Well I had a cute post all ready for today...pics of the kids included. But of course Blogger is sucking and I can't upload my pictures! Those of you out there who blog under anything but Blogger, leave a comment, tell me about the system you use and the benefits/drawbacks. I'm so sick of Blogger. Of course I just got this great new template and would not want to lose it by switching!!
Okay, so now I have to blog about something else...here goes..
If you dont know already we're planning on moving soon. Rentals are hard to come by in this town. Either you pay an arm and a leg for a nice house in town, or you pay what you can afford and get a crapper on the bad end of town. Now we're looking to pay no more than $700/mo. That is a lot of money for a rental, and to pay that and live in a house that sucks, is so not worth it. Right now we have a fairly nice house on a good end of town...but because our rent is average, we pay out the butt for utilities!! Our gas bill through the winter was higher than our rent.
Well, we looked at a house this weekend in an area that's about 15 minutes from town. It's a private community with a lake. To live there you pay member dues and get access to all three beaches, the indoor and outdoor pool and the golf course and club house. Now if you rent out there the dues are included in your rent. The nice part about living there is all the homes are nice and fairy affordable rent-wise. But the drawback is that you're 15 minutes from town(and that's just if you live near the front of the lake). It's more like 25 minutes if you live near the back side.
Okay, so we looked at a home there. It was nice, but too small for a family of 4. Turned out though, that the landlord was someone who W and I rented off of before Punk was born. He called last night to see what we thought of the house and W was honest and told him it was just too small. But he surprised us by offering us our old house back.
Now we loved that house, but it was even further than the lake from town. But we LOVED that house!!! I dont even remember why we moved...I think we were tired of the drive. After that surprise he double surprised us. Later in the year(we dont know when yet, he's calling Will later today) he will allow us to move into a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 3 car garage, on 3 corner lots house at the lake. Now we wouldn't be ON the lake, but in that community. We're taking it!! W's going to find out later today how long it'll be until that house comes available. If it's only going to be a couple of months we'll just stay here, but if it isn't until spring then we'll move to our old house and then into the lake house.
Moving twice will suck. But to get an affordable NICE house with all the perks of living in that private lake community...that would be too cool!
Funny how things work out. I'm going to start packing this week. Theres a lot of stuff in this house that we dont need on a daily basis and to get a head start on the packing would be so nice!
1 year ago
Posts
3 comments:
Oh wow! That sounds so nice...I hope you guys can just move right into the community, because moving DOES suck.
God bless that man for offering that to you guys.
The 4 Bdr sounds great. Hope you get it sooner rather than later...Good Luck!
Tips for Being a Successful Landlord
In today’s apartment rental market there are several things that are “must do’s” for becoming a successful landlord. The reason you’re playing the real estate rental game is to have the check in your mailbox on the first of the month, right? Here are a few tips that can help you to achieve this with as little aggravation and frustration possible.
First and foremost is finding the right tenant to rent your apartment, house or other rental. This is the most important ingredient in the recipe. Checking the prospective tenant’s credit history to make sure they are paying their bills is one of the best ways you can screen. A tenant that pays their bills on time most likely will send you their rent on time. Establish a clear system on collecting rent, handling complaints from the tenant and how you will contact them if you need to gain access to the apartment.
Secondly, get all the important terms of the tenancy in writing. You have the option to have a basic rental agreement or draw up a formal lease. Whichever you decide, the important thing is to document the terms that you and the tenant agreed to. Clarify who is paying the utilities, the rental price and any other agreements made between you and your tenant.
It’s a good idea to stay on top of the repair and maintenance needs of your property. When you are notified of something that is broken or not working, repair it as soon as possible to prevent further damages. You may also lawfully enable the tenant to withhold rent, sue for injuries caused by defective conditions or move out without notice.
On a similar topic make sure you are carrying enough property and liability insurance to cover yourself in any situation. A well designed insurance program can protect your rental property from losses caused by everything from fire and storms to burglary, vandalism, and personal injury lawsuits.
I hope that this has been helpful to you. Just remember, as long as you follow these simple tips you will be on your way to a happy and fulfilling landlord future. Best of luck!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Goldstein, associated with www.AllSpaces.com which Conveniently Connects All People with All Spaces in All Places, has been dedicated to the real estate rental market for over 8 years. He has assisted over 25,000 landlords with their renting needs. Any questions about renting apartments, houses or other rentals feel free to visit www.AllSpaces.com or email him at Eric@AllSpaces.com.
Post a Comment