All Forum Posts by: Jen R.

I would talk to them and see what they would like to do; I think both options you laid out are viable (letting them out of the lease early or increasing rent for new flooring). Or, if they really love the home, you could offer to split the price of the new flooring with them instead, which could work out well for both of you.

You have a pretty neutral palette to work with, so a lot of options that would look nice. I would wait until you decide about the landscaping and make sure you coordinate the two so that leaf/flower colors and the door color complement each other. 

Have you considered house hacking? It's really an ideal way to break into real estate for someone with little experience. Look into buying a duplex with an owner occupant FHA loan, which will allow a lower down payment. You will still want to have cash reserves saved up for repairs and maintenance, but the goal would be to live as close to "free" as possible (with your tenants paying your mortgage), and eventually move out and rent both sides. As mentioned, BRRRR is difficult and risky without cash and good credit.

Incredibly rough edit, and I didn’t take the time to photoshop in flower baskets, but I think only having shutters on the left looks fine.

Or you could just install doors, which would help with draftiness, and be an attractive permanent solution. If you seal it off completely and tell your insurance company it’s non-functional, you might even save a few bucks on insurance costs.

Is it drafty? They can cut a piece of insulation and place it under the damper. I wouldn’t let them nail boards over it either.

If they are leaving by the end of the month anyway, a notice that they are in violation of their lease won’t do much good. Have you sent over move out instructions already? If not, I would make sure to do that, where you clearly note the required condition of the property at move-out in order for them to receive their security deposit back. Or, if you’re really concerned, offer to pay them cash if they move out earlier.

A lot of landlords recommend buying new for ease and the warranty, but I have had good success shopping Craigslist and FB Marketplace for used appliances, especially after big sale weekends (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Black Friday, etc.). I always find almost-new appliances that people are simply getting rid of because they want to upgrade or want everything to match. Also, I only provide w/d hookups, as that is two less appliances I have to maintain (but your market may be different; here they are not expected). The only appliance I typically will buy new (if I need to provide one) is a dishwasher, as they are fairly inexpensive and I don’t skimp out on any fixtures dealing with water.

I always do electric unless for some reason we need the extra space on the electric panel. And I like painting the hollow core doors a contrasting color instead of matching the trim to add some interest.

I use the same color throughout to keep it simple. My go-to colors are SW Agreeable Gray or Worldly Gray.