All Forum Posts by: James Barnhart

@Kristin Kiddy is right about the Daytona Beach area.  There definitely are some areas to avoid, but there are  some very good areas, too.  I live about 25 miles or so, away from there.  Daytona Beach is somewhat of a transient town and always has been.  But, it and the adjoining towns can be a good area for investors.

I have 3 good agents that work hard to locate properties, and to get them sold. Recently, one agent called us when she found a property like we wanted. She didn't list it on MLS because she knew she already had a buyer We bought it.

However, in today's market, I have found better deals through Craigslist, wholesalers, etc.  And, we sold one house last fall to the sister of the neighbor.  That was a win-win deal.

I always specifically state that the washer and dryer are provided as a free courtesy, and are not part of what they are renting.  That way, if one is not working, they have no excuse to not pay the full amount of the rent.  

Or, in your case, I would do what Matthew Paul says to do, above.

I always specifically state that the washer and dryer are provided as a free courtesy, and are not part of what they are renting.  That way, if it is not working, they have no excuse to not pay the full amount of the rent.  

Or, in your case, I would do what Matthew Paul says to do, above.

The fact that you are wanting a "script" to present to a Realtor, to get them to go along with you, tells me that you KNOW that it will be a hard sell.  If you really believe this is a good business plan, then just telling the agent to truth about what you want to do, is the best way to present it. 

I can't imagine an agent presenting your assignment offer to a seller and then encouraging them to accept it.  If  I were the owner of the property for sale, I would say no, because it doesn't help me get it sold, and it might delay it.  It also hurts the credibility of the agent that presents such an offer to a seller.

I know that the Realtors I use would never go along with this.  But, good luck reinventing the wheel.

Getting really emotional about a home in probably not a very good way to buy or sell.  Why not just make your best offer based on the market conditions?  Why would you tell the seller's Realtor that you might raise the offer?  

There are a lot of properties out there.  if you don't get to buy that one, the next one might be even better.

I would attend open houses and look at new homes for sale in your area.  And, ask questions about the materials, and why they were chosen.

Honesty is always an excellent choice.  I would not ever be sneaky and try to fool a tenant.  

We recently bought a home that was rented at the time.  The owner told them that he was selling the place, and the tenants appreciated the "heads up".  I didn't want to rent to them because their rent was WAY too low.  And, I didn't screen them.  So, his tenants found another place and everybody ended up happy.

Have you considered making income during the off season?  I don't know what you studied in college, but maybe you could use that skill to bring in money?  

And, no matter what any of us do, we are all involved in selling of some kind to someone.  I bet you could be a good sales person, and maybe your baseball player status will help you to make sales.  Go for it!

This is another reason why I ONLY rent to anyone on a month to month basis.  Either the tenant or the landlord can terminate the rental agreement with a 30 day written notice. When you knew that the tenant was in jail, then you could have posted a no trespassing sign and took a picture of it with that day's newspaper in the picture, and sent a 30 day letter to her.

Also, did you do any screening of your tenant?  Apparently not, but I hope you do in the future.  

The stranger then would be a trespasser and I would call the law to have him arrested.  

Please tell me again why people think leases on houses are a good idea for a landlord.  I have seen many reasons on BP that convince me otherwise.   They mostly benefit the tenant, it seems.  

This reminds me of a guy I met a few years ago that rented mobile homes.  He said if he had an issue with a tenant, he would go remove the front door off of the house.  He said that the people just moved out every time and his problem was solved.  LOL