All Forum Posts by: Sylvia B.

@Eric Bilderback and @Chris B. I wish I could vote more than once for a post! I'd give each of you 10 votes for your posts.

Those of you who want to donate money, that's great, but know who you are giving to and what you are paying for. That goes for any charity you support. But really, you will do more good by simply being the best landlord you can be. Be fair, be respectful, be a good human. Encourage the good that you see and do something about the bad. Give to those around you who are in need. That's the way to change the world.

All of my tenants are responsible for yard care and snow/ice removal. We have only SFHs, and they all know from the start that this is their responsibility. We don't deal with Section 8, but if we did, those tenants would be no different than those who aren't getting assistance.

If we notice grass getting a little too tall I'll text the tenant and ask them to mow, but when we notice a well-kept yard, we also text about that, thanking them.

We have it a little easier than some of you. If there are complaints about a yard it's the resident that gets the fine, not the landowner, at least for a SFH. Unpaid utilities are also the problem of whoever's name is on the account. The city will shut off utilities, and they will not set them up with a new account at another address until all past due bills are paid. As a landlord, I'm happy to have one less thing to worry about.

We replaced the main line on a house we bought 5 years ago and everything was fine until we got a new tenant last year, when we started having all kinds of issues. We had our plumber out with his roto-rooter several times, running it all the way to the street. The city jetted the line. But every 4-5 weeks it would back up again.

Turned out the problem was in the middle of the street, where our line turned straight down to join with the city line.

When the city filled in the giant hole they had dug for us to redo our connection 5 years ago, the backfill was not done right. A gap was left that allowed the weight of the street traffic to eventually break the pipe right at the 90 degree angle, which allowed it to fill with gravel. So the vertical 6 feet from the joint to the city line was packed full of chat.

If you start typing at the red arrow, your reply will be included in the quote. If you type at the green arrow, your reply will be separate from the quote.

 Just click/touch a little ways down from the text you are quoting. When you start typing, if your text looks light and slanted, you didn't leave enough space. Click farther down and start over.

@Steve Morris Are you having trouble with the quote function?

 Yes, and I've also been told by people who work for USPS - including my postmaster - that that is all lies and exaggerations. I've also seen video of a postal worker dumping bins of letters in the dumpster.

UPS is just as bad. I recently had a package take 32 days to travel from OK to MO. It took them 3 days to drive from Olathe to Kansas City (30 minute trip) and 16 days to get it from Kansas City to St. Louis. Maybe they ran out of trucks and had to ride a bike.

I sent a package from southern MO to northwest AR - 3 hour drive. It went to Kansas City, Memphis, Oklahoma, Springfield MO, Little Rock, then to its destination - 9 days.

Still driving the same vehicles we were 6 years ago - 2006 Honda CRV and a 2000 Chevy pickup (I mistakenly said it was a 1998). The CRV has 116k miles on it now, but still looks pretty good. The pickup is up to 110k, the paint is peeling off the hood, and it has several dents that weren't there before, but Hubby likes it, so I guess it'll stay in the family for a while.

I still don't give a second thought to what people think. We don't brag or flaunt what we have, but we don't hide who we are, either.

All 12 renters have paid early or on time all year, just as they always do. 

One tenant did have a small issue this month, however. For 7 years he has paid rent through his bank's bill pay system. They mail us a paper check, which always arrives on the 30th, 1st, or 2nd, depending on what day of the week the 1st falls on. So when we checked the mail on the 3rd and it wasn't there, I texted him.

He called his bank and they told him it was mailed on the 26th, so he put a stop payment on it. The next morning he went to the bank and got the rent in cash and brought it to us. I told him if the check ever arrived I'd let him know and shred it.

It finally got to us on the 10th.

What is USPS doing? Why can Amazon ship me something by USPS and it gets to me in 2 days from clear across the country, but a check sent from within the same state takes 15 days? Craziness!

My "always" list is short: remove wallpaper and paint neutral colors. Everything else is evaluated for each house.

I prefer no carpet in rentals, but if carpet is already there I don't replace it unless it is worn, stained, or an atrocious color. Or if it's in the bath or kitchen - that goes no matter what.

Kitchens and baths are the most likely rooms to need more work, but exactly what is done is different for each house. Some need nothing more than updated plumbing and light fixtures, some need the cabinets painted or replaced and/or new tops, others need a full gut. I never use granite countertops. It is not expected in my market, and would be a waste of money.

We put engineered hardwood in 3 houses, but will not use it again. It scratches very easily, separates in high traffic areas, and delaminates with exposure to water. We use vinyl plank or sheet vinyl.

 No, I would not use such a method as I know how I would respond if I was on the receiving end. Have you had any success with this, or is it all still theoretical?