All Forum Posts by: David Terbeek

You could have an attorney contact them with a demand for a refund or settlement.  Of course, you have to pay the attorney so you may be throwing more money after bad if they not collectible.  Some of these small contractors are basically bankrupt day to day, taking your deposit to finish the last job.  In the end, you may need to chalk that up as a loss as others have said.  Please share contractor name!

@Thomas Wang  I sent you a PM with the info.  Good luck, hope it is a quick process.

Phil Wells, Peak Home Inspections, 

John Farmiloe, The Home Detectives,
Steve Page, Integrity Property Inspections,

PM me for email and phone numbers.

I think you are the right path and Nathan G had good ideas about a specific date.  Since the state law says you have to provide a 30 day notice we add that verbiage specifically.  "This letter is a 30 day+ notice to inform you that..."  It is probably not a make or break, just trying to make it crystal clear with no room for misinterpretation.

@Geoffrey Rucinski we have about 70 contracts with Section 8 in Cleveland. PM me, I'd be happy to help.

@Mary Paras if you are looking for a local attorney I would check with Lieberman, Dvorin and Dowd. Google them or PM me. Now the real life advice is that if it is in the name of an LLC it is not against you personally. How is the complaint/summons written? If it is against the LLC just pay the fine and assess your tenant. You should be able to pay online, no attorney needed.

However, as a Realtor I must advise you to consult an attorney.

Cleveland is also a competitive market, there are multiple bids on many of the properties.  If you hook up with a good agent you should be able to identify and acquire a property fairly easily within your time frame.  I haven't heard of anyone being outbid 30 times in this market unless they were knowingly throwing out low ball bids. 

Cleveland is a great market to get cashflow (not as familiar with Dearborn).  I am assuming with 8 bed and 4 bath this is a 4 unit property?  That means the rent per unit is under $400.  It is likely that the financials look good on paper but the actual returns may be much smaller once you consider delinquency and turnover.  Also, consider that the same hot water heater, say $1,000 is needed in a $400/mo unit as is needed in a $800/mo unit, but in once case it is 2.5x rent and the other is just over a month of rent.  I have known some local guys that do well at these low rent points but the out of state investors often struggle.
With that said, keep looking because Cleveland has a ton of opportunity - just be careful.

@Daniel Tarver
Lieberman, Dvorin and Dowd are big players in evictions.  Efficient and effective, we have used for years.  PM for contact info.

This couldn't be more true.  When we started managing in Cleveland we picked up a lot of doors in the city.  Myself and my first hire were well versed in the neighborhoods and they were easy to get - rapid door growth.  After 3 years we were picking up doors but revenue was lagging and net income was flat not to mention the owners were high touch because the properties were even more time intensive.  We cut nearly 20% of the doors (one large group of investors) and limited acquisition of low rent units.  It was magic:  doors went up, revenue went up, profit went up - litterally skyrocketed that year.  Oh, and our clients were all a lot happier so they referred their colleagues, staff was happier, etc.
I do know a few local investors that work in the city happily and profitably on their own portfolios but it is an art that is difficult to reproduce if you are buying from a distance.