All Forum Posts by: Natalie Schanne

@Sophia Bahena - great job! I remember when I installed my first towel bar hook set (with 4 hooks preinstalled on a wood backer) using my first electric drill / screwdriver and thinking it was magical. Why didn’t someone show me how to use this before I showed myself at 25?!? :)

@Simon Obas - we have local building supply companies that sell roofing materials, siding, windows and doors mostly directly to contractors but they have a small show room for retail customers as well. In our area one is called ABC Building Supply.

@Jimmy S. - start marketing and advertising (Zillow etc) right away. I would use photos of the property vacant before they moved in. If you’re going to own the property for a while, I recommend getting measurements and getting a floor plan schematic from Fiverr for $30-50. I would also shoot a current video of the whole house 2-5 minutes so without bothering your tenants, someone can decide if they want it or not. Then I would cluster showings to a particular open house time like Sat 1-3pm on a weekly basis until it’s rented. When you get closer to the end, sometime like Wednesday night 6-7 and Sunday 11-1 or whatever works. Usually anyone good wants to see it before they sign. I do not go out of my way for someone’s schedule because they are 50-80% no shows. I have a cut and paste reply to answer people on Facebook marketplace.

@Stella George - the extra charges suck. I would try to get help to bargain down (contractors like car salesman tend to take advantage of women) like actual time and materials of the plumber at $50-100/hour. It seems obvious that there was a lot of extra work if you’re moving all kinds of stuff like a dryer and gas line. This all should have been included in your price or he should have let you get those quoted by someone else. At least so you knew the all in job would have been $9800. Most of the time we’re so desperate for them to finish after they’ve started that we just agree to anything.

@CJ M. - I had multiple videos of people stealing stuff from me and the police didn’t take it seriously when I was filing police reports because the total loss was under $1500 each time. They took the report but didn’t review or even request the video. You admit that you don’t have any video evidence of these kids damaging your house. Without that, I don’t think you have a case anyone would take seriously. Even if you follow them home, the parents will say what’s the evidence? It wasn’t my kid!

Do you need to replace the boarded windows so you don’t contribute to the perceived blight in this neighborhood? In my area I think they’d fine me for not repairing damage (even if I was terrified it would just happen again).

Lastly, if you really want to know who these kids are, the bus driver and the other kids on the bus know. So go to the next stop and ask who they are after saying they left something at the bus stop.

I like the guy’s recommendation to ask the perpetrators to “guard” the house for money. Seems like they’ve moved on for now anyway though. People like easy targets. Can you add a camera on your house opposite this house?

@Sasha Fukuda - section 8 in most areas has a long waiting list of people who want to get the vouchers, so that’s not an instant solution for most people who have lost their jobs.

I’m sure this is stressful on your tenant. If tenant is paying, great. Ultimately, I would suggest a non renewal at the end of the lease or a 30 days notice on the month to month. Clean it up. Rent it out for $1200. Or raise rent $100/mo on her now (if month to month) and see if she’ll give notice to leave. (You can only change rent at the end of a rental period whether that’s monthly for a month to month or yearly for a 12 mo lease).

I recommend you wait until after Christmas to raise rent or give notice to leave. The rental market in my area is strongest April - August, so I’d probably give notice of rent increase and/or 30 day notice to vacate around March 1. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

@Ramki D. - I usually upgrade ceiling lights to ceiling fans with light kits (the replaceable bulbs are superior to the integrated led lights that make the light area smooth but are nearly impossible to change without changing the fan). I get my fans on sale at Costco $79-99 Hunter with a remote or at Home Depot (something like the Vaurgas with the 3 bulbs). I’ve had the tenants lose the remotes before (I now affix them to the wall by the light switch) and had to replace a fan entirely. All else equal, the fans usually keep the tenants cooler without using A/C and they can reduce their costs. It’s easier to commit to stay longer when the utility costs aren’t crazy. I have to remember to install the metal brackets or pan ($10-25) to the studs to make sure it doesn’t vibrate itself off the wall. I have a 2 year old installed fan now that seems to have vibrated the ceiling and the popcorn like texture ceiling has spider cracks. That’s a first for me. I don’t know if he properly used the brackets. Sometimes I supply materials and the electrician doesn’t use them because they’re half-doing the work. Sometimes I only catch it after they’re finished and want to be paid.

In terms of TV mounts, I recommend the previous advice about making your wishes clearly known to your tenants about you require that they coordinate the installation through your handyman or a trusted professional handyman, and they will leave the mount and all its pieces upon departure or properly patch the spots (usually requires repainting the whole wall). (In my area, patching this wall costs more than the $100 mount).

@Bridget Grant - in terms of your plans going forward, I recommend doing a risk adjusted minimum investment to get up and cash flowing while you get things sorted out with your lawyer. One of the benefits to possession is you can rent it out.

With the vacant land, I would try to get my paperwork in place to bring on tiny homes that could be removable if something happened and you didn’t keep the land for some reason. Marketable title will take a while such that it will be hard to sell, so plan for rental income while it gets sorted out.

I would also negotiate down your bills by talking to someone in the government on the phone and/or in person especially about the trash service. In our area there are business administrator (assistants to the mayor) who have more decision making power than others, but the head of the water/sewer or public works department may be able to help you too. Especially if you're nice. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Document your experience so you can share a case study here or at your local REIA

@Kuriakos Mellos - in my area, washer and dryer access is worth about $50/mo and costs me $300-1200 to put in depending if I’m in town and can buy used on Facebook or I need to buy new on Costco com, HD, Lowe’s or Best Buy. For multiple tenants using a machine, I’ve heard great things about SpeedQueen.

In general I figure that the more amenities I have, the faster I rent and for a higher price. If I find myself having vacancies more than a week or two, I upgrade something to make my property more attractive.

I also listen to what common questions I get. If people are asking about the washer and dryer, they care about it. Or private parking.

Yes, washers and dryers are abused by your tenant and they break. If you have to buy new each time and assume they last 6 years, $1200/12/6 is $16.67 per month in cost. I also do not include water or sewer as my expense. I make sure they pay for it. In my area there are worry free warranty plans offered by the utility company and they come out very fast, so it’s worth getting appliances on these plans and charging the tenant to pay for them.

@Corey Gilroy - allows it or does it? I search Airbnb for listings in the area and check calendars and/or message other hosts. Make sure it cash flows whether you STR or not. Usually if you owner occupy you have more leniency than if you're solely an investor. Many places are putting 30 day lease minimums into place unless you have a short term rental license where you report to them (revenues are usually taxed 10-15%, on Airbnb this is paid by the booking party).