All Forum Posts by: Robert Marek

Hello - All of our bathrooms need some attention.  Most are 1950's style pink, blue and yellow tile, which i think is awesome.  However, we have a few tubs that need to be either refinished or replaced.  They appear to be structurally fine, so I am hoping that we can get away with refinishing.

When I was real estate shopping last year I saw many of these bathrooms and the agents always said oh this bathroom can just be refinished by just "spraying" them white.  I made a mental note of that but didn't think further about it.  I did see some pictures and the bathrooms look just like mine, but all white and brand new looking.  

Does anyone have any experience with this?  Is there some technique to spray a bathroom to give it a new look and feel, and is it durable?

Would like to know about any experience with this and or suggestions.  I have a tub right now that needs help, its pretty big and I would prefer not to replace it.  We want it done right away.  

Thank you,

Robert

Greetings -

I am considering turning my condo in DC into a corporate rental.  Are there any DC owners on this site that are doing this?  There is a cost involved which a little more than what I expected but I am more concerned about investing the money without really knowing what to expect regarding rates and occupancy.  I have been corresponding with a management company, and they have provided some estimates, but how do I really know if it will be successful?

If anyone has any experience with owning a corporate rental in DC I would like to hear your experiences.  The condo is located in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area so I think it has potential for this purpose.  There are new rental buildings all around this part of the city, which I believe is suppressing rental rates, and this is why I want to try something new with the corporate rental. 

Any advice appreciated.

Thank you,

Robert

Thank you, one problem regarding rent payment is that our tenants generally pay by cash, so one of us currently has to meet with tenants in person to collect the rent.  I More than half of the residents do not have bank accounts and I believe this is fairly common in the neighborhood.

We have a slew of evictions coming up and would love for someone to just handle it. 

Thank you for the suggestions.

Robert

Hello -

Does anyone know if management companies exist that handle rent collection and evictions only?  We do not need help with maintenance.  We are in NJ, Elizabeth. Newark area.

Thank you,

Robert

The letter would have to include a few bullets, for example:

Dear Residents:
In order to provide a safe and comfortable environment for all tenants, the following rules will be enforced:
• Loitering outside the building is not permitted.
• Personal items cannot be kept in common areas including front and back porch, parking lot, laundry room, halls and stairways. Items found in these locations will be promptly discarded
• There is a recycle bin in the laundry room. Please place only laundry refuse in these containers. Remember – We have cameras.
•
Thank you for your cooperation

Any thoughts?

Greetings -

This is about a 25 unit building in Elizabeth, NJ. The building has been managed by my parents for 30 years, and I have recently moved in to assist with management.

We have a problem with tenant loitering in the back of our building which exits to the parking lot and is a frequently used entrance/exit for most tenants. It has become rather frequent over the summer. They play loud music, use alcohol and other substances, are generally loud and sometimes even have cookouts. They have placed their own chairs outside the entrance ways and it looks terrible. There are cigarette butts everywhere. We never liked this but have not said anything yet.

Other tenants have been complaining and we know we need to do something about this. What has sent me over the edge is that we have an apartment for rent and I was looking forward to filling it from a referral from an existing good tenant. She recently told me that her friend passed by the building one day and saw people out back hanging out, drinking and smoking recreational drugs. Needless to say that person is not interested. Therefore I am highly motivated to resolve this issue ASAP.

I recognize that we should have taken action sooner. That being said, I would like advice on how to proceed from this point forward. We would like there to be no loitering outside at all.

We are considering writing a letter to distribute to all tenants that states that there is to be no loitering outside the building. Is this the best way to proceed? Is it legal for us to prohibit loitering? Where can I find a sample letter?

I will have lots of further questions, but I wanted to post this now to get a discussion going to help me write a letter and/or take some action later but soon. I am at work right now and don't have time to write more.

Please advise!

Robert

I'm not an expert yet as I have just recently rejoined the family business, but one problem in NJ is that it costs a few hundred dollars to begin the eviction process, at least here in Elizabeth.  Then, the tenant has the option to just pay the rent and be allowed to stay.  This is one reason starting the eviction process may not be automatic as soon as rent is late.

I also prefer to not live in a place that I own.  Anytime I did that, I ended up moving and renting it out because I felt like I was wasting money.  For me, its always been less expensive overall to rent a place to live.  

Hello -

In my building, the apartments have old gas stoves/ranges, and recently I lost one black rectangular drip pan, grill piece, and knob. I took them to Home Depot to compare them to what they may have available (nothing), and I left them in the shopping cart - they are gone.

I can't figure put what brand the stove is.  It is installed and I hope I don't have to pull it out. There is no indication of the brand anywhere where that I can see on the inside or outside.

I'm hoping someone can help. Please see the attached photos.  It is 20" wide.  The building was built in the 50's so I'm guessing the stove is from that era as well.  

Is anyone familiar with this type of stove?  Can you tell what brand it is?  Does anyone have any recommendations on where i can get such parts?

Thank you,

Robert

Hi - Picking up this thread...you mentioned "just make sure it includes registering the property with DCRA (which is separate from the business license)."

I have a rental in DC and am not sure what this means. I have a DC business license for the rental....what is DCRA?