All Forum Posts by: Mark Smith

These ozone units sound awesome, I can't believe I didn't hear about them years ago just for general use. Thank you all for the advice! It sounds like using TSP and an ozone generator is the way to go. Thank you @Billy Bob, @Kathleen Leary, @Erin K. @Gail K., and @Aaron Fakerson!

Thank you all for the advice!  The ozone treatment sounds awesome and I think applying the oil base primer to the subfloor is a great idea.

Hello everyone,

I am interested in purchasing a two unit, and there is potential for seller financing.  This would work out well for me since I don't have cash for a down payment, and the seller is a friend of the family so I could probably get away without making a down payment.  Can someone explain to me the basics of how this works?  I have done a little research on good old Google, so I'm just trying to really understand.  It sounds like I just execute a promissory note with the seller for a short term with a balloon payment at the end, by which time I will be able to refinance and pay off the seller.  Also, the house will need some work as the current owner lives there and smokes...would I just go to the bank and take out a personal loan of some sort to do the work?  Thank you!

Hello all,

I'm interested in purchasing a property currently owned and occupied by someone who smokes like a chimney.  What are the basics for cleaning it up and getting rid of the smell?  Remove all carpeting and I figure a couple coats of Kilz paint to seal the walls up, but what seems to have worked well for you all?

March 31, 2017.  I think you're getting to my other thought, just ride out the lease...

Thank you everyone for the advice!  I agree that I should run background on him if he is living there.  I don't mind if he lives there, I just don't want to be lied to.  I also do not want to waive the additional person fee, however it would be a good amount of money every month ($1,250 rent x 25% = $312.50).  Yes @Anthony Angotti, I do pay for gas as there is only one furnace, and I pay water/sewer, so if he is living there it is costing me more money. On one hand of course I'd love to have that additional cash, on the other I can see how much of a burden that would be to suddenly have to pay an additional $300 every month.  However, this of course can be modified (as I said above, this clause was part of the lease I took over when I bought the property).

I do not want to go the route of eviction if they do not comply; I know they can be messy and expensive.  I don't have the cash readily available for that process.  Also, she pays rent on time every month, so other than this situation she is a decent tenant.

I'm going to try to make this as short as possible, but I'm looking for some advice on how to handle a situation.  I have a tenant in one of my units who lives there with her two daughters.  She is separated from her husband, who did not live with her and is not on the lease.  He seemed to be coming around the property more, and seems to be there every time I'm there.  Today when I stopped by to drop off some things I noticed an additional vehicle in the garage, which I imagine is his since the woman and her daughters are the only tenants in my two family at this point.  In the past he has denied living there, and the woman has denied that he lives there.  I took over the tenant when I bought the property, and the lease calls for a 25% increase in rent if there is an additional tenant.  I don't necessarily agree with this clause, but it's in the lease and she signed the lease.  I'm not sure how I go about proving he lives there, and as this is my first property (and first tenants) I'm afraid of some sort of retaliation if I "stir the pot" so to speak.

Thank you @Bryce Cutler!  I just reached out to him, hopefully I will hear back from him!

Buy and hold.  Only one property, but figure it's a good time to start building that relationship.  Plus I don't trust turbotax to not lead me down the wrong path if I enter something incorrectly, which goes to show I don't trust myself either!

Thank you @Kevin Maxwell!  I will look into her!