Before we welcomed Weston into our lives, we actually got reunited with an old friend…
Of course, he doesn’t look like that anymore…considering it’s fall/winter…but the reality is that we are now officially rental property owners.
Yup. The lease purchase fell through. So now we are the proud owners of our first love…not that we weren’t the official owners all along…just in our minds, we always thought that the folks that lived there would be there forever. I’m a dreamer…what can I say?…I’m such a sucker for a ‘lived happily ever after’…and let’s be honest…that doesn’t happen a whole lot.
I would love to give you the entire shake down of what happened…I really would…but in the end, it doesn’t really matter and it would take forever. The folks that were there, the ones that I was emotionally invested in, well, in the words of Will…dey heeert me and give me big booboos! Money can do that sometimes. It rips holes in relationships. It makes people act in ways that is as my mother would put it…unbecoming. And I learned a hard lesson through the experience. Yes. I cried. Not over money that we lost (because let’s be honest, I believe that God is in charge of every dime on the planet)…but because I felt like I lost a friend and the pain of listening to someone manipulate my words is just plain hurtful. It might have been my hyper-sensitive pregnancy hormones amping things up….but in general, I learned that I can not be emotionally involved with tenants. And to be perfectly honest, I can no longer be emotionally tied to a house. My home is where my boys are…and that’s it. If you know me…you know that statement is easier for me to say than it is to practice.
So that brings me back to square one…the house…our new rental property. We headed over there after the folks moved out and started reassessing the place. Neither of us have been in there for around a year so we had no idea what to expect. Jer brought the John Deere and cut the lawn. Apparently the back yard wasn’t cut for a LONG time…so it took him a while.
I spent the majority of time figuring out what we had to do to get the place back in shape for new renters. The carpet was filthy…so it definitely needs a shampoo. And the hardwood throughout the kitchen and hall was gross too.
I used the package of Swiffer wipes on the hardwoods…but after using both sides of each wipe, I ran out. It’s still dirty so I’m hoping that the carpet cleaners can also steam the hardwoods and then we can put a layer of protectant on it.
I was surprised to see that the folks had painted an accent wall. I don’t hate it. Just surprised.
The grossest thing was definitely the first floor bathroom. My mom used to tell us that when you clean something, you have to really clean it up…not just move the dirt around. I felt like maybe they had mopped but it was just moving the dirt to other places.
So it took me about four hours to scrub it all by hand but I knew that in the end, we needed to seal the grout in there and the cleaning company probably wouldn’t get it as clean as I would like. Yes, I sound wacky – cleaning up for the cleaning company. Don’t judge my crazy, mmkay?!
Yes. I am overdue and scrubbing and wiping up who-knows-what up off the bathroom floor….ga-ross. But seriously…doesn’t it look so much better? Oh and did I mention that I did it without running water? Yep. I actually collected rainwater to do the rinsing phase…but I was so nervous that I wouldn’t get it done before the baby came that I couldn’t wait on the water to be turned back on…it had to be done.
Thankfully there was no damage to my favorite part of the house…
Not that you could damage that wall…but it makes me happy just to see it 🙂
So yeah…now that it’s back on the rental market, we have our hands full. We have to do some fixing of toilets, cleaning and finding of new tenants (I’m personally hoping that it will be either an older couple or a couple of young single gals that have a knack for decorating…hey a girl can wish!) And honestly I really feel good about having this place back in our lives…although it’s at an arms-length…because I know that one day, this ‘investment property’ will be a huge chapter in our story. It’s been a rollercoaster, that’s for sure…but what would life be without the thrill?!
Any other folks out there that have rental properties? What’s your best tip? Anyone considering diving into the investment property world? Or cleaned up someone else’s mess on the bathroom floor? I hate to say it, but this was not the worst I’ve ever tackled…there was once a pool I managed in highschool that had a explosion-type-mess. let’s just say it was like a crime scene. of poop. you’re welcome for that mental picture.
For more empty house pictures, click here. And to see it how the previous renters decorated, click here.
p.s. a lot of peeps who got a sneak peek of our new old house on Instagram asked about rental info….if you are interested in more details on this property, please shoot me an email at [email protected] and we can send you the link.
Ugh, what is it about pools that make people lose control of their bodily fluids? I worked at an aquatic center all through college and I swear, we had code browns almost daily. Glad you didn’t have anything that gross to clean up, but am still impressed that you’re tackling grout when overdue with a 10 lb. baby!
