Why A Good Relationship With Your Properties Neighbor Can You $$$

[Eddie T.]

Last year I purchased a property on auction.com that was a Chase Bank REO.

After closing on the house the first thing I did was go to the neighbors house and introduce myself to the homeowners next door. I noticed how well the neighbor maintained his lawn so I asked him if he would like to maintain the lawn for my new property while it was vacant. I already have a lawn company that I use for my other properties but having an extra set of eyes to watch over my property while under renovation is invaluable.... He agreed and I paid him for the lawn and asked him if he could keep an eye on the property. If my contractor left trash at the curb and the garbage truck passed and it was not picked up he would call me and let me know so that I would not get a citation, this neighbor is worth his weight in gold. After the house was renovated and the tenant moved in the relationship continued with the tenant. He now also shovels the snow for my current tenant and continues to cut the grass. Last month I purchased another sfr 2 doors down from this neighbor also as a buy and hold investment. 

At the time of purchase I inherited the existing tenant. This particular tenant is older and does not have much knowledge or ability to deal with even the smallest maintenance tasks.

Last night I received a phone call from the tenant at the new property stating that a pipe burst and their was water filling the basement. I called my contractor who handles my maintenance for me and he did not answer! I called my second contractor and he was an hour away! I then called the neighbor and asked if he could go 2 doors down and assess the problem and shut off the water to the home. 5 minutes later he called me back and said the water was now shut off and the leak has stopped. This saved me who knows how much money in damage and also gave me time to reach my contractor to fix the problem.

I now am going to send this neighbor a nice card for Father's Day and also a gift. I have several neighbors of my property's that I have good relationship with that call me if they see anything out of the ordinary happening. For you fellow landlords a little goodwill and politeness with the neighbors of your properties goes a long way.