All Forum Posts by: Mark H.

18-20" tiles are the standard in my area. Perhaps lay them on the diagonal, or consider a multi-tile "pattern", real stone, or "wood plank" tiles to spice things up. If its a small space, the cost per sq foot isn't an issue. If you're looking at a tile the depot or lowes has, buy a couple of each tile & set them out in the room to see what really works - the depot will accept returns for single tiles, so you're not risking anything...

If the tile is available in multiple sizes, I'd look at trying a pattern with matching colors, but different size tiles.. Maybe 16 x 16's with 6x6's ?

I've never heard anyone call patterned tile "dated", and it makes the room size hard to measure by counting tiles, which I think is a good thing in a small area..

http://www.marazzitile.com/patterns

In Az, the broker's license fees are higher, and so is the continuing ed requirement. We have lots of brokers that you can hang your salesperson's license at for a minimal fee - $25~ish per month. I wouldn't worry too much about liability as a salesperson, probably half or more of re agents in my area work exclusively for themselves or close friends/family.

A few years back, I had a job repossessing TV's and appliances for a rent-a-center type business. I went out on Christmas eve and repo'd a fridge, washer/dryer and a stove from the same customer. The customer called us, she was tired of the (weekly) payments & was glad we came right out. She (and all the customers i dealt with) knew if they didn't pay, the business would hound her incessantly, sue her, and smear her credit.

Those same customers *know* that many landlords are "softies" who will "buy" an excuse, or a tearful story & they use that to their own advantage.

I've got $5 that says that this tenant has a better smartphone than you, and a more deluxe cable-tv package than you do. And I'd be willing to bet that the phone and the cable bill are paid in full and current - because cell and cable companies don't take excuses, they shut you off pronto. There's no guilt, remorse, or soul-searching, you didn't pay, the toys go away.

In my area, it isn't standard practice, but it is fairly common, perhaps 20-30% of the pm contracts I've seen had provisions like this. I've yet to see a pm contract I could live with as an owner, that's why I manage my own.

Fine, call me a wet blanket if you want, but what you're asking of the sellers is unreasonable. They have property taxes, utilities & insurance to pay for while you're trying to "wholesale" this property. If you cant perform, you will have wasted their time and their money, with no intention of making them whole. You've misrepresented yourself to them as a "buyer", when you *arent* a buyer. If you can't tell the sellers the truth about what you're doing, then your business model is a sham.

You want to lock up a property for 30 days at under market value, with a $10 *refundable* deposit?

Wow.

It's rampant In my area as well- kinda frustrating to see "insider" short-sales closing at half retail, but the banks don't care, and no one else has any right to intervene.

I think you'll find that the answer is no. The heart of the matter is that you're marketing property for someone else & collecting a fee - that requires a license.

Your contractor is an idiot. Concrete doesn't "rot", and you don't have a wet basement. The dry lock paint is noxious & expensive, but it works & sticks like mad. I'd definitely use it.

Those national warranty companies have terrible reputations. Managing repairs can't be done remotely - if you look at auto dealerships as a model, they have "zone" reps to minimize the fraud and the graft - the home repair business is going to be harder to manage by a factor of ten at the least. There are national players in some categories of home repair that do an *adequate* (but not a great) job in their specialty, but they cost a lot more than the local guys.

In tenant-friendly states, creating a repair bureaucracy will lead to a massive set of unintended consequences. The temptation to juice the returns by selecting the low-cost supplier will be unbearable. Big businesses & hedge funds can't see past the next quarterly statement, so the idea of a "wall mart" landlord/property manager is going to be an unmitigated disaster for the tenants and whomever is fronting their cash. No doubt the pig-men will collect massive bonuses for all of their "financial innovation", yet again.