All Forum Posts by: Angie B.

@Frank S., thanks for the feedback and additional input.  Your use of google forms is a great idea!  The system I setup still works pretty well, but I would be willing to pay for a service that does all that I have setup (marketing-online syndication and phone voicemail, +online scheduler+email responder).  It's a bit of a hassle upfront every time, but ALWAYS worth it in the end, as I don't take any phonecalls anymore, and everything usually rents out in ONE two-hour window of MY choosing.  

Absolutely @Greg H.!  We do intend to occupy it (if we even win the bid- this is all hypothetical at the moment), we just were trying to figure out the timeline on getting our current property ready to sell, and what would be easier to work on while still living here vs. after moving across town.  We usually buy investment properties to rent out rather than to live in, and wonder sometimes if all those deals we miss out on because they went owner-occupant were legit.  So it is nice to finally run across something that made us want to move and taken advantage of the O/O status!

Thanks, @Matt Turbitt, in this case I am the realtor! But I am still a newbie agent, although we've purchased HUD homes, bank REOs, Fannie, Freddie, etc, before, so not as new as an investor. Here is what makes this case different- we are paying cash as an owner occupant. Not too common maybe, but HUD doesn't require the 60 days occupancy- I finally got a response back from the listing agent after going over the contract package several times. They only require 12 months like you mention. The 60 days often comes into play with a mortgage on a primary residence. The lender requires you to occupy within 60 days. HUD is silent on the issue (at least as far as I can tell). Maybe this has changed in recent years, but at least that is what I am finding today.

Does anyone know how soon the owner needs to occupy the property? I tried searching for this, but all I could find is that under the Good Neighbor program, it could be 30, 90, or 180 days that you have to actually move in after closing (depending on repairs needed). I am looking at a normal HUD in OO period (not Good Neighbor) and I don't see anywhere stated in the contract package a certain number of days required to move in by, just that you have to occupy it for at least 12 months.

@Max T.- that is a GREAT tip, and I think it is perfect for my landlord friends that don't want to go through the setup like I did with a booking site.  However, you still have to talk to people up front, correct?  I just personally don't like to spend time doing that. I know property managers that swear by those phonecalls, using them to effectively screen people, but it was just something I hated doing.  The online booking was a game-changer for me, and I've had several prospective tenants who have told me they really liked the system, how easy it was to book an appointment, knowing they had 10 minutes of a private showing rather than an awkward group thing- they just thought the whole process felt really professional.  

@Kevin B. , I'm so glad it has worked out for you, and thanks for sharing the way you use it.  I like the comment/question part, as sometimes there is a simple question they need to ask before the appointment.  

I really think this is the best method, as it effectively screens out anyone that can't seem to follow directions.  HOWEVER, I think there is room here for a business to setup something like this, as most investors won't go through the setup that Kevin and I have, yet would like something to set up appointments.  ShowMoJo is too expensive for what it offers.  I would really like to see something that automatically replies to sites like Zillow, Hotpads, Craigslist, etc in addition to scheduling (this is more difficult than it sounds, since I have to use a combination of vacation response, canned responses with filter through google, and a zapier automation).  

I also get a ton of leads now from a Facebook group I set up, called "Northland Homes for Rent" as the area of Kansas City we invest in is referred to as the "northland".  It now has over 3K members, and since I'm the moderator, I keep it pretty clean (no advertising for anything other than properties for rent).  When I post a property, I include the youcanbook.me link and I usually have several appointments booked from that post.  Of the last two tenants I placed in our properties, one found it through that FB group, and the other from the sign in the yard (yes, that still works).  :)

You know what, I didn't end up using it. I don't remember exactly why, but I ended up going with 

Rentec Direct instead, which has both management as well as accounting and autopay abilities. I really like it.

My sister-in-law had her husband install the smart core flooring from Lowe's and loves it.  I think it is comparable to the Allure Ultra that is better for areas with potential moisture (bathrooms, basements, etc).  We've also used Allure (regular) in rentals and another similar product from Sam's Club.  I don't think it has to be from Home Depot, just check to make sure it's a similar product and read the reviews.  Good luck!

I have a property we are flipping that needed some roof repair, and one of the contractors we had out to bid it, mentioned that we had a recent hail storm and that we ought to try to make a claim. Once he said that, I remembered getting some hail, as we lived nearby, but I hadn't given it much thought. Long story short, we got a new roof completely paid for.  Since we have other rental properties in the area of the storm, we are getting those checked out too.  It made me wonder, since some people on here are out of state investors, and even for local ones, do you use any kind of hail storm software or alert subscription to stay on top of this sort of thing?  If so, which services do you suggest and how much do they cost or are they free?

Found this old thread and wanted to revive it to see if there are any better options, now that it is 2016?  I am a realtor and my brokerage uses formsrus.com, and I really like how it is organized and pre-populates contracts, etc.  I could see this being really helpful with the rental properties I manage, in fact I called and they have a setup specifically for property management, but I'm not ready to shell out $49.95/mo (the price for a small business like mine).  Any online suggestions?  Or just purchase Adobe Acrobat PRO?