All Forum Posts by: Hussain Harun

I know there is a lot of threads about installing but none that talk in depth about portable A/C units...

Backstory: I purchased a 3 bed, 2 bath duplex in Baraboo, WI which rents for $995. Its about 1200 sq ft. It currently has a boiler with baseboard heating. No duct work currently.  It seems like the majority of the rentals in my area come with some type of AC. In the past tenants have used window ACs but have resulted in significant water damage in the walls.

Question: I was considering alternatives to window ACs including: central AC, split mini ductless AC, through the wall ACs, or portable ACs (ones that look like dehumidifiers). Central and split mini ductless would run me at least $3900 per side from the quotes from installers. Through the wall is cheaper but an eye sore (for the neighborhood) and pain when looking for replacements. 

So I"m wondering why nobody uses the little portable ACs? Particularly ones that is self evaporating so no pan to clean up under. I was thinking of buying them for tenants. Seems like a good investment to avoid costly water damage for poorly installed window ACs?

Lots on interesting discussion. I've heard people mention portable ACs (the little ones that look like dehumidifiers). They seem cheap, non intrusive, and not ugly from the outside. I wonder if those would work? Anyone have experience with those? 

Thank you for the quick responses. Interesting thoughts. I agree that if I can find someone to move in before 60 days then it would be in my best interest to let the old tenant go beforehand. However, the tenant brought up an interesting argument though that if I consider their lease "month to month" that they would have the legal right to terminate their lease within a month making anything we signed in there a mute point. I've never thought of it that way, but I think what they are saying makes sense unfortunately....

Anyone ever take this to court and have it hold up one way or another? (It seems like a silly thing to take to court, I know)

@Paul Smythe, I"m wondering this same question myself. Did you ever pin down the answer to this question? Your logic makes sense to me that if a lease is done in 30 days, how can it hold someone to a 60 day notice...I'm confused

Hi All,

I had an interesting question I wanted to pose. Say you as a landlord in Wisconsin have one year leases that automatically turn into month to month leases. If you have a tenant who went into their month to month phase after their one year was up but you wrote in your lease they have to give you a 60 day notice, can they actually give you a 30 day notice at the start of the month and legally leave without penalty regardless of what your lease says?

 Any WI investors/lawyers/property managers know the answer to this?

Thank you!

Lots of a good discussion. I'm trying to figure out if seller financing would make sense for me on a property I can otherwise purchase with conventional financing. Just from reading this post and poking around a bit online it seems like its fair to say that the interest rate for seller financing is generally higher than traditional bank financing (at least right now)? It also looks like the length of the loan for seller financing is rarely a 30 year loan? So if I still have the option to do 30 year fixed conventional loan it seems like 9 out of 10 times that would make the most sense? Is that sort of thinking correct?

I'm in need of the same thing but for on going maintenance on a property I own in Sun Prairie. 

Hey Thomas. Greetings! I'm right there with you. I'm looking in the Madison and Baraboo area and am pretty much in where you're at as far as what I've tried. I know in the BP podcast/webinars they are always talking about looking for those properties that do not have for sale signs, approaching owners, and seeing if they are willing to sell - and to identify these properties by some of the following ways:

1) Driving around and seeing they are distressed properties (long grass, boarded up windows, etc) 

2) Pulling eviction records and contacting landlords who had recent evictions 

3) Posting property wanted ad and seeing if any motivated sellers contact you 

To be honest I haven't personally tried any of those things yet but am at the point where I probably should. Just food for thought :)

-Hussain

@Ramon Jenkins knows the area well! He'd be a go to person to connect with

Hi Cory. Welcome to the site. I grew up in the Madison area. I agree Biggerpockets is an indispensable resource for real estate investors. I've been plugging into the webinars lately and have really enjoyed those.

-Hussain