All Forum Posts by: Tracy D.

Get 2 more quotes. That seems high unless the house is super huge. Ive bought several but I try to buy my rentals at 800-1200 sq ft

That would be a good price even if all they were doing was the painting. 

I change locks between each tenant regardless of whether they turn in keys. But I keep the locks and periodically rotate them between properties. I do charge tgem if they do not return keys. 

Also, since you have no forwarding address, you need to send notice of return of security deposit to last known address by certified mail. The post office may be able to forward it but you need to be able to prove you sent in within your state legal timeframe. There are often big fines for not doing so. In my state, the tenant could collect 3x monthly rent if I couldnt prove I did it and it was contested. 

 How is it accusatory? He said he felt his negotiations were impeded just by racism and unconscious bias. I suggested that perhaps his negotiation skills may not be as good as his wifes. He used her as his test per his own words. Either way, if his situation is going to improve, he has to improve it. Maybe he needs to work on his skills. Maybe he needs to work on his approach. If what he was doing isnt working, and he wants a different result, something has to change with him. You cant change everybody else (or even one other person), but you can change your own result when you change the way you approach the obstacle in your way. 

 We may just have to agree to disagree. 

 Ok. Since there are a couple of you that seem to think you know me, let me tell you a little bit about my privelege. I have not always been where I am now. And my response was not meant to be hostile or even subtly so. But it is a fact that if you can't look into yourself and see what you might be doing wrong to stand in your own way of success and instead look for others to blame for your failure, your chances of being successful are greatly diminished. Blaming others does nothing to empower yourself. Until you find a way to fix your own inadequacies and overcome the obstacles that you yourself put in front of you, you are never going to change the way others deal with you. you have to start with you. 

Yes, today I live in Neptune Beach. Yes today I have a nice house in a very nice neighborhood. Yes today I am at least in the top 20% of income earners in the United States. But I worked my tail off to get here and I had to overcome quite a bit too. I didn't grow up with the privelege that you may seem to think when you see my pic or what city I am in. In fact, I was born in Alabama to extremely poor parents and grew up with my two sisters in a run down 2 bedroom trailer in a rundown trailer park. My family was so poor that many days we went to school without food. My mom would scrape together change when she could to buy flour and we would have pancakes for dinner because we at least had water to make the pancakes. Sometimes I was lucky enough to get second hand shoes and would wear them so long that when they would get holes we would tape them together so they wouldn't fall off because shoes were required at school. I was constantly made fun of at school because my clothes never fit and sometimes didn't even match. It was all I had. My dad was an alcoholic and my mom was abusive. I was pregnant at 18 and my daughters dad who loved me so much took off as soon as he found out. This is the privelege that I grew up in. If I accepted what I was born into, I should still be in that trailer park today and maybe getting food stamps and welfare. Right?

After my daughter was born, I worked 2 jobs and went to college at night to get by. I decided I wanted more than what was given to me. I decided I wanted to learn all I could and become something better and give my daughter a better life than I had. It took me 10 years to get my bachelors degree that way but I eventually finished. And then I continued to work 2 jobs to keep trying to make things better. And when I say 2 jobs, I mean literally 80 hours a week. I did it for 14 years. I eventually met a friend and mentor who was into both real estate and network marketing that showed me there is a better way. I didn't grow up knowing how to do this. I just knew I wanted better and was willing to change whatever I had to change and do whatever I had to do to get better. I took speaking classes at Toastmasters for years and every home improvement class at Lowes and Home Depot I could. I saved every penny and bought the crappiest houses and fixed them completely myself so I could save the money to buy more instead of paying others.....all while at least still working full time. I snowballed one into another and then another and then another. Today I can do anything I want because for so long I did everything I had to do. 

Does discrimination exist? Yes, I am sure it does. It exists both ways actually. Just as you took one look at where I live and my pic and decided I was privledged, I am sure many may look at you and decide things about you. The thing is, blaming racism or blaming others is not empowering. You have to take responsibility for your life and change what you don't like. You have to make yourself be the absolute best you can and you have to do whatever it takes to get what you want. You can not do that if you blame other people. You have to put that out of your head. It exists. And it sucks. But it can be overcome. Anything can be overcome if you want it bad enough. That is all I am saying.

Check my priveledge? That is how you respond when I suggest you look at other ways you may not be as competent as your wife?? Really if this is how you see the world, then perhaps you should examine your own racial biases. Do you know anything about me or where I came from or what Ive been thru? Check my privledge. Ok man. Figures the one screaming about racial biases cant see he is the one that has them

Maybe your wife is a better speaker or negotiator. Maybe she better presents the information needed to get the deal done. Look at yourself and your approach first before you scream discrimination. That will get you no where

If I were you, I would just look for qualified tenants. You have too much yet to learn before you move on to the next level. On a side note.... if you change your mentality to look for win- win deals instead of selfishly seeking what you can steam-roll someone for, you will find yourself more successful in the long run. 

I do not speak to them anymore. I give them my lawyers # and leave it at that.