All Forum Posts by: Kristina Hinostroza

Great! Thank you to those that have responded to my questions and provided valuable information. As mentioned before, we are new to this ourselves and have to start somewhere. So I appreciate the advice from all of you. @William Powell @Malkia Ra @Brandon P. @Konstantin Ginzburg @Mackaylee Beach

2 Votes

Hi! We are super new to landlording and have gotten a few applicants for our long term rental. We are using Zillow.

First, do you call previous landlords/supervisors/etc.? And what are some general questions you ask?

After you choose an applicant that meets all of your qualifications, how do you then add certain things that you want the renter to be aware of/responsible for in your lease agreement? I’ve found generic agreements online and there is even one on Zillow. But has anyone used the Zillow lease agreements, and can you use free text to add clauses? Or if I use a general form, can I make my own addendum to the lease agreement?

Again, super new to this so any one would be helpful! Thank you.

1 Vote

Quote from @Phillip Austin:

@Kristina Hinostroza If you sign up for BiggerPockets Pro membership, you get access to all state approved forms including lease agreements, application forms, etc..

For software, I highly recommend Zillow Rental Manager if it's your first property. You can collect rent, screen tenants, market your listing, etc..

Thank you for your recommendation!

0 Votes

Seattle, Washington

Quote from @Melissa Hartvigsen:

Hello @Kristina Hinostroza,

For landlord forms, do not use any of the free leases available with tenant tracking software. They are general, and not updated as often as the local landlord tenant laws. You should reach out to the local landlord association or Real Estate Investor Association (REIA) in the area where you are buying your property and join. Membership around the country is usually under $200, and the rental agreement forms are deeply discounted for members. This way you always get something that is specific to your area and is legally compliant. You also get lots of great advice by being a member. Your posting didn't say where in South Carolina you were buying, so here are links to a directory of Landlord Associations around the state and the National REIA directory:
https://www.thelpa.com/lpa/associations/south-carolina.html

https://nationalreia.org/find-a-reia/

For everything else I use: https://www.apartments.com/

-It allows you to accept electronic rental payments. This is one of the top 5 things prospective tenants ask for as an amenity.
-It makes advertising easy, and automatically puts your listing on a couple of other sites (realtor.com is one of them).
-It allows you to accept applications and screen prospective tenants. The fee is $29 per person.
-It lets you track expenses.
-It makes the accounting reports neat and tidy, especially if you are using a CPA. (It reports income automatically if you accept electronic payments from the tenants. You will just need to manually enter your expenses).
-It is FREE to use, you just need to put in the time to set it up.

Best wishes for your investment!
Melissa

Thank you for your recommendations! I will look into these.

0 Votes

Seattle, Washington

Hi BP,

We are closing on a SFH shortly in South Carolina. This will be our first property that we will manage on our own. Yes, we are OOS but we have a team in place if something arises there.

However, wondering if you all have recommendations for landlord forms, tenant screening, receiving rent platforms, etc via apps/websites/software or anything I’d need starting off as a new landlord that will help.

Thank you!

1 Vote

Seattle, Washington

Quote from @Charlie Tunstall:

Good luck, Kristina. I'm a self managing, small multi-family investor in Summerville and Ladson. I don't have any PM's to recommend but would be glad to help with any other questions.

Thanks for your reply, Charlie! I'd definitely like to self manage, but we are out of state.

0 Votes

Hello! My husband and I will be making our first real estate investment purchase soon. We are looking for a property manager who we can work with in the Summerville, SC area. We are looking for someone who is knowledgeable in the rental market, patient, easy to work with, and willing to teach us as this is our first rental property.

Thank you for considering!

0 Votes

Quote from @Jacob LeBar:

Texas is always a great place to invest. There is constant demand and the demand is continuing to rise. With major companies such as Samsung, Disney, HBO and many more investing in Central Texas we are seeing incredible appreciation. But even with all this growth there is still a lot of areas with low price points to break into the market. Speaking from the Austin area in particular.

Hi. Not to piggyback on this post or anything, but I am new to real estate and we are also looking out of state so came to this thread to see the replies. I see a lot about Texas, but when my husband and I looked into it, the property taxes seem crazy! How do you see growth in this area with property taxes this large?

1 Vote

All Forum Posts by: Kristina Hinostroza

Kristina Hinostroza has started 3 posts and replied 8 times.

Post: Tenant applies, now what?

Post: Tenant applies, now what?

Post: Landlord forms and screening

Post: Landlord forms and screening

Post: Landlord forms and screening

Post: Looking for property manager Summerville, SC

Post: Looking for property manager Summerville, SC

Post: Looking into Out of State Investing-What are some of the top rental markets?