All Forum Posts by: Amie D.

 You’re welcome! But actually I have a different long term property manager elsewhere and I’m not involved in the selection almost at all and they are fine. I prefer it this way - if you own a lot of properties it becomes a lot of overhead. Screening and selecting good tenants is something I feel is the PM’s job and part of why I pay them.

Well, this post is quite old. Still, I find it interesting that we did not inspect in five years and these tenants had much less damage than the next ones put in by new property managers that I hired. The new Pm company was recommended to me by a couple of others in the area too. The newer tenants were only there ten months, had to be evicted, and trashed the place causing thousands in damages. There actually was an inspection done with the new tenants, but I felt the property managers didn’t show some of the worse aspects of their residence in the photos. 

The former property managers did not pick the tenants that stayed for five years. I did, working with a realtor who was doing the showings. Just goes to show how far proper screening goes. The new Pm’s were horrible and I doubt they screened at all. 

The five year tenants lost their deposit as they left the place messy and had items that needed to be hauled away, etc. The new tenants lost their deposit but it didn’t come close to paying for the damages they caused. 

@Natalie Schanne, this is a good idea, thank you! I actually avoided craigslist because in the past I had some bad experiences with it. But, it sounds like you’ve had success with the way you’ve described. I have hired hourly in the past with the contractors saying it would cost less that way. But then yes without me there it took longer and they broke things, made a mess, sometimes didn’t show and even used some of my tools when I wasn’t around. But yeah if I’m there the whole time maybe it would be ok.

What type of references or proof of work do you require before hiring them, or how do you judge they are ok before they start? Were you able to get insured contractors this way? 

I thought about filing a judgement over the tenants but decided not to because it’s highly doubtful that in the end they will be able to pay. I don’t know how the property managers thought they were suitable for the house. It WAS a nice property at one time.

Also, what is Facebook local yard sales? Is that just the yard sale site for the city of the rental, to post for help? I have used Nextdoor but it was a while ago. Thanks! 

@David Lee Hall, III that’s interesting. I read an email chain from the contractor to the realtor in which the contractor said he was going to have to go back and make a better list using a house flipping checklist he was working on. I think he’s only been in business just over a year. Maybe ok but I don’t really want to be someone’s beta project...

@John Nachtigall yes, I would rather not go there at all. But at this point I feel like I have to anyway in order to see what is really going on. If I had decent property managers from step 1, this could have all been avoided. But I don't, nor do I feel I have anyone there that I fully trust/have worked with before on similar that can give me a realistic picture of what is going on/what needs to be fixed/how much it will all cost. I am on the fence because I although feel I could get it done, I am not honestly that into doing fixes right now as I have other things going on. I think it will also depend on what bids I get.

@John Nachtigall, thanks, that's just what I was thinking, seeing what the bids are and then seeing what it would be worth for me to do it. I guess I figured since I would be at the property anyway meeting with contractors and realtors, I may as well be doing something while there anyway, rather than sitting around in a dirty house waiting for someone to show up while things need to be fixed. If this were a hugely complex/time-consuming renovation or similar that I would need to haul a bunch of my tools down there etc I probably would not jump in as I can't spare that kind of time/effort right now. But simple things here and there... maybe as a compromise I do those while there/waiting around, and leave the floors (that I don't care for doing) to someone else. Frankly, I could probably get it done this way before anyone else could even start and then it could be on the market that much sooner as well. But also I'm getting in bids today/tomorrow and if they come around the range I am guessing then I am OK with someone else doing it. 

@Joe Splitrock yeah, I just used the light fixtures as an example. Nothing is huge like repairing walls, etc. A friend was once a property manager for an apartment complex near a college. She said tenants had adjoining apartments that were attached by a door. Apparently the door wasn't enough for them because they basically ripped out the wall between the two apartments. I guess this house I have isn't so bad haha. 

I really think it does mostly need to be cleaned. I will know more tomorrow. I like to look at my properties in person each 1-2 years anyway as they aren't far apart so this is a good time anyway. And since dealing with the sale I have more insight into what is going on if I am there. 

@Account Closed, I had thought a fair price for a day's handyman would be around $50/hr. Let's say it is three day's work for 24 hours of labor so that would be around $1200. The main supplies needed would be a new door, poly for 2-3 coats for the two rooms/wood filler/painters tape, sandpaper, and misc like wood glue for the cabinet front repairs, screws, 3-4 deck boards, deck stain so let's say that all runs around $500. Add 10% to materials estimate would be $550. Let's also say he's not a floor guy so has to rent a sander for $100. That gets you to around $1850. I am not doing this with a spreadsheet right now so say I am off and make an allowance to get to ~$2Kish. I'm still not seeing $7250 or even $5048.

So I'm willing to see what the other bids say. 

@Theresa Harris, yeah, I found that off-putting to say the least. While down there I am going to interview other realtors as well. I feel kind of bad because I have worked with this realtor a long time ago to find renters and I do think that he was in his own way trying to help, but found those things weird. He may also just not have a lot of experience rehabbing properties, though he is trying to do his own air bnb thing. I have not signed a contract with him or anything of that nature. When the other realtors come in, I will see what they think/if they would change if anything. If most say they would change out the light fixtures, ok, but if no one else says that... I personally think they are OK. I am paying them commission so I want to pick the best person for the job. It's a sellers market in that area, so I do not think it to be that challenging to find a buyer right now. 

Thanks @Joe Splitrock, a cleaning company has come in to do an initial clean up after the pest control came in. The painter that is repainting does a professional job including the prep and cleanup; she painted the house just last year, which unfortunately it now has to be redone due to the bad tenants.

I have made a detailed list based on what the realtor told me and the video he made. On the bids that I am getting, I sent them the list along with the lockbox code. The bid from the realtor's contractor didn't include some things we'd said needed repaired and yet included some things the realtor didn't even discuss/agree upon with me. When I go there this weekend I may need to + - based on what I personally see. Because he also said things like the refrigerator was dirty/smelled and though it probably worked we should probably just "throw it away and get a new one." Things like this are easy to say when you are not the one writing the checks. 

I appreciated his help but it had also taken him a month to get the one bid in and I had to contact the painter to get them started after their bid and a glass company to expedite their window repair. With the slow pace and lack of other bids, I felt it was time for me to take control. Also there had been an issue with my mother's health that was preventing me being able to step in and do more, but that has mostly stabilized now. 

I want a detailed list from his contractor as to the costs but the guy is backing off. When I asked for it he said he went through and "found the mistake" and then gave the new bid again without itemizing. I am going to see what the other contractors bid. I'm put off by his $2200 "mistake" to be honest.

I did think of calling some floor contractors for the hardwood floors and having the rest to a handyman as the rest are pick list items that don't take specialized trade skills, so thanks for that suggestion. I also think a specialist would do a better job and faster, because that's all they do. Someone could say changing out a light fixture is electrical but honestly doesn't need an electrician. I'm having the painter bid the work to paint the basement floor as she has experience with floor paints too. 

@Account Closed yes that's why I told the realtor I wanted at least two other bids and wasn't satisfied when he said that's the only one he could get, end of story; yeah in my opinion it's foolish to just get one bid. I looked at thumbtack and homeadvisor but hadn't used them before. Two of the handymen I have bids from are from homeadvisor. They seem qualified so far, I'm calling references today. 

@Sam Shueh the realtor's handyman quoted me the $7250 and he works alone and said the job would take him three days. I felt like for that I should go into the handyman business. 

In fact I considered just hiring a handyman by the hour to help me get it done faster.