going to get a good renter,maybe a meth dealer but not a good renter.
now to get back to the orig post, if as a landlord i run over there and fix all the things that were mentioned ,let me assure you they would have another list for me next week.it's my job to determine what's relevant and what's foo foo and maintain the property.
this is a business just like mike smiths business,he does great work for a amount of money that lets him make a profit and buy his kid a bike. he's not working for free just so he can post great pictures here on bt.same with me i have to make money on a property or i can't own it.
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Edited 4/1/2008 8:42 pm by alwaysoverbudget
"Well it's not such a worthless piece of paper now is it? Depending on which side of the fence you're on."
Its pretty worthless for us .
Where is Mooney when we need him?
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
i'm afraid tim is going to come at you twice as hard as i did.lol larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
>>i'm afraid tim is going to come at you twice as hard as i did.lol larry <<
Heck, we keep the place spotless, though. Absolutely Pristine.
Our landlord comes and mows the yard out front, as it is included in our rent. Yet, he doesn't seem to understand what is going wrong with this house.
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
that is something that is very important to me ,that someone is taking care of the house and paying the rent on time.
i have a tennant that does all that ,great renter,calls last week,when they moved in it was a brand new kitchen,cabinets,tops,flooring etc. they call last week and want me to spend a 125.00 on some "country stlye knobs". sounds resonable to them,but thats a a 125.00 out of my pocket and the next people will move in and say"can we get you replace these little flower dasiy handles for brass?" so i have to find a middle of the road solution,i probably pick them up some 1.00 a pc brass ones on ebay.not what they want,but.............
oh and he completely understands whats going on with the house. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Edited 3/30/2008 10:29 pm by alwaysoverbudget
Need some knobs I have a kitchens worth in my garage little plain brass ones.Wallyo
Edited 3/31/2008 1:06 am ET by wallyo
budda-budda-budda-bump
Get a Peach full,
easy feelin'.
Dear Tenant,
Sorry for the delay of this reply. We received your list of concerns and had no idea there was 3" of water in the kitchen. We have spoken with our attorney and he has advised us of the following:
Re Fishrites rental unit
Was not aware of the water feature, advise client (landlord) to raise rent $25/ month for this added feature. As far as the unauthorized repairs (done by tenant) we advise a $50/ unauthorized repair penalty.
Edited 3/31/2008 10:14 am ET by MSA1
We now understand the underlying foundation of real estate rental investing:
"Disrespect your customer. "
I've rented a few times. With the same results. I can't believe how inconsiderate someone can be when they replace the broken dishwasher with the loudest, cheepest thing at the low budget appliance store. How how put off they are when the ABS waste stacks fall apart because the wrong glue was originally used 30 years before.
Therefore, I believe that being a landlord requires 1, a complete lack of compassion towards the customer paying, 2, an bitter, entitlist, selfish personality, 3, most likely, someone whom has a difficult time getting along with others in the real business world.
At least that's been my experience...
Let the flames begin...
Okay I have to sound off here.
I've been a renter more than a few times. And from a tenants point of view I think the rule, "you get what you pay for" is more true in real estate than anywhere else. A survey of average rents for a given amount of space in a given locale will give you a fair idea of the median price range. Go lower than that and you can usually expect bad or old paint on the walls, smelly carpet, damp basements, mold, etc. and usually poor service from the landlord. The next level up is the median range and like the category implies you'll usually gey mediocre service. Pay the big bucks and you're living the highlife and can expect the royal treatment. I've lived in all three price ranges and I can tell you landlords that perpetually deal in property at the low end of the scale get their skin thickened just as you mention. And it only takes a few times for a bad attitude to develop, tenants kicking in doors, spilling beer all over the place, etc. and pretty soon the service calls get far and few between. Sure you and I may be different but the tenants that rent before or after us might not have been so considerate.
my wife saw this post,i had to sit on her ,told her we couldn't use profanity on this site.
