All Forum Posts by: Michael Yeung

Thanks @Theresa Harris!

And thanks @Mary Aviles!  Agreed on potential issues with the camera.  These intruders have been really vindictive.  I'm worried that if I scare them off but don't catch them, they'll just come back and try to damage the exterior of the property instead of breaking in in the future.  Have you ever tried SimpliSafe but with a silent alarm to give the police time to arrive?

Thanks @Percy N.!  Yes I have internet access.  I'm looking to hide them indoors so as to avoid spooking them before the police arrive.

@Theresa Harris yes as I mentioned would love to find someone to live in the place temporarily but don't know how to find someone to do so.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Thanks,
Michael

@Percy N. @Penny Brown (tagging the two of you again here, since for some reason it's not doing so in my post above)

Super helpful, thanks everyone for all the great responses!  @Penny Brown

@Penny Brown, I would love to find a house sitter.  Any other suggestions for how to find folks willing to do something like this, or any services you know of for this?  My PM has chatted with the neighbors, they want to keep to themselves and have also been hit by the same burglars.

@Rick Baggenstoss I've tried scaring folks off with the lights, but they went and ripped them down with impunity.  They've also ripped down any boards I've put up.  Next step could be to harden this via steel doors and window bars, and if so, anyone you recommend for this?  Thing is, the perp is just vindictive- they've gone and beaten up the electrical meter a couple times for no good reason.  I'm worried they may go out of their way to damage the property even if they can't get in.  I feel like I'll need to catch the perp, so will try the tracker route as you suggest.  Otherwise I may need to take you up on other exit options :)

@Percy N. yes I'm planning to try setting up Simplisafe on silent alarm to notify the police and hopefully catch them in the act.  I also want to set up cameras but want to find ones that are disguised to avoid tipping them off before the police arrive.  Any suggestions for hidden cameras that can record to the cloud?

Thanks again everyone!
Michael

Hi everyone,

I own a duplex in a rough neighborhood in Atlanta, GA.  It's vacant and we're finishing the rehab, but someone keeps breaking in and stealing things, vandalizing the property, and sleeping inside.  I just want to rehab this and then either flip it or get a tenant inside ASAP.

What do folks suggest?

We've repeatedly boarded up the property, but they just pry the boards off.  We set up outdoor motion sensor lights to try to scare them off, but they just tear them down (I think they tossed ropes up to pull them down).

I think at this point ideally we could just catch the person in the act.  It appears to be the same vindictive person each day who must live in the neighborhood. 

We've filed police reports but they haven't done much.  I'd love if the police could just swing by at night some time and try to catch them (since I think they're sleeping in the property), but haven't been able to get through to the police on the phone to see if something like this is possible (and I assume they're busy).

I'm considering security cameras / systems, but am not sure how effective these are at actually catching the person in the act and getting the police to swing by in time to catch them.  I'm worried that the police won't get there in time to catch the intruders, and in reality all we'll get is some video footage of someone breaking in, which the police may / may not do something with.  Then in the meantime the intruders will just steal all the security equipment.

Does anyone have any first hand experience here?  Are there better ways to partner with the police on this?  And are their private security solutions worth considering, such as guards etc?  I found vpsgroup.com, which includes guards and temporary tenants, but unfortunately they only operate in Europe.

Thanks for any tips!
Michael

Thanks Rod. Just to clarify, I don't mean partnership in the legal entity sense here, as I think we want an LLC with all of us being passive investors. In any case appreciate the tip and any others folks can provide. Thanks!

Hi, sorry for a bunch of newbie questions, but wanted to tap into the collective wisdom here.  I'm looking to build a portfolio of rental properties in the Dallas and Houston areas, working with a couple investment partners.  I have several rental properties already under my own name, but am new to the process of doing this in partnership with others, and new to doing this in Texas.  A few questions:

1) We'd like this portfolio to eventually reach 10+ properties.  To confirm, I think I want a small business or commercial loan for this, correct?

2) We want all of this classified as passive income (and will for instance have a property manager), so I believe would want this classified as an LLC, with the investors listed as the owners. In which state should we incorporate? The investors in this case live in NJ and NY.

3) Are there any big gotchas of which we should be aware as we go through this?

Thanks in advance,
Mike