All Forum Posts by: Dawn P.

Ceiling fans are very much appreciated here in the summer, even though all my rentals have central ac. I put one in the living room and main bedroom, the basic black Harbor Breeze fans at Lowe's do the job just fine for $60 and look nice. 

Yeah, they hardly ever get cleaned but it's not that time consuming at turnovers.

Look them up on VA courts. I also Google potential tenants and check to see if they have a Facebook or other social media. People post all kinds of stuff online, I found out one of my tenants was fostering kittens (didn't bother to run that by me) and another had a huge dog that wasn't approved. 

I've been switching my boob lights over to these:

Flush mount LED

And have been really happy with them. No bulbs to mess with and you can change the integrated LED from warm to cool light, depending on your room/paint color. The oldest ones I've put in are about 4 yrs old and I've had zero problems.

Absolutely not. Next they'll be wanting a new tub, new light fixtures, etc. Nope.

That said, I do agree with the above comments that they'd look better painted, with new hardware and a nice tile backsplash. But I'd save that for the next turnover unless it's not renting as is...

I've used Apartments.com for years to collect rent with no problems. They don't charge a fee but payment takes about 5 days to hit my account. Not a big deal to me.

If it's like the ones on my houses, any decent handyman could build a little door from treated lumber. I've built a couple myself from plywood and treated 1 x 4s, couple bucks for new hinges and a latch, paint to match house. Easy project.

I put the 2 inch faux wood white plantation blinds up (from Lowes), nobody's managed to break, bend, or otherwise hurt them in the 7 years they've been up. It's a bit of an expense at first but better than someone tacking up their kid's Star Wars sheets across your window.

Five yappy, senior dogs. I'd have to pass on that one (I have a two animal limit also).

I rehabbed a house a few years ago, the owner had five small dogs and they peed everywhere. The smell burned your eyes and throat as soon as you walked in...if you decide to do it, get a very healthy pet deposit/fee and do regular inspections.

I've never paid for the premium listing on Zillow and still get plenty of traffic. I'm in a smallish market here, though, so it might be worth it if you have a lot of competition?

Had an open house for one of my rentals over the weekend, tons of interest. 

Applicant: my credit is 340 right now but I'm really working on it...

Me: no

Applicant 2: we raise pit bulls and...

Me: no

Applicant 3: I know I have three evictions but let me explain...

Me: no

Also had an "entertainer" apply with no proof of income, two evictions, something like 12 accounts in collection and several felonies to her name. 

Big fat NO.

I did have several lovely people apply who are well qualified and would be a good fit, so they weren't all losers. But, wow.