http://www.iboughtaduplex.com "Are you sure you can handle managing something like that?" Well, there's one sure way to find out... Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:26:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en So, I got my first applicants after only a few showings. I love love love getting applications. It's like a big scavenger hunt, calling references, checking credit, figuring out who these people are and what they're like... That, and I'm one step closer to getting a lease signed, which means ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/tenant-screening/decisons-decisions.php I don't know how many times I've said that in the past week. My unit is billed as both a 2+ and a small 3 bedroom, and totals about 1200 square feet including a large front porch. However, two of the bedrooms are quite small, and there is one common ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/finding-renters/sorry-i-have-a-maximum-of-3-people-for-that-unit.php I've started doing a few showings of the apartment upstairs. I sent a memo to my current tenants, asking them to do what they can to keep things looking neat and clean for the showings -- the nicer the apartment looks, the fewer showings there will likely be. So far, ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/advertising-and-showing-the-apartment/showing-the-apartment.php Craig's list is a great place to advertise an apartment for rent -- it seems like the only place that a lot of people look. However, each year that I've advertised there, I get at least one bite from a scammer. Here's this year's version: Hello, ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/advertising-rental-property/here-come-the-craigs-list-scams-again.php As I've said in previous posts, I put a lot of information online in my craig's list ads. I also link to page that I host myself, where I list neighborhood information, TONS of photos of the apartment, and a floor plan. Why the information overload? To cut down on ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/advertising-and-showing-the-apartment/apartment-showings-time.php And I'm happy about that. The thought of renting to people without doing that small bit of due-diligence scares the heck out of me. The whole process was actually very quick, painless, and not all that expensive. I first called Landlord2Landlord, the agency I'd been using to pull credit reports ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/tenant-screening/now-certified-to-view-full-credit-reports-on-rental-applicants.php So, I haven't been writing much lately, because, honestly, there hasn't been that much going on with the duplex lately. My tenants were in their second year of leasing, and never really seemed to have any maintenance issues to speak of. Rent was paid on time, and they were quiet ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/general-day-to-day-landlord/my-tenants-are-moving-out-things-are-about-to-get-interesting-again.php I read an interesting article today at efinancedirectory.com - detailing 5 "Rent vs. Buy" myths that we've all heard over and over in the past few years, dissecting them, and telling us why they are just that -- myths. Myths that created a real estate buying frenzy that seemingly ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/real-estate/renting-vs-buying-myths-that-created-the-housing-bubble-and-the-foreclosure-crisis.php I recently met with my tax accountant -- early this year, as I had a hunch I would have to pay in. I'm self-employed, and have been paying taxes through payroll, but hand't been withholding quite as many as I should have. That, and I haven't done much work on ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/general-day-to-day-landlord/keeping-a-mileage-log-for-tax-purposes.php My house is over a hundred years old, 108 to be exact. It's settled a bit over the years, and seems to be still settling, ever-so-slightly. I'm a bit concerned about it, but most of my house-savvy friends tell me not to worry about it, the house is 100 years ... http://www.iboughtaduplex.com/general-day-to-day-landlord/how-to-fix-a-sticky-door-or-a-door-that-doesnt-even-close.php