Our first house was a two family and we rented out the first floor apartment. My main bit of advice is: don’t rent to the people you feel the most sorry for. Sigh. We were such suckers. We’d probably still be suckers, honestly, which is why I’ll never do the landlord thing again. I think it works out much better for non-suckers. good luck!
Ive considering renting out my tiny bachelor condo one day when I move onto bigger digs, but the thought of someone ruining my little home? breaks my heart. At least your renters were just a little dirty and not malicious to your baby! I hope you find some great new renters soon!
Instead of putting our house in Virginia on the market after we got word we were moving to Texas, we researched property management companies since we were going to be so far away. We also made the decision to make it accessible to lower-income families because we felt that it was the right thing to do. It’s a good neighborhood, the schools are good, and it has a fenced yard…the family that lives there have 3 small children and used to live in an apartment. She was able to get a job close to her new home, her kids are thriving in the gifted program, and she’s going to college.
That was really long-winded…
We have 8 rentals. They are hard sometimes. The biggest thing for us is that we have a separate account that we deposit all funds into. If we can, we try to charge a little extra than what our mortgage payment is each month so we have funds on hand to fix it up when folks move out. People are always harder on rentals because there is not feeling of pride in ownership.
Make sure you screen your renters as much as possible. Run a credit check if you can (my husband was a realtor, so his dad manages a lot of rentals and does that for us). If someone is scared of a credit check, probably tells you something about their paying history= not a good idea to rent to. There are great people to rent to, unfortunately there are a lot of bad ones too. Try to find someone who will treat it like it is their house.
Good luck!!
I feel your pain. We have a rental property (our first house that we moved out of just under 2 years ago) and our first renters broke their lease after 5 months with almost no notice. There were some bad feelings when I enforced the lease and told them they wouldn’t be getting their deposit back. Although thankfully they didn’t damage anything, they certainly didn’t clean (I didn’t expect them to) and I had a similar experience cleaning the bathroom. It took me hours (and it’s a very small bathroom) and I just had to power through and get it done without thinking too much about what I was doing! I learned a lesson too about not treating renters like friends and approaching the whole thing with a business-attitude. We were lucky to get new renters in right away and although they don’t take care of the house like we did, they’ve been pretty good, pay their rent on time, and let us know when something needs fixing/maintenance. Someday we hope to sell the house but for now it’s like a small side business that takes some regular attention and money but at least someone else is paying our mortgage!
My worst nightmare! We just rented out our home on the other side of town and while I like to claim I’m not emotionally attached to it, I am. Like you, it was our home during many life events. Including the birth of our son. So, I’m petrified that itwon’t be the same someday when our renters move out.
Hang in there. Maybe you will find some fabulous renters this time around!
Jen
This makes me sad for you! We considered keeping our house to rent it when we decided to build a new one. Perks: Not having to find temporary housing between selling our old house and building our new one. Not having to sell in such a recessed market and hopefully not losing as much on the sale. Long-term financial gain. Cons: Going through exactly what you did. And, ulimately, I decided I’d have too hard of a time detaching from the house. And being hurt if Renters didn’t love it like I did.
Sending prayers that you’re able to find renters quickly that you don’t get emotionally tied to, but that will love the house like their own. I, personally, adore the thought of it being loved on by a group of young, single gals. Good call on that one!
we have a rental property (our first house) and it’s 2 hours away. we actually hired a relator (we pay him about $75 a month) to find the tenants, do a background check and be the primary contact for them. this way we’re not emotionally invested in who’s living there. we had a nasty situation with our first tenants with them just upping and leaving the country. not sure how well we would have handled it if we hadn’t had a middle man in between.
Oh, Katie, I’m so sorry you had to go through this emotional ordeal when you had many other things to be focusing on! But, I will say, I think this is an exciting adventure and you and boyfriend will totally be able to handle it!
I’ve been a landlord for my first home for the past 2 years–we tried to sell it initially, and in the horrible market, I decided turning it into a rental was a better financial decision.
My tips…just like you said, don’t get emotionally attached to tenants or the home (which is so, so hard when you love the home). Tenants may do crazy things (ripped out the brand new carpet)…but make sure you cover yourself with a great lease, lawyer and deposit.
I don’t live near my property (about 2 hours away), but I pop in every 3 months or so to check on things–it puts my worries at ease. Or, you could hire a property manager, but I think you guys can manage this yourselves.
