All Forum Posts by: Tom R.

I'm trying to rent out my first investment property and I decided to go with turbo tenant to advertise and screen my tenants because it sounded easy. I had heard that they also do rent collections but it turns out they no longer offer that which is disappointing.

I got my first applicant yesterday and I'm a bit disappointed. Turbo tenant recommends I accept this person based on their credit score which is just over 600 but looking at the credit report I have no idea how they have a credit score that high. In the past 2 years this person has over 30 over due bills and 23 collections reports some of which are paid off but most are not.

Also there are no personal references on the application and no contact information for past or current landlords. She put her own number for the contact of her current landlord and employer WTF.

 Most yards have some sort of landscaping but rock is uncommon. Even in a B+ neighborhood only about half of the yards have either grass or rock. Most people around here consider rock to be high maintenance because there is a type of grass that grows here that will grow through it that is almost impossible to kill. The grass needs no watering and almost no sunlight. I've see the stuff grow through asphalt. You have to dig up the entire yard down several feet and put in clean earth to get rid of it and then if any returns you have to pull it immediately before it starts sending out shoots. You can manage it with regular weed killer treatments but it always comes back withing a few weeks.

 No RECENT criminal history.  If you want to rent to recently released drug addict or armed robber go ahead. Id rather they trash your place than mine. I'm all about second chances but my applicants have to have a proven tract record.  I require a minimum of 3 years after a misdemeanor and 7 years after a non violent felony. Most criminals repeat their crimes after release unfortunately. I wont even rent to someone with a long tract sheet no matter how long since their last charge. 

I am speaking from experience. I have a criminal history myself and was once addicted to drugs. I considered myself the victim even though I committed the crime. It took years to change my behavior even though I had convinced everyone that I had changed almost immediately after I was arrested. I would like to believe in the best of man but I know the worst of man comes first.

 That comparable rental is a 2 bedroom apartment with no yard and not listed sq footage. Zillow is horrible about things like that. 

Also none of the houses I grew up in  in this community had more than a few trees in the front yard. Dust storms in the desert are relatively common it doesn't matter what kind of yard you have there is going to be dust.

 That's great I've always been bad at writing stuff like this. Its wired because I am an artist and engineer. I can make something real that has never existed but I have a hard time describing something that is real.

I agree. I went shopping today I purchased a sign for the yard and priced some plants for the yard. I chose a shade tree and few flowering shrubs. I will add a small palm tree which I have been growing in a pot for a couple of years and some blue agave that I have been wanting to move. I will also look into having new pictures taken professionally. 

 This is the Mojave Desert. We get less than 5" of rainfall per year.

It is a small town pretty much every B- and below is within a couple of blocks of business district. There's a tire store next to city hall.  I didn't expect having a few businesses the next street away to have much of an effect. Especially since this is the only 3 BR house available in town for less than 1k.

Thanks for the advice. I advertised my house through turbo tenant and selected the picture order. I don't know why the trulia listing has the picture order differently. I thinned down the pictures to the best. I've been working on the yard which was over grown when I bought it. I made 4 trips to the dump with just yard waste. I plan to plant 2 trees with a couple bushes or something. Not a lot of landscaping being done in town now that we have designated watering days and times.