All Forum Posts by: Bob H.

The chain that raises the flapper could be positioned in such a way that it catches on something inside the tank and does not always let the flapper fall back down onto the valve correctly. You might need to bend the level a little or adjust the lenght of the chain. To check, watch the flush a few times with the tank lid off.

Not the cheapest, but I like Niagara Conservation toilets from Home Depot. Only 0.8 gallons per flush, and they work fine.

If the middle tile is good, how about filling in the border with an accent tile? Painting the leveler is always going to look like something was patched up. @Scott Mac's plan looks great but might be more than you want to get into for this property.

It would be better to run 14/3 wire to the fan so you have separate hot conductors (black and red) and separate switches for the fan and its light.

Separate switches and conductors are not necessary, though, if the fan has a remote control. In that case, one hot conductor powers a transmitter in the fan canopy, and the remote has buttons for the fan, including speed, and its light.

@Genny Li Good point!

Edmond

Thanks, @Doug Spence . I do have time to work with this, but what about the idea that the listing gets stale after a brief period online, regardless of the rent amount? Based on Zillow graphs of daily views, it seems that a lot of people glance at a listing and don't return several days or a week later, even if the information changes. Do you think that's true?

I recently advertised a home in Colorado at what I thought was a reasonable rent. Not really. I was deluged by prospects, and I raised the rent by $100 after I had started advertising. Even with that, I received inquiries from more than 60 sets of people.

Next, I advertised a home in Oklahoma, and the response was similar. I raised the rent $50 after I had started advertising, and still I received more than 50 inquiries.

I leased both of these homes to people moving from out of town, neither of whom was in the house before leasing.

I am buying another property in Oklahoma next month. Making matters a bit more complicated, there are no homes for rent in the immediate area, either on Zillow or Realtor. Since I underestimated the market on the two other homes, I am thinking about having a "sneak preview" listing with the description inviting people to suggest a rent. I don't want to call it an auction, because I don't want to set a deadline and I don't want to feel obligated to rent to the person who offers the most rent, regardless of other qualifications.

Do you have any experience with this kind of listing or suggestions on how to create one?

@Bruce P., I don't think it's realistic to think you can buy a general-purpose tool set and work from there. A toolbox is a start, and of course you need the most generic tools such as a hammer, screwdrivers and pliers. Beyond that, it's best to buy what you need for specific jobs. For example, if you are doing wiring you need a wire stripper. If you are doing plumbing you need at least a couple of adjustable crescent wrenches and maybe a pipe wrench or two. If you're setting tile, you need a wet saw, and, as others here have pointed out, Harbor Freight is a good place for some of these bigger items.

In general, don't hesitate to buy the right tools as things come up, and soon enough you'll have a decent set. It's not necessary to buy the most expensive tool of each type, but don't use a screwdriver as a scraper or a pliers as a wrench.

When you get beyond a toolbox set, it's nice to put up pegboard on a garage wall so you can hang and organize most of the tools.