All Forum Posts by: Steve Babiak

I suggest you try to locate a local landlord group and see what they might have for a recommendation.

In the Phila PA area, there is a landlord group called HAPCO (you can google to locate the website), and they have an arrangement with an attorney who spends a load of time in landlord tenant court doing evictions. The arrangement they have provides that member landlords can use this attorney's services at specific fixed fees, depending on whether one chooses to have the attorney handle only certain aspects of the eviction, or whether the attorney handles the entire eviction process.

Makes for evictions to be somewhat more affordable.

"The monthly fee is $130 and covers exterior M+R as well as insurance."

That "insurance" is to cover the HOA; you will probably still need to get a policy for your own protection.

Welcom to BP James. You can expect Dick Green to drop by with a welcome real soon. Hard to beat him to the welcome.

Here's a thread that answers how to find comps:

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/35061-how-do-i-find-info-on-past-sales-in-an-area-

The bedbugs hide in crevices (any type of crack will do) and in fabrics. Removal of electrical covers (switch and outlet plates) prior to extermnation is recommended. Removal AND disposal of all fabrics (carpet, carpet pad, curtains, clothing, furniture, etc.) is also going to be recommended. If there is any warranty from the exterminator, it will probably require that those recommended things be performed.

Three treatments is the norm for bedbugs. Don't be surprised if both dust and fogger are used.

In a SFH, landlord should be certain to have in the lease that extermination is the tenant's obligation; in a multi-unit, it's almost always going to be the landlord's job.

If you don't want a tenant to stay on at the end of lease, be sure to provide all notices as stipulated in the lease, and be sure to comply with all landlord tenant law. If tenant does not voluntarily leave, you then have to do an eviction. Your tenant may bring up code violations (failure to exterminate), and that can derail the eviction process. Usually, in order to successfully evict, you will have to be code compliant or prove completely (without a doubt) that any code violation was caused / inflicted by the tenant. Could be tough to do with the matter of extermination; in row homes, bugs will move from house to house.

There are many reports of people acquiring the bedbugs while traveling; the hotel stay, with luggage and clothing, has been found to allow for the bedbug to "stowaway" and emerge at the travelers home.

zillow can show comparable sales - you just have to not believe the zestimate amount for valuation.

county websites can sometimes be searched for this sort of info too, depending on what data they provide and how their search interface is set up.

Here are a couple of threads that go into what some rehabbers have paid per sq ft, and some even offer before / after photos.

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/29363-gut-rehab-semi-gut-

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/21771-gut-rehab-costs

You might also want to look at the "related posts" that show up at the top of the thread for more info.

An example of when it would hurt is: Say you have a credit card that is one of your oldest items being reported on your credit, and that you have managed it well over the years. And that you never charge it to more than say 60% of available limit. DO NOT CANCEL that type of card, since it gives you a very good credit score.

An example of a card you might want to cancel: Departmnet store, with very low limit.

Also, you have to keep in mind that the scoring systems are based on how much you have charged with respect to your overall limit. If you cancel a card that has been paid down, you are just lowering your overall limit, so this would not be good (except maybe if you don't owe on any other debts - unlikely).

One thing that I hear has been happening is that folks are having their credit card limit lowered, while they have an outstanding balance, and then that balance with respect to the new limit exceeds 50% of available creidt. That hurts the score, and not much you can do about it unless you can get the old limit back.