All Forum Posts by: Mark McQuiston

@Chris Szepessy

Just the smell of dog. Thanks for the input.

@Heather Rodden - yes the filter has been changed - no luck. :(

The baking soda idea is interesting! Thanks!

Hi all,

My previous tenants had a couple of dogs and long story short, when they moved out, the house had a potent dog smell. My initial thought was that the smell was rooted in the carpeting. I had the carpet professionally washed, and applied a couple of different odor eliminators over the last month. My new tenant is still complaining of the smell and I'm looking for feedback on how to approach this. It seems that my options are:

1. Try another type of cleaning product/technique

2. Replace the carpeting and pad

Thanks in advance for your time.

Best,

Mark

Hi all,

I'm working through a situation in which my tenants unexpectedly moved out while they still owe 1.5 months rent ($2625). I have a security deposit for 1 months rent, but they did not leave the home in great condition (minor damage to drywall, did not re-paint rooms they painted upon moving in, furniture left behind).

I'm looking for recommendations on how to handle this situation. Do I consider filing a small claims complaint? Other than the time and money I'll have to invest to take them to court, are there other risks (i.e. counter-suing) I should consider?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

@Jon Holdman, @Brie Schmidt, @John Weidner,

Thanks for the information on cash reserves. I'll be sure to get specifics on that tomorrow. And yes, I will be purchasing as a primary residence.

@Lumi Ispas,

Thank you for confirming!

Hey gang!

With the most recent offers I've made, I have the capital to make a down payment of 20% of the purchase price. Not a whole lot of wiggle room though - depending on what it exactly it comes out to, I may not be able to cover closing costs while still making a 20% down payment. However, removing PMI will have a fairly significant affect on how the property cash flows for the first few months, so avoiding PMI is a priority.

When using conventional financing, if I roll closing costs into the total loan amount, will I have to come up with 20% of the purchase price + closing costs to avoid PMI?

I've got a call with my loan officer set up for tomorrow, but I wanted to get educated before chatting with her.

Thanks!

@Mark Ainley, @Lumi Ispas, @Elizabeth Colegrove, @Joe Mueller 

Realized I should have been mentioning you all in my comments above.

Thanks!

Joe,

That's great to hear. I assume you're renting your properties for less than you would be in the spring/summer?

Thanks for suggestion, Elizabeth! Have you experiences that be to true in both warm and cold climates?

Lumi,

I appreciate the thoughtful response. Couldn't agree more with what you said about focusing on quality of tenant and terms of lease.