I must say, the house looks much better now than when she first rented it, as she has a real talent for home design and takes pride in taking care of the house and yard.

I tried to get her lower eventhough it was a GREAT deal but she wouldn't budge so I made the offer after seeing the interior/exterior pics (which were great).

I use white oil based enamel on exterior doors , rustolum (misspelled) it last a looong time .

Try the harp program, it's designed for situations just like this, and from what I understand of it, can remove negative equity based on what other properties are valued at on the appraisal.The key factor is, you need to refi the home before you rent it out, as the benefits reduce for non-owner occupied properties to the point it may not be worth it.That said, I found myself in a similar situation 2 years ago, living in a 3/2 in a nice area that was growing too small for my family.

Although I used materials and methods designed to be economical, I have always insisted on a quality of work that would be acceptable to me if I wanted to live in them.

sam, the 20% is a good idea. i have changed the exterior lights because the yearly inspectors called some out.mailbox is a good one too.i was thinking of painting the address number on the curb or on the mailbox.

I designed my company's website using Wordpress.

I can't count the times in the past 10 years that I've gotten a late payment excuse from someone wearing obviously brand new designer clothes, sporting a brand new smart phone or otherwise displaying some kind of behavior that was incongruous to their situation (new car, new tv, new bbq pit, daughter runs in and says she can't wait until they leave this weekend to go to six flags, "lost my job" but they're leaving the house freshly showered wearing their uniform....)At the end of the day, you have to do what you can live with, but if you're asking for advice, my guess is you're looking for support for what you already know you have to do.

I'm self-employed as a graphic designer and am doing business as a partnership (my husband being the partner).

I had the maps already designed prior to closing.Successful real estate investing is similar to being a successful chess player.