All Forum Posts by: Shaun C.

I'm down with tenants that know how to use Google and YouTube to search for solutions to their problems and not making them mine. I'm not their mom or dad. I'm more than happy to show them how to do things if I ever drop by and have to fix something; but beyond that, everything is on the internet. Look it up.

Are you also going to ask them to fill out a survey about how much alcohol they use weekly? If they curse? If they attend church? Their political affiliation? Not your business. Assume everyone has a gun and act accordingly. I admire the thought, and just like it's their right to have a gun, it's your right to do business with whoever you want; but I think it's a bad idea for business.

Why are you using your tenants bathroom? Complete invasion of privacy unless you have permission.

Most people don't just jump into an 8 unit for this very same reason. You need to have 20-30% liquid for a down payment unless you can convince your seller to carry the note until you have enough cash from your flipping activities to put down for a commercial loan. If you had multiple other properties, hopefully with enough equity, you could just do a portfolio loan and have the cash. Also, I would be very apprehensive about just jumping into an 8 unit. Are you sure you don't want to start out small so you can learn the ins and outs before taking on something this big?

I err on the side of common sense. I understand the desire to nix it; but I'm also young and live in Michigan, so on a cold summer night, or come October/November, we like to have friends over around a fire. I assume the people that rent from me like to do the same since they're a similar demographic.

If you got sued, is a jury REALLY going to say you were at fault if you had the permit and a conforming bonfire pit? If the tenant or one of their friends got wasted and fell in...that's on them. I find it hard to believe a jury wouldn't see that too.

Why would they? Their rent rate is in line with their responsibilities. They basically get cheaper rent (per sf) than the upstairs because they are doing the work and taking the liability off of me. I figure lawn and snow would cost about $800/yr so I charge about $70/m in rent less than would if I included it.

I've got a duplex in Michigan and I just have the lower tenant do it. In the lease, it also states that they understand that now all liability lays on them, and that they will coordinate shoveling/salting/lawn maintenance if they cannot keep up with it within the city's requirements.

You are more than welcome to increase rents whenever you and your tenant agree through a signed lease addendum, which is why you'd want to ask them about it and see if they're open to it. I wouldn't move forward with it unless both agreed to a $15-25/m increase.

You can ask your tenants that you're considering adding parking, but only if they would be open to an increase in rent for street parking. Otherwise, depending on how your leases are staggered; it may not ever really make sense. FWIW, we pay about $4-6/sf for concrete pours in Metro Detroit.

The longest MySmartMove has ever taken for me was a week and that was with a recent college grad with no credit but a great job (8x rent), so I accepted. Every other time has been the same day.