All Forum Posts by: Alyssa K.

@Greg H. Great points. A large reason we decided to not use a realtor ourselves is because the one we typically work with wanted one months rent as compensation. This was after I had already received a great deal of interest on my own. Had this agent reached out differently/from the beginning, I absolutely would have been willingly to pay him a couple hundred bucks for bringing a qualified/vetted lead my way. My background is in communication and marketing, so clarity and transparency is important to me; which is the main reason I cc’d the applicant. In retrospect, as this agent has never laid eyes on me or had a conversation with me, I worry doing so could have been perceived as disrespectful or as a slap on the wrist. Tone can be hard to convey online. I didn’t take any of your comments or suggestions offensively! As with all things, everyone has their own perspective as to what makes up best practices. I appreciate that this forum exists and is allowing me to learn and draw from multiple view points to decide which methods best suit me, and how I’d like to operate my business. Thank you!

@John Cumpton I thought it was odd myself, but being new to this didn’t want to approach the situation with ignorance if there was a standard common practice I should be aware of. It’s sounding like my gut was right on this one. Thanks so much for your time and input!

@David Barnett this property is a rental rather than for sale, but that’s a great strategy to implement when we do sell; thank you!

@Al Pat I’ve had a handful reach out that heard for lease by owner and were never heard from again. This is the first that has directly asked me (in his very first contact to me) how I was going to pay him. I’m certainly learning a lot. Thanks for your suggestions, I’ll definitely implement them!

@Greg H. Looks like you’re near my neck of the woods! This home is in Hutto. Thanks for your time and input. I’m curious, would you consider it impolite to cc an agents client to a corespondence like I did? My main objective was for transparency, especially as he was asking for compensation from me, and I wanted to ensure the client was on the same page in case being responsible for his payment would be a deal breaker for the property. If that was the case then I’d rather everyone not waste their time with the showing tomorrow. I will say I was put off by the way he reached out, as well as him expecting a commission for simply accompanying an applicant to a showing that had been coordinated without his input; but I don’t want to ever be perceived as rude or unprofessional, regardless of if I feel it’s warranted.

@Llewelyn A. Thank you, that’s very helpful to know! My only prior experience with agents and rentals is when I rented myself, prior to getting an interest in real estate investing. I never used an agent myself, and so the listing agent was always compensated by the owner. Since getting into real estate, we do live in flips. This particular property is our first to purchase that was not/is not/never was our homestead while renovating, and our first to put up for rent. Shortly after posting my original post, the agent reached out asking how I’d be paying him. Had he found a quality tenet and brought them to me already vetted, I would have been willing to pay him a “bird dog” fee; however as the first Im hearing of him is after the ball is already rolling and a showing already scheduled, I’m not included to pay him for accompanying the applicant to the showing. Thanks for your time and input!

@Christi Hawkins thanks so much for your time and insights; it’s very helpful to hear from someone with experience with chickens! I grew up around them, but never tended to them myself, and so didn’t realize how much they entailed. It sounds like if this particular tenet is new to chicken rearing, I’d be better off passing on them. My partner is all about allowing them for the eggs alone lol. We have family that supply them to us currently and they really are the best!

@Wesley W. That seems to be the consensus. The property is very rural, so we figured any tenet we got would have SOMETHING (large dog, RV storage, chickens etc) to consider. The Reno ended up completing at the worst time of year for getting it on the market, but we are prepared to hold for as long as necessary to get the right tenet. I didn’t realize chickens could be such an issue for the landlord (figured they’d cause less damage than dogs) but am now certainly leaning towards allowing these applicants to move on to greener pastures.

@Richard Lovering thanks for your insights! If allowed I’d definitely limit to 2-5. I’ve never kept chickens myself, but grew up around family/friends that did. I never remember a smell being too bad, but probably because the horses, goats, and pigs smelled worse. Do you find the smell lingers after they are gone? I don’t necessarily care if it smells while they live there since I don’t have to smell it, but if it has a way of sticking with the place that’s something to consider. Thankfully the flooring in this property is new vinyl throughout, so I would think anything tracked in could be easily cleaned.

@Amy Thatcher “cluck it” lol, love it! Great idea to ask about their plans/age of the chickens. Thank you!