The Successful Landlord Blog

Recently, I discovered a new (to me) site that is not only visually appealing but provides some great information about the landlord business. The main feature of this site is that the information is imparted via video clips.

Host Justin Palma who seems like a really nice and laid-back kind of guy, presents a sometimes dry subject in a very  interesting way. He uses actual footage of contractors working to repair or rehab his rental units in his “In The Trenches” section and he uses his “In The Office” section to explain the business end of things. I particularly like his use of animated charts to make the office work visually interesting. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s the moment every landlord dreads!  No, not finding out that the a/c is busted.  Sure that one’s pretty huge, but if you know the right repairman, even that one can be far less painful than it has to be.  The OTHER dreadful thing – your tenant is broke/relocating/divorcing/marrying and has to move.  Sure, you’ve done everything that you can possibly do to make your house and the maintenance of it a dream come true.   They are so happy there that they never want to leave.  Another year passes and you glance at the calendar to see the renewal date has come and you promptly send out the renewal agreement.  Thinking nothing of it, you continue about your business without a worry.  They don’t ever want to leave –  right?

Days pass until one evening you see the caller id flicker with their name.  Your heart sinks to your knees.  When you answer, you find that your fear is confirmed.  Life has thrown a curve ball and they are unable to stay put.  Worse yet, the tenant is squeezing out with barely the required notice, leaving you no time to find that much needed new tenant and to handle those necessary inspections, repairs, yardwork and a top to bottom cleaning. Read the rest of this entry »

Living in central Florida, while sometimes downright pleasant, can be somewhat insect-ridden. To combat this frequent condition, bug screens are usually installed over all windows and sometimes doors.

These bug screens, being quite fragile since they are made of aluminum and fiberglass, from time to time, need repair. Though a screen making service is available through my least favorite construction materials store, I find it to be easier and cheaper to build or repair your own.

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So, recently I had to replace the washing machine shutoff valves in one of our properties since they were leaking and in general so stiff that I needed a wrench to operate them. Definitely a candidate for a change out, so here’s how I did it:

^{The old washer valves}

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Recently one of our tenants moved out and upon inspection of the master bath shower stall I was greeted by the sight of this:

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