All Forum Posts by: Jennifer Rysdam

I agree that a waiver would be good, but I would also check with a stud finder just to see if the screws are in studs as well. You don't have to mention it to the new tenant that you are checking, but if they aren't in studs then I would either have someone secure them or remove them.

I have been doing this investing thing for a few years now and have listened to almost all of the podcasts. They are a wealth of information and experience. Everyone has different situations and experiences, and you have to just take the parts that apply to you and your unique situation. I have grown to appreciate the doom and gloom because it teaches me the most important part, which is how to keep my butt out of trouble. I've learned so much from other people's struggles.
I wanted to add that I have 2 investment properties and both have been no money down. I bought an 8-plex on a contract for deed 2 years ago with no money down, 5%, and $850 per month. I actually left the closing with a check for property taxes that were due that year! He recently had gotten out of the low income housing program and rents were not getting fully paid. I turned it around quickly. As soon as I had a good cash flow, I was able to get a bank loan. My second property is the flip that I'm currently working on. I got a great deal on it, provided the bank with a list of what I was going to do with it, and they gave me the loan, plus remodeling costs. 
Everyone's situation is different, but the podcasts have given me SO much courage to ask for things that I never would have thought possible. Good luck :)

Find a good realtor and see if they can help you out. I would think that many of the properties would be listed, and the realtor would be able to let you know who the turn-key sellers are, and when they have new listings. Put yourself out there and they will find you as well.

If I own a mobile home that is parked in a mobile home park in TX, do I have to pay property taxes on it? And if so, why? 

@Samantha Decker They were finally able to get it moved over yesterday. Thanks for your voicemail. :)

I got a notification last week that SmartMove and BP are no longer partnered and that I need to start using their main site and not the BP link. That's all well and good, but when I went to log in my account is no longer there??? I contacted them and they told me to log in and to clear my cookies, reset password, etc., or call this number. I called and they said I'm in there but didn't migrate and she'd submit a ticket so they could fix it. That was 5 days ago and I still haven't heard back. I just contacted them again via email and they sent the same clean cookies/reset password email again. I had a prospective tenant go through their screening process the day before all of this crap and now I can't even log in to see her results. Anyone else having this issue???

@Wesley W. @Hubert Kim Thank you both for the advice and information. I appreciate it. My building is an 8-plex and 5 of the units have single people in them. I just don't want it to get around that they can just move in anyone anytime they want to. My lease states anyone staying over 4 days in a week or 14 days in a year has to have written approval. I put together a occupant agreement for them to sign that states that they aren't financially responsible for the unit, they have to follow all of the rules and guidelines in the lease, and that they are to leave if asked by tenant or landlord among other things. 

I have a good tenant, in his 50's, that has his girlfriend staying at his apartment a lot. She passed the background check but doesn't want to be added to the full lease because she has her own apartment lease. Does anyone have a "guest" addendum they could share with me, or link to a good one? I can't seem to find one online. I just want to make sure I use the right verbiage. Thanks much!

@John Underwood @Bill Haley Thank you both for your kind words. It's definitely a difficult subject to talk about, but awareness is worth its weight in gold if it helps someone else. 

I started selling real estate as soon as I turned 18 (I'm 44 now). I lived in northern MN. There were many times I was showing houses and even acreages all by my little self. I once showed a 40 acre piece of land to a group of 8 men. I had a permit to carry and I carried. I also made sure to get to know people before doing things like this. I had talked to this guy on the phone several times. Talked about his family and his trip up there with his buddies to see the land. I knew they all had worked their way up the ladders at work and were proud to be able to finally be able to buy this land. These things are by no way a guarantee of my safety, but it made me feel more comfortable. When we got to the land I let them roam it while I stayed by the road. They bought that land and at the closing they were nothing but complimentary to my broker of the job I had done and how much I had helped them out (this was back in the 90's before internet real estate AND cell phones).
**TMI here but I think it's important for younger ladies to read.** Flash forward about a year and I had sold a house to a really nice guy that was a couple of years older than me. He invited my roommate and I to his housewarming bonfire and we had a good time. A few months later he called and he had lost his job. He needed to sell the house. I listed the house and had an open house. Another realtor and I did some negotiations on the deck and sealed the sale. He came home and I had him sign the paperwork. I had been there since 11 am and it was now about 6. He asked if I'd like a glass of wine to celebrate. I said sure and sat down on the couch while he got me a drink. I took 2 sips and I don't remember anything after that, until waking up naked in his bed in the middle of the night. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I passed out again and woke up at 6 am in his bed again. I put my clothes on and walked out through to house and he was sitting at his dining room table on his computer. I said goodbye and left. My stupid young self thought that I had drank too much, which I would never do, and did things I couldn't remember. I promised myself I'd never get myself in a situation like that again. It wasn't until many years later that I read an article about date rape drugs and realized what had happened to me. I still to this day don't remember anything other than throwing up in the middle of the night.
You can never be too safe and you can never trust people that you don't know well. Keep business as business and don't put yourself in a position to be taken advantage of by someone you don't know very well, no matter how nice they are. Your friends are your friends, your clients are your clients.