All Forum Posts by: George Kaberlein

Seems the only way to safeguard against something like this happening with another provider would be to avoid online transactions completely, and go back to collecting cash at the doorstep.

At our rentals in Springfield MO, we typically charge a $250 non-refundable pet fee (not a deposit) and, though we've considered doing so, no additional pet rent. We do not allow cats, as our experience has been that cats can be more difficult to clean after than dogs if they are not properly cared for.

We've used erentpayment.com for several years, and have had no issues.

Since the financing issues have already been discussed, I'll remind you to check your numbers.  Be sure that income being quoted is from legitimate leases, not phantom leases to make it look better.  Are tenants real or imaginary? What are the deferred maintenance items, and not only their projected costs but also time frames (will you be spending $20k on cap ex in the next 3 months that could push you over the edge financially)?  Might be a great deal, but be careful that it's not as it seems to be.

Welcome Weston,

     I, too, am a truck driver, and also invest in real estate in the Springfield MO market. Being a truck driver, I can tell you from my experience you've got a lot of time on your hands behind the wheel.  I've used that time to listen to nearly all the podcasts (there are over 150 of them now!), and they cover all of the topics involved in real estate, and even a couple throw ideas out there from folks who aren't involved in real estate but have written books relative to time management and self improvement.  I'd suggest you download a bunch (if not all), and listen to those while you drive. It will help you narrow down ideas, maybe give you new ideas, but will be a better use of time than talking on the CB!  The last thing you want to do is just jump in blindly, thinking you've found a deal, only to find its a money pit.  Slow, steady forward progress is better than a big leap into quickstand!

Good luck in your endeavors!

We use erentpayment.com, but set it up so that the tenant has their rent taken automatically without the option of the manual process. We have found it has worked well for us, and the folks have been easy to work with.

We are in the Springfield market as well, and have always had a terrible time from December til about the end of January. One SFR we had come up at this time of the year a few years back we had to discount quite a bit to get it rented, and even then, evicted the tenant a few months into Spring. It sounds like you're doing everything right. If you'd like to PM the Craigslist ad to me, I'd be happy to see if there are any suggestions I might be able to make...I'm no expert, but certainly would be willing to give it a look.

If I heard something different, I might be looking to see if I was on the right podcast.  No change needed!

If I understand correctly, Zillow, Trulia, and others can do similar things, but they get their information from the MLS, and so, your notification from them may not be as timely as that from an agent directly. Time lost could be a deal lost.

I have seen some REO's sit on the market for over a year. Some banks seem to think that the property is going to miraculously improve over time as it sits vacant. If only that were the case, our jobs would be so much easier...offer a higher value, and just wait for the house to turn into a gem!