Another tip that I’ve done is create a document/spreadsheet that is on google drive for quick access anywhere–and it has a list of my preferred contractors–plumber, electrician, HVAC, in case of an emergency when the tenant calls me. Has saved me from searching through old receipts/files. Phone numbers, address, quotes in the past for quick reference.
Good luck on this new adventure–I promise it’ll be worth it!
My husband and I are new rental property owners as well. I lived in the home with my two sons for 7 years. When we got married and became a family of 6, the house just wasn’t big enough. We also did a “rent to own” contract, which then became just a rental contract. My sentimental connection to the home makes it hard to separate the emotions from the business side of owning the rental property.
Oh Katie! I am devastated for you guys. I know how much you loved this house…..and I love it from afar. I’m so sorry that you ended up in this situation…….I pray that new fantastic, wonderful tenants will be at your door sooner rather than later….and that they will look after this house as you did.
We have my husbands old house as a rental property. I was the high maintenance bride who had to have ‘our’ house not ‘his’ house. This was also the time the house market crashed so we couldn’t sell it. My biggest tip would be to remove anything valuable (like nice fixtures) and be prepared to have to fix/paint/clean after EVERY tenant. I’m located in SC and have noticed a huge upswing in the housing market. Maybe you could sell? We are debating between selling or keeping it to pay for our kiddos college….
My husband and I have an “investment property”. It wasn’t our first home, but it was the home that we saw built from the ground up. The home that we waited months for, we were involved in every single bit of planning and it was the home where my babies learned to walk. A short year later my husband got a job in another town. The house was much too new to sell so we did what we thought was best and leased it out. I have yet to see how the tenants are treating it on the inside and I cringe at the thought of how it may look. They signed a three year lease (military family) so we have another 1 1/2 years before hopefully being able to sell it.
Good luck with the clean up and praying for good tenants for you!
Katie,
I can relate to this post so much! Our first home, the one where we started our family and brought our two boys home to, is a rental. And it pains me to go over there. I do love our tenants, but they are renters and I have to realize that they do not love the house the way we do. The last time I was there I could not get over how dirty or how ugly things were (like their taste for decor) and my husband had to keep reminding me that it was not my home anymore and it is strictly an investment property. But its hard. So I know how you feel. Chin up.
Melissa
Be choosy about your renters (not illegally so!), but as anxious as you are to jump on the first ‘good’ application you see (renters = $$ as you know), take your time. Pray about choosing the right one. We have two rental properties so I know how hard it is to wait for the ‘right’ renters and how disappointing is when a renter doesn’t work out (and leaves your home trashed). Also, for rentals, durability far outweighs looks/fanciness of floors/fixtures/countertops, etc. We’ve seen tiled counters destroyed, water damage on wood floors, you name it. When replacing things, ask yourself, what would last the longest? Fewer things you have to replace means less money you spend. Being a landlord is not a job for the faint of heart! Good luck! 🙂
I love the spreadsheet idea for rental emergencies! Great tip!
xo – kb
What a bummer! I am sorry to hear that it went poorly. Let’s just hope it is a closing of one door and an opening of another!! It was fun to see the house though!
That is such a bummer, Katie. We’ve had our house on the market for almost 3 months now as my husband took a new job in Atlanta (in August), and I’m staying behind with the kids in TN until the house sells, or I get a job (whichever comes first). We will take a loss on the house when it sells, but only for a few thousand dollars (yay for a LCOL area) so we want to sell rather than rent. But a few weeks ago, our neighbors stopped by with a proposal for us. Would we consider renting the house to her sister and BIL for a year as they wanted to help out with ailing parents who live across the street? We wanted to talk it over with our realtor, and she encouraged us to go for it. Her office would manage the property for a low fee, so even though we’d be three hours away, we wouldn’t have to worry. Plus, she knew this would be the perfect chance for us to be together. Let me tell you, solo parenting an 8 yr old, 4 yr old, and 2 yr old, as well as working full time during the week (with no local family) is hard work! So we said, let’s do it, and set up a time for the prospective tenants to look at the house. We were excited about it. But then it turns out that while she loved the house, he wants a garage. We have a carport. The “deal” was off. I think he was looking for an excuse to not live next to his in-laws. I’m just mad that we got our hopes up for nothing especially as they approached us. So, we’ll continue to try to sell the house, and if that doesn’t work, then we’ll rent it out. I am not doing this solo parenting gig for longer than than one school year. Good luck! I hope you find the perfect tenants soon.
ps FWIW – our realtor said lease-to-own purchases rarely work. The day she told us that, you shared this news on Instagram. That was kind of spooky.
