All Forum Posts by: Geri May

We are looking for some expert advice! We are redoing a duplex, one side, and thought of putting granite in but ran into a $2,000 roadblock, bedroom wall had carpenter ants so we would like to cut some corners, and thinking for this rental we don't need the granite countertop. What do you all use in your remodels for kitchen countertops, we are currently considering laminate. Since it is a rental we don't feel we need to put in the granite for resale value. Any advice is appreciated! 

We are rehabbing some units in Fort Worth, our handyman is working with several clients on various properties. We are in need of a spreadsheet that he can use to track the money we give him and expenses for our unit so that he can keep it all separate. I would like a template that is simple for him to use.  Does anyone have a template?  

@Tim Herman, I corrected my home location; I now live in Boise, Idaho; however, the property is in Aledo, TX. Do you have any idea what it is there?

@Nathan G, I will connect with you, sorry I was out of town. I appreciate the help. I also doubt it was overlooked!

@Ronald Rohde, I agree, thank you!

@Tim Herman, thank you this helps me move forward. I appreciate you!

John Underwood, so am I understanding correctly; you charge the extra $50 dollars a month if they do not notify you within 30 days that they will be staying another month. If they do notify you before then rent stays the same. Thanks for your input!

My husband and I purchased a duplex, took on the two tenants that were already on a contract through the previous management company. Flew to Texas to take care of some business and begin a flip on a single-family home we just purchased and I reached out to the tenants so that we could stop by and introduce ourselves, heard dogs barking in each unit so after returning home and looking over the contract I found they should not have pets.  I am not wanting to take away someone's pet or charge them an arm and a leg, but one tenant has responded to my email and said she must have "overlooked that in the contract". She has a child and I don't want to take his pet away, but according to the contract there must be a written agreement between the landlord and tenant and we do not have this. I am reaching out for some guidance on this. We have other properties and do not allow pets.  Anyone have a pet policy I can use and do you charge for breaking the lease, it wasn't under me so my heart says no but to just collect a pet deposit and/or monthly fee. What do you all do? I love having experts weigh in and provide guidance. I don't want to be a hard ballplayer, not my style, but don't want to just let it go either. 

I appreciate your input!

Nathan G, this wording works out perfectly for what I need; thanks so much!

I am also looking for ideas on how to word in the contract utilities are included but that I have a cap on the amount, so for example they pay if excessive use.  I heard this in one of the podcasts but not sure how to work this. 

I have a tenant that just finished a year contract, we have agreed to do a month-by-month lease for a few months as she looks for a job; she is a college graduate. I would like to have her sign a month-by-month addendum keeping the same terms from her previous contract. What do you all do in this case? I appreciate the input.

I see you are an agent in the Ohio area, seems like a hot market too. We have an agent and our property manager in Dayton, he also helps us with the Cincinnati area.