What's it like investing in a southern climate?

[Amy A.]

As I prepare my Maine rentals for winter - hiring a plow guy who will actually show up, finding the best deal for oil, making sure my tenants shut their storm windows, etc., I have to wonder if there's a better option.  My rentals have been good to me financially, but I wonder what you folks in the southern states have to deal with?  For example, around here it's typical for the landlord to pay for heat and there is a central boiler.  Tenants are afraid to rent if they have to pay for heat, yet they often have no concept of conservation.  However, we don't provide air conditioning and tenants often use window units and pay for their own electricity.

Here are my biggest sources of stress as a landlord in Maine:

-The plow or sand guy doesn't show up and tenants can't get to work in the morning.

-The boiler breaks down and the building could freeze, costing me thousands (I've stayed up almost all night with a newer boiler that broke down with no parts available) .

-The plow guy does a bad job and there's no room left for tenants to park.

-It's hard to find tenants who will hold a job and be respectful of their neighbors.

-Most of the buildings that are for sale are 100+ years old, with old wiring and plumbing headaches.

What do landlords in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee worry about?  Do you need regular pest treatment? Do you pay for heat and AC?  Do you have roaming gangs and have to pay a security guard, or is it easy to find good tenants in the Bible Belt?

I'm thinking of checking out some of these states for future investment.  Of course, I would find a good property management company first and then find a small complex in their area.  I've found that good management is more important than the property itself.

[Andrew Magoun]

Amy, I'm not sure if you're looking for a new plow guy, but I've been very pleased with Knight Property Services out of Westbrook. They service all of my units in Portland. Last winter one of my tenants wrote me a thank you note because when she left for work at 3am (she's a baker) she was fully expecting to have to dig out, but the driveway was already plowed and the sidewalks were already shoveled. They're also either cheaper or comparable to other plow companies I've looked at.

As for expenses that we don't have to deal with up here in the great white north (he says as it's 70+ degrees in mid October still), when I lived in the D.C. area termite control was a must.