I’m excited for you guys and in awe of you, Katie! Doing all that scrubbing so short before giving birth – I don’t think I’d have the energy…
I’m crossing my fingers for you to find the perfect renters 🙂
Oh Katie, my heart breaks for you guys. I’m so sorry that that happened to you. I’m sorry that happened to your house. We’re praying that the right renters come to you.
Sad to hear that your tenants didn’t end up buying. Unfortunately, from what I’ve heard, it’s a pretty small percentage of lease-to-own contracts that actually result in a sale. My husband and I have a few rentals – some that were purchased as investments and two that were our houses and became rentals when we moved to the next house.
We’ve learned a lot over the last six years of being landlords – most it the hard way. Here are a few thoughts: Know your state and local laws or have a good local real estate attorney who can answer your questions and review your lease. Keep the relationship professional and listen to your gut if something doesn’t seem/sound right. We are quick to act/start the eviction process on late rent – the letter is usually enough to get your payment. We run credit and criminal background checks on all adult applicants. Pets can do A LOT of damage so think twice about allowing them. We have a large university in our city and find grad students to be some of our best tenants (a group of roommates so they can afford higher rent, they are more responsible than younger students, and they often stay in the house longer). All of our leases are also set for a year and then they go month to month. I think it helps to keep our tenants longer. It’s also a good idea to be friendly with the neighbors so they can let you know if something is up.
Good luck! It can be tough and discouraging at times, but I’m so thankful for our rentals. We’ve learned so much, it’s something we get to do together, and will pay off financially down the road.
So sorry you had to clean up the mess…you’re one brave woman! I totally know how you feel. We purchased our first house in April. Until we went to the house after our closing did we notice that the previous owner’s cat used the entire downstairs bathroom (including the floor register) as his litterbox. We thought it was just a stinky box, but when the box and cat were gone, the smell and mess remained. No joke…we took more than three dust pans full of cat turds from under the claw foot tub and the smell of urine about knocked you over when you walked in the front door. It was so bad that the entire house smelled this way – just from the bathroom. THANK GOD for my Mother-in-law, husband and cleaning supplies! After a few months, a new floor and a lot of elbow grease, you can no longer smell the cat urine and our bathroom is sparkly clean:)
We had a lease to purchase fall through too, about 6 months into the lease. It sucks! Luckily, we put it on the market and had it sold and closed in 3 months. Is there a reason you’re not putting it on the market?
We had to move to Colorado for my husband’s job and in the process we were mid way through renovations of our home in Washington state. Our house in Washington has actually been in my husband’s family since it was built in 1908. So his great grandmother during the depression actually turned the house into a duplex to help pay for the mortgage. So when we bought it we did all the work on the exterior and we were just getting ready to change the inside back into one house, but then we moved. So we completely renovated each apartment instead of making it one house. We have actually had my husband’s little brother, wife and two kids living on the 2nd and 3rd floor (its a huge house) and we just started renting to a gal on the bottom floor. My best advice I can give my from perspective is to talk to a real estate attorney and plan that your renters will not pay or pay late each month. I think the thing for us is knowing we can still pay our entire mortgage back home without renters and still pay rent down here.
It is the most nerve wrecking thing we have ever done. Like you said we have had to step away from the emotional attachment (which is huge) and just realize it is a house, it can be fixed, and people will do not nice things to it. Do your background checks and realize that other landlords will tell you anything to get that tenant out of their place and into yours. Set good established criteria for what you will and won’t accept on their credit or rental history. Dear god don’t be like my husband who didn’t even realize what he was saying was so discriminatory towards people who weren’t married and those who were! He meant well, but it just came out all wrong!
Good luck with renting again!
We own our first home and rent it out. I’s hard to hand it over. Our first daughter was born IN that house! We have friends in that same city (we’ve moved away) that we do the credit check through and they take care of rental applications.
Do your market research! Rent it for as much as you can because you’ll be committed to that rent for a year or more.
Buy a big upright carpet shampooer. We did this and it’s saved us quite a bit plus our new house has found plenty of uses for it.
Arrange for 6 month visits to do maintenance and check on things.
Sorry you got burned. 🙁
First congrats on your new little one! So precious!
We had a rental for two years and I LOVED that house so it was so hard to see someone else in it. We had four just out of college girls renting and it was great. I know you all will find the perfect people and it will be a blessing in disguise. It was for us. As sad as I was to leave the house it ended up being the best blessing for us now because it made us great money.