"disrespect your customer" .
lets see when the customer pays late,doesn't pay at all, gets a puppy because "he's so cute",works on there motorcycle in the living room,decided they wanted the bedroom bright orange,and the natural oak trim would look good green,YOU BETCHA I DON'T HAVE NO FRIGGIN RESPECT.
I have no compassion for my renters and their siltations most of the time,why ?because they brought them on themselves.example just yesterday one brings me a check for rent [2 days early]! can i hold the check for 10 days? why ?well i bought tickets for myself and mother and brother to fly over to Europe [3300.],we leave tomorrow so i'm short on money. why do i have to wait on my money so you can go on vacation?i'll bet when it's time for me to go and i call and ask him to pay 10 days ahead of time so i'll have the money ,i'll know what the answer is.
you can become pretty bitter in this business,i've hit 30 years and i'm not quite there yet,but another 10 and i will be one bitter sob.
how does getting along with other business people come into this equation?
this friday when your paycheck is due and the boss tells you he can't pay you cause his wife needed a new car,i hope you don't come on here all bitter and whining about not getting paid,that your compassonite that the wife has her new car and you were glad to help out. same thing.
larry,a cold hearted,bitter landlord that doesn't play well with other bussiness owners,yea thats me.
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Edited 3/31/2008 10:53 pm by alwaysoverbudget
Edited 3/31/2008 10:54 pm by alwaysoverbudget
What about the LL giving approval for a dog since the back yard was already fenced in? The dog being a shepard.
And several months down the road, the neighbor asks about fixing the fence, since the dog was there and he had a coupla preschool kids.
When the LL was asked about the fence repair, she insisted none be done. Note: she had given prior approval to the dog. Now she is not willing to mitigate potential liability by bringing the property up to reasonable condition?
Or the basement smelling ever since moving in? Wet from time to time by the waste stack. Only after several months when coincidentally being in the basement when someone else was pinching a loaf upstairs could one tell the waste stack was seperating under load and spilling out on the basement floor.
I'll grant you that there are some pretty low forms of life in rentals. But it's that broad brush that you paint everyone with that creates many of your own problems.
broad brush,your the one that called us bitter ,uncompassionate,etc.thats about as wide a stroke as you can take.
so you move into my house without a dog,you look at the backyard and the fence is pretty lousy,but you make the decision that you want a dog.
so you call me,i think well they have paid their rent on time,mowed the yard ,seem like pretty good tenants,even though i don't usually take a dog i make a exception.
so you get a Shepard [just so you know farmers ins will cancel me if a tenant has a Shepard] not a little non threating small dog ,and the kids next door are now in danger and your right my liability exposure has went way up.
do you not see how you have created the problem? either you should fix the fence yourself,because rest assured you will be sued also,or i will spend MY MONEY and fix the fence then raise your rent by 35.00 a month to recoup the cost in the next 7 months , at that time your lease runs out. why should i be out money so you can have a dog?i like to eat also.
call me on sewer gas getting in a house,i'll be there within 4 hours,that's my problem.
larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
My mother is 80. The only time in the past twenty years I can remember her happy was the year she rented. She spent her whole time picking on the landlord. When she owns, she has only herself to make miserable.
I'm not a seasoned landlord by any means, but we live in one half of a duplex that we own.Last tenant scrawled nasty messages to me all over the walls before he left, and put trash everywhere. And in the interim, made my life miserable. Now that he's gone, I can't believe I put up with that maniac for any length of time. I feel sorry for each and every landlord who rents to that guy. I highly doubt that he'll ever get his act together enough to buy a house.Anyways, it's taken away the desire to accumulate rental properties. We have dream tenants right now! They don't come along often enough.
nothing tougher than living next door to your tenants.i've done it and don't envy you a bit.
i had a message written one time ,i just grinned and thought "buddy you'll go through life being the "tough guy" and never have anything,good luck and good riddance.
all you can do is wait for the phone to ring for a reference! larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
I kind of take offense to that. I have 6 units and I put in brand new dishwashers. Yes they are cheaper unit but they are there. What wrong with entry level amenities?
