All Forum Posts by: Mark S.

@John Underwood The payment system vendor is having issues.

BTW, it’s about time the county started requiring licenses and doing inspections. There are a lot of poorly constructed and maintained cabins and homes in the county, and owners who

don’t care as long as they get a check. I invest in a number of markets and haven’t seen anything quite like Sevier county. I own there and am happy to see this!

@Greg Lee Property tax payments are not included in your basis.

@Matthew Paul Who comes and goes and how long they stay certainly is the owner’s business. Septic and well capacity, fire codes, and the like are important to most owners. Same with insurance - some carriers want to know how you vet your guests and limit capacity.

That said, I don’t spy on guests with and virtually never check my cameras while guests are staying unless I have a reason to be concerned.

@Michael Plaks That was my experience as well. I've been on REI Hub for several years and really like it (as does my accountant)

@Matthew Paul As an owner, that would make me suspicious and be a no-go. Why would anyone care if there was a camera at the door if they weren’t bringing in pets, extra guests, etc.? I own a number of STRs and need the WiFi connected to monitor things like the HVAC (occasionally guests need help with settings), propane tank levels, etc. And the WiFi doesn’t need to be disconnected to not turn on the TV.

And no, I don’t ’check up’ on guests with the camera unless I have a reason to believe there is an issue.

But I agree with others - I wouldn’t have a camera at the back ‘hang out’ area.

@Sean O'Keefe I believe the study this refers to actually costs around $500, plus a few dollars to your accountant if you want him/her to walk you thru it. No need to pay $1500 for it. There are other discussion on it here in BP.

@Christian Block This is what I have done as well. It’s a great way to go, especially with lower cost properties.

@Ari Evans This really sucks - sorry it happened to you. But a lesson for all new buyers is to be VERY careful when purchasing a flip. Some flippers really believe in ‘putting lipstick on a pig’ and screwing the buyer. There is a reason one city inspector told me, and I quote “we hate flippers”.

@Irene Low I would NOT buy out of desperation. Too many people think that if they just start buying property they will become ‘financially independent’ in ‘x’ years. It takes time, money and patience…and buying the right properties. There is a saying in real estate “You make money when you buy, not when you sell”.

@Bill Brandt Yes that is a different situation. I managed a property in an HOA with only eight units, and ran into similar situations as what you mentioned.