All Forum Posts by: Justin Bautista

@Mike Hurney That’s a good idea to get into it - you can fix it yourself and I’ll refund the SD in full. The months leading to her leaving have been hard on her financially so I don’t think she’ll be able to afford to hire somebody to fix it, and I know she wouldn’t be able to fix it herself. I feel alright giving her the full refund but this gives me experience and hopefully this will be the worst scenario I’ll ever get with the tenant, which isn’t that bad.

@Mike Hurney Well she always had something to complain and I’m pretty sure she broke the dryer and garbage disposal due to misuse, but there’s no way to prove that so I fixed it while she’s still renting. The house is pretty new and in an upscale neighborhood so she’s hard to please. I got lucky because even though she paid every month, she really couldn’t afford to live in this house due to her rent-to-income ratio but I learned to take screening more seriously.

@Natalie Kolodij I didn’t mean to sound like that but I tried to be as concise as possible because the title has a character limit. This is not the best title but I want to get the question across. I get your point though - I’d have to be more mindful of choosing my words.

All your responses put things in perspective so I really appreciate it. It’s nail holes and it’s my very first property so with all the sacrifices I did to get this one, I’m protective of it. But even though she hasn’t been the best tenant, I had no problem rent-wise and we parted in good terms. So I’ve decided to return the security deposit in full.

@Sue K. I’m a first time landlord that’s why I’m asking for a consult. I definitely want to be fair to the tenant, but I also want to be fair to me. I mean 38 holes in a room is quite a lot, and a lot of it are concentrated and next to each other. It looked like she put a hole, didn’t look quite right then put another hole half a cm next to it. Now it looks run-down and something the next renter might complain about. The key is not a big deal to me but the holes are obvious. Would you still give the full refund?

Hey everyone, hope y’all are doing alright. My tenant just moved out and she left 38 small holes in a room. Should I and could I take their security deposit or portion of it? What would you do? She also lost one of the keys so I know that I can deduct. I’m in Washington state fyi. Thanks for the counsel!

Hi there, I refinanced last October to 3.25% but now the feds are cutting the rates to nearly 0%, do you think it’s a good idea to refinance again? Thanks for your help!

Hi, I'm wondering for those who have experience in house hacking. I'm renting two rooms in my house - does that warrant a landlord insurance policy or would the homeowner's insurance suffice? Thanks!

@Michele Zugschwerdt I did not know about the AMEX personal loan for active duty. That’s a great resource, thanks for sharing!

Hi guys. Firstly I want to appreciate your help. Being a first time investor is very scary but your advice is helping me get over that fear.

I’m feeling good about this single family house that I’m looking at. It’s an ugly house in a beautiful neighborhood. The numbers are looking great and will cash flow just under $500/month.

I would need 37K for downpayment and 40K for rehab (which I believe is an overestimation but I’d rather lean that way).

I have 35K in equity from my primary residence. I can take a HELOC from that and finance 2K from my savings to meet the downpayment. I have more than enough credit line to cover the 40K rehab, and since I'm in active duty, my APR is 0-6% on my credit cards. Is this financing plan a good idea for you? Would it be a bad sign for lenders if I take a HELOC to finance a downpayment? Thanks again for your help!