All Forum Posts by: Kim Herrick

@Bettina F. it is close to a school but apparently far enough away that he can live there. 

I wouldn’t have thought to check but the tenant mentioned it. She said he disclosed it because she has a child and the victim was a child. 

You’re right it’s a map wth white dots and you can click them to see pictures and details of crime. 

@Bettina F. you are right I just checked the registery only because it was mentioned to me.  The tenant will most definitely mention it to any new or potential tenants. 

Since I was told I am assuming I have to disclose this to tenants right? I would want to know. 

@Brian Adzadi @Jim S.Thank you both for your responses. It is a small town, it is down the street from a school. I wouldn’t say it is the best school. I guess it would just depend on the person. When doing a walk through yesterday. 

Jim it is an older duplex I’m glad to hear someone else has run across this. What is your experience with them if any? 

The tenant tells me the next door neighbor is a convicted sex offender but hey don’t think he did it. His girlfriend has a track record of getting her exes in trouble...Oy vey! I’ve never had to deal with this before. That is a pretty serious charge that will definitely discourage tenants with children maybe even single woman.  Any advice? 

I am considering a duplex that has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath on each side. The property has great curb appeal and has been maintained beautifully. It is an estate sale and is a bargain. The catch is the only bathroom is on the first floor while the two bedrooms are upstairs. 

The type of tenant in this area is hard working blue collar lower income. I personally wouldnt care for the layout-but would renters? One unit has had a long term tenant for the past five years.  The other unit is vacant and was recently updated with new carpet, cabinets and laminate kitchen countertops.  There is a washer and dryer in the unit and the property is very clean and on a nice street 

Thoughts? Is this something to investigate further or would you drop the mic and keep on looking for another deal? 

I am considering purchasing a duplex in a small town. When chatting with some very helpful people here on BiggerPockets something popped up that I never considered.  Longer vacancies because of the limited pool of qualified tenants. 

Does anyone have any best practices to market for tenants in small towns? I was thinking of going to churches, I posted an add on Craigslist and didn’t get a single hit. There is s college near by but the property is in a more residential area about a mile from campus, but this seems to be my best option  

Is there anything anyone has tried that has helped fill their property with a quality tenant in a timely manner? Also what vacancy rate are you using in a smaller town to evaluate deals before purchasing?

Thank you @Peter MacKercher  the pm’s were not painting a pretty picture. ALOT of them are not even in the business anymore. Nobody wanted to say what you said about the city being economically depressed but they all eluded to that. Thank you for confirming this for me, I really appreciate it!

The property is less than a mile from the college but I don’t know how many students I would realistically get. Back to the drawing board. 

I’m on the phone now with a PM and I’m getting a WEALTH of knowledge. 

@Daniel Hyman That is an excellent idea! Thank you! 

I am looking at a duplex on E. Knox Street in Galesburg,IL. Does anyone out there have any feedback on this area or owning rental properties in general in Galesburg? Is this a part of town that will be more difficult to manage tenants? Is there a part of town that is better for rentals? 

Anyone with any experience in the Galesburg area your feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. This could potentially be my first rental property and I would hate make a huge mistake. 

Thank you! 

@Logan Allec this property is also in a rural area.  A college town to be exact. The tenants are not college students but I could go that route if need be collect higher rent but there would also be more turn over. 

I was thinking about adding laundry to the facility. There is a dryer but no washing machine in the unit. That’s a great point to add value before raising the rent. I’ve seen weekly leases recently. So it is easier for the landlord to get the tenant out if they don’t pay. Is that something you’ve seen?