As far as my in wall stuff. I'd be surprised if most put half of what I do in the walls. SOP: New electric, plumbing, furnace, and new insulation.
A good dishwasher doesnt mean much if the house burns down. I'd rather have a safe tenant washing dishes by hand then burned to death.
As it turns out I try to keep them safe and have a dishwasher. Entry level dishwasher, but a dishwasher none the less.
Edited 4/3/2008 4:45 pm ET by MSA1
As someone who rented for many years from several landlords, I thought I'd take a stab at your letter.
"Please make sure the sprinkler system is working. I have been having to hand-water half of the front yard. I can deal with that."
Don't. It isn't your place to handwater his/her grass. Let it die. Don't bother to tell him/her, because they will find out when they come to mow. You are a RENTER.
"When your property management company sends their plumbers, please have them arrive before 6:30pm and tell them also not to flood my kitchen floor with 3 inches of water. I am pretty sure there is damage under there. Squeeks when I step near the dishwasher...well, go figure..."
Owners of rentals have no more control over when plumbers arrive than owners of primary residences. Plumbers come when they want to, they leave when they want to, and they have no compunction about leaving the plumbing turned off overnight, even if there is an infant in the house. Also, I'm pretty certain the plumber didn't flood the floor intentionally, unless you made a snide comment about his crack.
"We still have a huge mold issue in our master bath. It has seeped under the floor, and creeped up the wall. Can you please take care of that?"
Is this caused by a problem in the bath or because you take hot showers without turning on the fan? How do you know it is under the floor? Mold is serious and could impact your health. You can break the contract and move out for that.
"You had your son install the gutters, finally. He negleted to put shoots on the downspouts. I did mention this to you, yet you have not done anything about it. Like I said, it's eroding the patio and sidewalk out front"
Why do you care? Is it a safety issue? Is it causing the mold? Otherwise, leave it alone.
"As well, I tried to tell you that you need to take care of your outside trim work and siding..."
No s/he doesn't. This is a cosmetic issue. I don't know how long you have rented from this guy, but my memory tells me it has been less than 5 years since your initial post about the funny smell (that was you, right?). The house hasn't changed that much since you moved in, so you accepted the condition of the outside as it was.
"We pay you $1500 per month, and have made many improvements to your property. "
Depends on where you live as to whether $1500 is a lot of money or not. In some areas of the country that is a pittance, especially for a house. Also, Improvements are a relative term. I once took the exceptionally ugly chair mold strip of "baby boy" wall paper down from a bedroom. It improved the room immensely. The landlord wasn't happy. I saw your list of "improvements" in another post and if I owned the place I wouldn't be happy with you. Did you leave drips when you painted the sills? Did you get the paint from the owner so he knows the quality of it? Did you stop to consider that now he will have to sod the back yard when he rips out all of your plantings? With few exceptions, renters don't really want to rent a place that they have to spend hours a week weeding and keeping up.
Remember that you are renting. Quit trying to make the place better with permanent fixes and just live with it the way it is. Unless your health, safety, or comfort are impacted, the change just isn't necessary. My landlords were happy to only hear from me when I paid the rent. Except when the air conditioner died, the water heater spewed gas into the apartment, and a river flowed into the basement that was the case for all of the years that I rented. Oh, yeah, and the time black sludge came shooting three feet into the air from the kitchen sink. I called on that one too. Yuck.
Yikes!
DW and I are and have been renters, landlords, and property managers. I've seen bad behavior and overblown claims from both sides.
I'll offer you these thoughts:
Ignore the things that are not your business. You may live there, but you don't know the owners plan for the property or their cash flow situation.
Regarding your improvements: Are they things which make the place fit your personal preferences better, or are they things which actually increase the value of the property? Are you sure you know the difference?
Are you familiar with the laws of your State regarding the landlord/tenant relationship? This stuff is usually a matter of law, not personal opinion.
Want to sound dumb to your landlord? Complain about things that aren't your business and aren't covered by law.
