All Forum Posts by: Brandon P.

Hello Wesley,

I lived at a friends house in 2021 in Reunion, right next to Celebration, and almost every home had a hot tub there. My friends were on a vacation and then decided to stay long term - since the rates were so cheap during the pandemic. Remember this is a long term rental and he was paying the bills at this time. He mentioned to me several times that using the hot tub a lot was increasingly adding to the electric bill.

All the houses in this development had access to the hot tub controls, meaning the start and stop capabilities, etc. If the heat wanted to be turned up, he did have to call a property management company, which he did several times when it was too cool. I don't know of any wi-fi controls for a hot tub.

Does it add to more possible bookings, probably yes, but the bill, especially if the spa is on all the time, which it can be when people are on vacation will add up as well.

Hello Ryan, is this a spreadsheet you made and if so, would you be willing to share it?

Thank you sir.

Hello Bart,

Since no one has answered this yet, I will give my two cents. My initial answer for this would be yes. You can use FHA for a second home, if you use that home as your primary residence. Which it sounds like you and your wife would be doing just that.

Best,

Brandon

Hello Ali,

The equal credit opportunity act and fair housing both make it illegal to discriminate for any reason when it comes to financing for a house.

Shop local for banks, as the best rates might be in your backyard.

Good luck and have fun!

Hello BP Forum,

I will be taking the Florida real estate exam next week and wanted some feedback on active brokerage's in the area. I live in Lakeland and am house hacking my first place, with plans to expand my own portfolio this year. I am looking for a real estate agency that niches to this demographic. Any recommendations would be highly valuable to me.

Thank you.

@Khaled Morad hosts a monthly meetup in Tampa. 

I would agree with @Kyle Jeppesen I also use Turbo Tenant, and I live in Florida. There is a free option, but also the paid option is so cheap, like $100 a year. It has pre built in landlord rules and laws specifically for Florida landlords and tenants, so it is a legit product that you can trust. I second the LLC ruse, it is not step number one after getting your first rental property, you can take care of that later.

Are there any websites similar to avail, turbo tenant, or rent spree that can allow you to manage rentals based not just on addresses, but rooms for a particular address? I want to manage rooms and tenants in my house hack. Probably a feature that is not the popular but I figured I would ask anyway.

Thanks!

Are there any websites similar to avail, turbo tenant, or rent spree that can allow you to manage rentals based not just on addresses, but rooms for a particular address? I want to manage rooms and tenants in my house hack. Probably a feature that is not the popular but I figured I would ask anyway.

Thanks!

My wife and I have a house under contract in Lakeland, Florida (Polk County) with no HOA. Our ideal plan was to rent out a portion of the house to long term tenants as we house hack our first deal. We are ok with the idea of doing Airbnb for a few months, but eventually want the house to be divided and to rent long term. I have been on a roller coaster ride trying to figure out all the ins and outs of ADU's and the zoning per the county codes and laws.

This house has a natural flow plan to put up a wall and section off the house for a long term tenet. All we need to do is to add a small kitchen, block the hallway off, and add an outside separate entrance. Voila finished... maybe not...

A planner in Polk county told me that only backyard ADU's are permissible, and "such structures are for occasional housing and may not be used as rental or permanent housing." in a email. This ADU as mentioned previously will not be detached, it is already part of the SFR, but still he assured me that "Dividing the home into separate dwelling units would not be permitted." I really was under the assumption that if there was no HOA, ADU's were generally permissible and allowable to rent out in this area. Also to mention, we will not be doing separate electric meters, because this could constitute as a duplex, and that would require 10 acres of land in Polk county, he told me.

From the messages I received, is long term renting allowed in Polk? Are there no other people utilizing ADU's here?

If you are familiar with Polk County in central Florida, please message me. I feel a little lost at the moment, my realtor also doesn't seem like she has the local knowledge about ADU's or long term leasing.

**When I refer to ADU I am referring to an ADU in the house, not a DADU (detached accessory dwelling unit). Nothing to the outer structure of the home will be altered. Also, below is section 206 of Polk where the planner directed me. Where does it say I can't do this?**

I really appreciate any feedback and help on this.