All Forum Posts by: Sarah Young

I would love to be on a group like that!

ok, thanks for clarifying, @Elijah F.!

I recently put new tenants into one of our rentals.  The employer is paying the rent and it is being direct-deposited into my bank account. The tenant sent me a W-9 form to be filled out and returned to his employer.  Is this common? I'm leery of being seen as a W-9 employee by their company. Do I have to fill this out and return it? What happens if I don't? WWYD? 

Thanks!

Christopher B. Thanks for the advice. I will heed it and set firm boundaries asap. I think that's what I needed to hear. I wanted to accommodate with the fence, but I see how we may have opened Pandora's box, and need to shut it.

Thanks, Jd Martin Would you allow them to instal the disposal on their own dime? I feel like it's an improvement to the home, but do you think it will be more hassle to have? Don't most homes have them nowadays though?

Do you have a designated place in the house where the puppies could be contained? Our dog had puppies in our last house, and I kept her and the puppies in a large walk-in closet (no carpet). We made a nice little nest for them out of towels, and large dog bed, and cardboard. If there is a place you could designate that the puppies must stay, maybe there wouldn't be damage? We had zero damage from our puppies, but they never were allowed to roam our house. I would charge the normal pet deposit and pet rent (the mama dog would demand that). If you're really worried, maybe a bigger pet deposit? I would base a lot of my decision on the type of person the pet owner is. Does she seem responsible? Clean? Worried about caring for the home? I base a lot on my gut feeling, and so far, I've not had issues when I trust my gut. What does your gut tell you about this tenant?

This is awesome!! Congrats, BP!

We are moving out of our home and have renters moving in. This home is large, very well kept, and in a very nice neighborhood. The tenants moving in are wealthy and have expensive taste. (Just to paint the picture for you 😉). Prior to signing the lease, the tenant requested a few things, one being a privacy fence for the backyard to replace the one side that has chain link fencing. We obliged, because we had been wanting to do it anyway, and I wanted to retain this tenant as this family felt like the best party interested, by far. My husband is currently building the fence, but we are short on both time and money as we are moving across the country and purchasing another home in the next two weeks, and hubby has been working 100+ hour weeks the last 3 weeks. It's challenging, but we are making it happen because we agreed to it. A few days ago, the tenant texted me asking if there was any way we could have a garbage disposal installed. The house is almost 100 years old, and doesn't have one. My husband could easily instal one (he's done them before), but we have so many projects with moving and getting both of our rentals in this town ready to rent on the same day we move, that we just don't have time. I told her we are short on both time and money, so we couldn't contribute either at this time. She said she would get a bid and let me know. Then today she texted "should I just go ahead and get it installed and we can square up later?" I never committed to paying for it, and I don't know that I want to pay for it. But if it's an improvement to my home (which I didn't request or agree to doing), do I contribute part? I was thinking of saying we would buy materials (the disposal), and she could pay for labor. Because if we had more time, my husband would be installing it and we wouldn't be paying for labor, but we would be paying materials. Thoughts? How have you all handled situations like this in the past? Thanks for your help!

I would be interested in joining any type of group where I can connect with and learn from other investors! My husband and I are currently purchasing our third investment property, but I still feel like a novice. I think @Carolyn L. might be interested in something like this too. She's a master networker. 

We move to Charleston in 2 weeks. Would love to get together with others asap after that! 

@John Semanchuk has been a great Realtor in helping us find our home in Charleston. We are moving there in 2 weeks, and are in contract on a house. 

We've also used the VA loan to buy our last two properties. The 100% financing has been so awesome for us, allowing us to use as little of our own money as possible. I don't think you need to sweat the "save up your money for a down payment" idea if you're going to use the VA loan. You'll still need to have some money set aside for closing costs, but that isn't like saving for a down payment.

Best of luck to you! Maybe we will cross paths in Charleston someday! My husband is a Veteran-was in the USMC.