All Forum Posts by: Ben Skove

@Andrew Tudor Norwood has passed a new inspection law, but backed off the proposed higher fees. Initially, they were going to go from $40 for 2 years per building to $250 per unit per year for new tenants and $150 renewal. However, there is a big concern that they are going to revisit the issue now that November elections are over.

One of the reasons that they have not instituted these fees is from REIA spreading the word and having landlords contact Norwood city council.

It appears that my family will be saving a significant amount over our current policy. This is doubtlessly because we are older and have children.

For the current year, and in years past, we have had to fairly significantly increase out of pocket expenses and reduce coverage in order to keep premium increases within budget.

Gettin' older is for the birds.

I can't speak for the courses, but GCREIA is definitely worth it. Useful topics, good networking, and they keep you abreast of what's going on in the community. For instance, I wouldn't have known about Norwood's new rental registration program were it not for them.

Hi @Dan Holden ,

I'll usually set up a couple of different searches, using particular price ranges and neighborhood keywords. I've used "investor" as a keyword before as well. You have to play around with it to see what works best.

Hi all,

I'm currently using IFTTT to troll my local craigslist and email me for FSBOs and other properties meeting my criteria. I'm not entirely happy with it, though, and wonder what everyone else is using to automate and sort through the chaff?

There's a lot of...stuff to wade through, but given my last deal came through craigslist, I'm willing to put up with some. :)

@Rob K. It appears that it's the elevation of your house:.

National Flood Insurance Program FAQ

"Flood insurance premiums are lower for buildings in high-risk areas that are elevated above minimum requirements, so rebuilding higher provides immediate flood insurance benefits. Generally, the higher a building is elevated above flood levels, the lower the cost of flood insurance."

I'm going to avoid the politics of this and look at it on a personal, anecdotal level. While I don't have Section 8, my SFRs are in the same neighborhoods as some of those receiving Section 8. It appears to buffer the median rent, and perhaps boost it over what the prevailing market rate would be without it.

In that sense, you could say that I've benefited from the program without actually receiving any vouchers.

Something I've been surprised to see people not doing is something simple - being aware of their surroundings. I've seen too many people wrapped up by their smartphone or other distractions instead of being attuned to what's going on around them. Some attackers are difficult to deter, but others are just looking for a easy target...so don't "profile" as an easy target.

Other than what you and Angie have mentioned - walking the neighborhood and calling around - I've found rentometer.com to be useful at times. It shows not only current listings, but what it calls "historical rent data". Unfortunately, it doesn't list the dates for those listings, so it's impossible to tell how stale they are.

Done and done.