All Forum Posts by: Greg P.

Quote from @Michael Dumler:

@Greg P., on a somewhat unrelated note, once this is all said and done, have you considered renting the ADU as an STR if your community/County allows it?

I don’t think so… honestly I’ve had great luck with  long-term tenants in ADU’s up till this point. This tenant passed all my criteria I just need modify my screening process a bit. My neighbors wouldn’t like a STR and I think my location wouldn’t warrant a strong enough nightly rate. 

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. Honestly just having a place to write this was helpful as it’s frustrating doing this on my own, so nice to have a place to get advice!

Based on the comments I plan to send a formal notice in early October notifying of ending lease January, 2025 and also offering that if they find another home in the meantime I only need two weeks notice - I really liked that suggestion.

I will also require the car removed within three weeks or towed. Has anyone towed a car as a landlord? I’m assuming towing companies have an “at the owners expense” process.

This will at least get the ball rolling and hopefully they can find some place else sooner rather than later.

Thank you, this is fantastic perspective/guidance. This will be a good opportunity to review the lease. Much of this is on me for failing to enforce the lease terms - especially around an inoperable vehicle.

Hello, would like your advice on clearing a problem I have.

I house hack a home in Texas and have a detached ADU I've rented for years. It's always been fine and worked with many tenants and never had an issue until this current one.

They are at 20 months of a 24 month lease, ending at end of January. Being close to expiration I’m going back and forth on what to do.

This tenant has just been a pain. It’s small stuff that’s compounded: first they had a non-functioning vehicle dropped at the back of the property after they totaled it. I should have put my foot down 12 months ago about removing it but I let it go. They admitted it was after a drunk driving incident, which at the time was a major red flag but I let it slide. Then there are calls about all sorts of minor stuff - and just odd behavior, like calling the gas company at midnight because they thought they smelled rotten eggs….. getting our gas shut off for a day, bringing over questionable house guests, bringing over a small dog and housing it without asking, and just overall kind of being a mess. They still manage to pay rent on time with one exception where we negotiated a late payment.

Bottom line is I’m just tired of dealing with them from the problems, erratic behavior, etc. It would be one thing if I was distant from the property but having them on my property is exhausting.

What’s the best way to deal with this, do I:

1. 1. Gut it out until the end of January with this person and either a) play more hard ball about the vehicle and other stuff b) play it softer and just gut it out with them
2. 2. Do a cash for keys deal and just try to get them out early… I’ve thought about offering that if they leave by the end of November (~60 days notice) that I’d give them November free + $500 in moving expenses and return of security deposit if left in good condition
3. 3. Look at a harder type of removal… not sure what that would look like but I’m sure would require an attorney - but suspect I may have some options given I live on the property and I’m uncomfortable with house guests + other issues

I take ownership for some of this because I let a few items slip trying to be accommodating. From all my landlord schooling I knew in my gut that wasn’t the right thing to do, so here we are.

Any advice appreciated - thanks.

Thanks.  I will look into RentRedi. 

I ended up just calling both Zillow and Apartments.com and uploading mortgage information and validating credit details with both to be able to operate on their platforms. 

Seems like they now have much tighter control over the entire ecosystem since they also manage for other subsidiaries (Hotpads, realtor.com, etc), which make it hard for an all-in-one service to manage.  Which makes sense now that they've made the markets they want to capitalize on the rental management side of it.  Not the end of the world just not the way it used to be and wondered if any experts had managed to not have to go through the bureaucratic hassle of working with the megacorps.  Doesn't look like it though and I'll just work with the multiple streams/processes.

Hey there,

Wanted to get your expertise on posting and finding qualified tenants across the various platforms (Zillow, Apartments.com, Craigslist).  I luckily haven't had to search for a tenant in three years, but need to find one now.  I'm shocked at how fragmented and frustrating the posting process is now.  It seems like Zillow, Apartments.Com, etc. have made it really hard to cross-post and are trying to drive you to use their platform as a single solution.

I used to use Cozy.com and LOVED it.  Unfortunately they closed up shop, and I am now trying to use "Avail", but their posting process is clunky and missing some settings during the listing process. 

Now I am trying to list on Zillow, Apartments.com manually, but they almost all want a monthly fee or want you to sign up for their tenant management platform, which I don't want to do. Plus, Zillow is requiring that I submit documentation on my own property to even start the listing process.  I wasn't anticipating the delay in postings due to having to navigate multiple company structures, which is frustrating.

Have any of you found a better solution?

Thanks for your feedback.

Hi,

I am interested in living and investing in rural areas.  I'm interested in hearing from those that may have had success doing this.  Currently I have a couple doors I manage, but am really interested in long-term property and land in North TX.  My vision would be to acquire 10-20 acres with an existing property, be able to rent the property (or live in it), and figure out how to cash flow on the rest of the acreage.  I was thinking about building additional homes / renting land / short term rentals / or anything else to cash flow.

It seems like there are some (very) big hurdles to overcome to do something like this:

1. Traditional financing / capital requirements for land and/or building on land

2. Rental values in the country seems harder to find tenants and at prices that support the cost of properties

3. Utilities (electric, water, sewer, etc)

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks!

Howdy,

Finally got into the REI game last year with my first rental property in Oak Cliff. I'm looking for more properties in the DFW metroplex, don't really mind spreading the net out - as long as I can drive there in ~1 hr.

Currently looking up north and east (Wylie area), haven't ever looked at Ft. Worth or Denton but have been considering starting the hunt - only fear is I am just not as familiar with the areas as I am in Dallas now.

Really looking for simple, conservative investments that could be bought and held (1% 'rule') in places where I'd have my family live. Love the smaller blue collar areas where folks are just trying to make a living. Anyone out there in the Dallas area that is wholesaling or buyer's realtors? Additional criteria: 200k ARV, B- communities, 1-1.5 hrs from Dallas, decent schools. Any feedback is welcomed. Thanks!

Thanks, Michael!  I'll check it out.  The cabinets in the house are this really dark brown I am not a fan of, so I'll have to see if the yellows might clash too much... But it looks like it might work with just about anything.

Hi there,

Was hoping for advice from some of you more seasoned DIY / flipper folks.  I am working to restore an old 1960s ranch style home.  It has eight foot ceilings throughout, with old white oak flooring that was stained a terrible gray at some point.

I am re-doing both the floors, baseboard trim, door trim, window trim, and re-painting everything.

I'd like to opt for a warm hardwood color, getting closer to the original color of the hardwood.  I can't really decide on what would be best for the trim / ceilings and neutral colors that deliver good value.  Was hoping folks here may have some 'go-tos' that they stick to.  This is in the ~300k price point in Dallas.

Thanks!