All Forum Posts by: Geoff Schroeder

Pole question - what type of doors do other landlords recommend when replacing old bedroom closet doors in rentals? 

I'm asking about the type of closet door. I want something rental friendly. It is a 60" closet that had bifold doors that were completely beat up from an inherited tenant. Saving them was not an option. I was waiting on her to move out so I could rehab and bring to market rent. 

I've done new bifold doors and track sliding doors but never any other types of doors for bedroom closets. I was considering barn style doors.. Obviously they are similar to the track doors but may have a better aesthetic and you could actually option the entire 60" closet vs having to use only one side at a time. One possible downside is you wouldn't be able to use hollow core doors I don't think. Then there are the outward opening hinged doors too I see in a lot of flips/new builds but they are a little pricey.. 

My issue with bifold doors is they always seem to get messed up with tenants that are rough on things. Thoughts?

Side pole question - who has had a tenant move out and leave a stripper pole behind like this tenant did? I'm sure there are landlords out there LOL. I like to keep things light hearted in this business. 

I'm in the process of merging from Apartments to TurboTenant and have had a good experience so far. I manage 23 rentals and am considering jumping to the premium tier. Do other premium users find value in the income insights feature for applications? 

Also does anyone use the premium subscription to populate leases? 

Just curious of others experiences with those features. Obviously the expedited payments will be nice and I'm sure my tenants will appreciate not having to pay the $2 fee for ACH payments. 

Has anyone used AI services to upload a photo and visualize various design features? I see there are some options out there and am curious if anybody has done so. I'm in the planning phases of a renovation and have an active renovation now. 

I am looking to learn from medium sized landlords that self manage their long term rentals. I currently own and manage 19 rental units and plan to continue growing. I've also considered getting into property management for future clients too. What have others been using successfully for accounting, maintenance work orders, listing properties, etc.?

I currently am using a cobbled together group of tools that I've pieced together over the past 5 years of so: Stessa for accounting, Apartments.com for rent collection, Turbotenant for screening, Zillow/Facebook/TurboTenant for listings, and old fashioned sticky notes for maintenance (I know, old school).. As you can see, I am all over the place.

I am also curious to hear anyone's feedback on bringing in part time help to take on some of these tasks.

So, what has worked well for all you other landlords?

@Andy Cairns I am in the same boat now. I am smaller with 19 rental units that I own and self manage. I am looking to outsource the prescreening process to confirm they meet the minimum qualifications, get basic info, and schedule a showing. 

 Thanks for the input. You are right... I've had that problem too when I've inherited tenants. 

 Got it, thanks! You echo a few friends I've asked.

I am nearing completion of a property I purchased with intentions to keep in my rental portfolio but have decided to "ring the register" to build a little cash while I see what the market does. The property is a top/bottom duplex that would be suitable for a house hacker or an investor. I plan to list it at a competitive price to move it quickly. It is a turnkey property that will show nicely and I'm considering listing at $299k. Market rent for both units rented is $2300 to $2500 total/month. Yes that isn't a 1% deal but the cap rate isn't unusual for the area; especially for turnkey. Also, each unit is separately metered for water and electric (somewhat rare in downtown Wilmington) and has W/D hookups. 

I self manage all my other properties so I am perfectly comfortable with finding a good quality tenant prior to selling. I'm debating whether to list it vacant or possibly just lease the top floor so the buyer knows that they'd have some income coming in right off the bat. That may appeal to a house hacker. Or I could rent both units to try to attract more of a turnkey investor. 

What do you think BP community? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

I'm in the exact same situation. The seller has IRS tax liens of $300k or more! I have moved on but could be able to resurrect the deal if I had a path forward. Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

Thank you! I am likely doing the same after some further digging.