Want to get the things done that really matter to you? Know your legal position, ask nicely (honey catches more flies than vinegar!), and be sure that you aren't taking out your frustrations with your own situation on the person who happens to own the house you live in.
How long is your lease? If you owned the property and knew that your tenant was likely to leave soon, would you get all excited about doing things that tenant wanted?
Hey! That was kinda fun. I usually only get to chew out the owners!
< G >
"Are they things which make the place fit your personal preferences better, or are they things which actually increase the value of the property?"Both.1. Toilet began leaking around base. Replacing the wax ring ourselves is easier than dealing with the crappy property management company, and we know how to do this (DH is retired GC). After he pulled the (really cheap) toilet, he decides he hates it and replaces it with a better one. No charge to landlord at all.2. We built a patio cover on the back of the house with his permission. (About 120 degrees of sunshine during the summer out there.) We shared the cost (He paid the bulk of the materials as he had wanted one there anyway), and we supplied all the labor.3. The garden. Kind of an interesting situation. The lots on either side are super deep. Landlord is a gardener too, so when he built the house, he gave it a not-so-big backyard and made a huge garden space out in the back 40 for himself. He put in a double fence forming a "hallway" between the yards for access. Anyway, when we moved in, the backyard was nothing but that horrid alligator bark, four scrawny trees and concrete patio. Anyway, he was kind enough to encourage us to put in any garden and landscaping we wanted, so we have built several redwood raised beds (oooo, pretty!). This past summer his garden is nothing but weeds as he has been too busy at work (we've been sharing our tomatoes with him when he comes to mow the front lawn...lol)4. We (with his permission) re-did all of the bedroom closets to make them more functional (some shelves, double-hang space, etc.) at our own expense. Well built, but we built it so it would not be hard to dis-mantle if he chose to do so later on.5. Last year our water was off for 3 days (Pretty sure there is a law involved there). I called the property management company at least 10 times per day, and only got their voicemail. When they finally got back to me on day 2 they said our landlord was out of town and that they couldn't do anything about it. YIKES! DH told them that if they didn't get the water back on, we would call 911.
They finally sent out a plumber who discovered our water cutoff was buried 2 inches under dirt in a raised bed the landlord built. Apparently, he had been working on the sprinkler system, uncovered it thinking that it was the cutoff for just the sprinkler system and turned it off until he could get back to finish his work. Then he had re-buried it, which is why it took the plumber so long to find it when he came out (and why we couldn't find it either!)Anyway, DH dug it out and set an 8 inch PVC collar around it so's it could be found now. Well, duh. (Our expense). (And thankfully, a neighbor gave us access to their hose the entire time.)I could go on here...
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
OK! Sounds like you've done some worthwhile stuff. < G >I just looked at your profile. Does it need a bit of updating or am I just confused?I used to have a pretty flippant profile, too, but found out that it really does help people you want to hear from if you provide realistic info.Your situation is tricky from the practical standpoint. About all you can do is move, IMO. and it may not be worth it.
Breaking this into separate posts to make it more readable and easier to comment on (yikes! duck!).Want to sound dumb to your landlord? Complain about things that aren't your business and aren't covered by law.How about a mold situation?
Our master bath has a huge soaking tub which we had never used. I noticed the vinyl nearby was starting to darken and it began to smell like mold. I called the property managment several times, and finally got them to send out a plumber who fixed the leak. Apparently the in-take was never hooked up properly. There is a substantial amount of mold in my side of the bath vanity and creeping up the wall near the tub.Hell! It took 6 months for the mold smell to go away, (well, that and the leftover catbox smell!)
BTW, DH crawled under the house and we ran a fan for two weeks to dry it out.No doubt that there is water damage to the subfloor. We tried to tell this to the LL. He didn't seem to care...
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
Like I said, outrageous behavior on the parts of all concerned seems to be commonplace. (not pointing at you, just that you never can tell who will prove to be the more inflated idiot when you are in the property manager position.)Good luck.