All Forum Posts by: Matt MacDonald

32246 is usually a pretty good area. Small mix of D, small mix of C and fair share of B housing. I would have to see them to let you know a good rent estimate, but $1.00 per square foot puts you at $650.00 and it's pretty hard to find anything decent in 32246 for $650.00 per month. $850.00 per month would put you at about $1.30 per square which is a pretty good price per square for 32246. If they have washer & dryer connections that helps with pricing/renting and some people like dishwashers as well. I've lived in Jacksonville since the early 90's and have worked in real estate and property management since 2004. I've usually lived in 32225 which is pretty close to 32246. Hope this helps. 

I truly feel bad for the people that were taken advantage of. I’ve had some of them reach out to me about property management in Jacksonville over the past 18 months and I cannot help them, because most of the houses are not habitable. I’ve told people for many years do not rent or buy sight unseen. Trust, but verify. I have people that reach out to me often looking to buy something for nearly nothing in Jacksonville and you get what you pay for. Don’t buy a run-down shack in a F location and drop your hard-earned money into it and then have people break into it and steal the fridge, stove, AC, etc. Spend a little bit more and get yourself into a C area and C property and save yourself the headache and money in the long run. Also, C properties should be easier to rent and keep Tenants in. When people reach out to me from other states and they do not know Jacksonville and I tell them you may want to focus here, here, and here to avoid issues they seem to get upset, because they want that house for a low price and I’m honestly trying to help them.

I have seen a lot over the past 15 years. Have had situations where Tenants have killed themselves in the homes, a house where they found a grave site next to the home, one where they found a body part, a few drug arrests, a unstable guy that showed the judge he was unstable he was at a court hearing and the judge ordered up the swat team to help the local cop with possession. The craziest one I'm thinking the one where they found the grave site next to the home when they were doing landscaping. This is from me managing portfolios of around 4,500 homes, 4,000 homes, 2,000 homes at a time with teams of people. 

There’s a lot of good advice on this thread. I agree it’s up to you, but I would leave it and wait to see what the buyer or inspector has to say. I could not believe it when I sold a house in Jacksonville a long time ago and it had an AC that was over 20 years old and we did not have to replace it. Usually from what I’ve seen in Jacksonville AC’s are lasting 10 years on the low side and around 15 years on the high side. It also depends on the maintenance/upkeep they have received and filters being changed on time, etc. I hope this helps. 

I'm in Jacksonville FL and with 70K down you may be able to get a C duplex for around $300,000.00. The price may vary depending on demand. Usually, they want 20% down and then you may have closing cost. Depending on the deal and if you can get a duplex with a 3 bed, 2 bath in each unit you may be able to get between $1,200.00 to $1,500.00 per side for monthly rent. Few factors play into those numbers though. Where it's located, square footage, how well it's maintained, maybe a fenced in back yard, etc. Down here if you are in a decent area and if you have 3 or more bedrooms that helps on the monthly rent. Some advice I do not recommend sight unseen purchases. I do not put a lot of stock into pictures. I recommend home inspections and WDO's. Also, on multi units you may want to ask if they have separate power and water meters. Also, may want to ask if the Tenants pay for water & power or does the current owner. I hope this helps. 

@Tyler Labelle people have given you some good advice here. Most of the companies I've worked at we would hold houses for 10 to 15 days without rental income for applicants. In Jacksonville FL most people charge a security deposit equal to one months rent. Sometimes they may charge more if someone has some credit issues or something like that. Example maybe a companies minimum credit score is 550 and someone has good income, no evictions, no criminal and they are around 535 maybe the Landlord will say a double deposit or deposit and 1/2. You may want to talk to a local attorney and ask them if they have a form that the Tenant can sign which says if they back out you can keep the deposit for lost marketing time if you are going to hold the house off the market for around 18 days. Most of the attorneys I've worked with will answer a quick question like that for no charge and some will give you a form like that for free. The other side of this is your area may not allow that option for keeping the deposit so it might be good to ask a local attorney. Your application may already have something like this in it, but figured I would share that in case the applicant backs out. 

12 years ago, is a pretty long time. Most companies I’ve worked at we look at 5 years back and some 7 years back. If she has no evictions or criminal history that is great. Also, if they are going to give a double deposit that’s good. One of the issues I’ve seen with traditional section 8 programs is they seem to favor the Tenant and they can tell the owner you need to fix this or else they will put you in abatement. From what you given us it seems like she is trying her best to improve. I’m all for supporting our veterans. 

I've lived in Jacksonville for over 25 years and I have been a Landlord and Tenant for over 20 years here. I have also worked in real estate and property management for over 15 years in Jacksonville. Jacksonville like all places has it's good parts and high crime rate areas. Pros for Jacksonville you can still get a good house for under $250,000.00, where I'm at in 32225 there's a Navy Base and Coast Guard Base about 15 minutes away, a lot of banks, hospitals, CSX and other companies for employment. You can still get a type C property/investment between $100,000.00 and $150,000.00 here. My biggest con is the heat. It gets so hot here from June to September. 

I like Jacksonville. I usually live in 32225 and it’s a good area. Also, there’s a Navy Base and Coast Guard Base not too far from 32225. There’s also CXS, a lot of banks, and hospitals for employment. You can get a nice house for under $250,000.00 down here. If you are looking for less expensive type C properties, you may be able to get something between $100,000.000 and $150,000.00. 

Ali, Tomorrow afternoon is good for me. I will message you my number. Take care, Matt