Good Luck!
We have been rental property owners before – it lasted for about 2 years until our tenants moved out in the middle of the night. :-/ (Although, I will say… we should have known what we were getting.) Your home is lovely, and with such a strong rental market right now it will surely rent quickly to the “perfect” family. Good luck! xo
Oh, I feel for you! We rented a house in town we couldn’t sell when we moved out to the country. I had a 2 year old and 6 month old at the time. So I feel for you even more with a newborn! It sucked renting and my husband and I decided we would never do it again. And our story wasn’t as bad as some we heard. Our renters were often late in payment, we threatened eviction a couple of times (though it’s really hard to evict, but just saying it made them pay up), and we got the oddest calls about things being broken….they flushed too many wet wipes down the toilet and clogged it. When they moved out we had to get the house ready to sell again. It was so gross. Orange cheese balls stains and grease stains on the carpet. My husband said it looked like they worked on a motorcycle in the house. Missing toilet seats, cabinet knobs, door handles. Missing garage door openers and the house was filthy. Needless to say…we used up their deposit for missing payments and repairs beyond everyday wear and tear. My advice….get a big ol’ deposit up front. And lots of references. Good luck! Praying you get the best renters ever!
We had rental property for several years, but we had to sell them one by one. Why? Because we got people who would lie to us about everything – things that didn’t even matter. Once, my husband went to collect past due rent in the middle of December and, after seeing the lady cry and her children with dirty faces at the door – HE GAVE HER $200.00 so they could get a Christmas tree and some presents! That’s when we knew it was the end for us. I love that he is that kind of man, but we never could quite get the money flowing from the renters to us. We’re relieved to be done with it and not have to deal with people who aren’t honest.
We have our first home as a rental and, while I always have fond memories of it (and sometimes wish we could move back to it), it does get a little easier over time.
My suggestion would be to schedule a time about 6 months in to change the batteries in the smoke detectors. Just tell the tenants that you have to do this yourself for your own peace of mind so you can’t allow them to do it for you. This gets you in to the house for a real reason to assess how it is being maintained and to make any notes on what may need to be done when they leave. Even if they’re slobs, at least (hopefully) they will clean up before you arrive so you know it will be cleaned up at least once during their lease.
We have renters at our first home and the top tips I can give are:
1. Use rental applications – have people pay to apply to cover the cost of a security check. And call the references they list, especially their current landlord.
2. In addition to covering the mortgage, we also have the rent price include lawn service and cleaning service. That way we know the house and yard are at least being kept up.
3. Sign a lease with exhaustive terms so you have legal protection (you can download ones from the internet and change them to accommodate what you need) – everything from painting preferences (like they need permission prior to painting) to rugs over hardwood floors (80% of hardwoods must be covered by rugs), no smoking, animals allowed/not allowed, etc.
4. When advertising, set the price higher than you think you think you’ll get – you’d be surprised what people are willing to pay. Use the extra money for a fund when things inevitably go wrong (like our sump pump backing up into the back yard – eww!)
Now I know why our landlady loves us so much – so many horror stories! We treat any home we are in like our own (we are expats and have moved a lot). We maintain the garden, keep everything clean and decorate it for ourselves. I want to live in a nice home too until I get to buy another more permanent one someday. How sad that there are so many people out there that trash houses (ours was trashed before we moved in so another reason our landlady is happy).
Katie, I’ve never commented before but since no one seemed to share my idea I thought it was time to bite the bullet. My husband and I both owned houses when we got married so one became a rental. The best way we’ve found to find a great tenant is militaryrentalbyowner.com. We had one set of awful craiglist tenants, but then several great tenants from the military site. Not sure if you live where there’s enough military for this to work, but I’ve found them to be so much more responsible than the average tenant and they’ve all taken good care of the house. It is $50 to list for three months but for us it was sooooo worth the piece of mind. Good luck!
While I think its completely ok if people want to air their dirty laundry in blogs I don’t think the same is true of airing someone elses- particularly as they are not able to share their side. We have no idea what was happening in their lives that may have led to this situation. I like you blog but think in this instance the photos and descriptions were not necessary and a little lacking in compassion.
I can only imagine how hard renting out your first love would be! So sorry things didn’t work out! :\
I’m sorry, that really sucks. My mom is going through something similar, and has had some trouble with her renters. They completely busted the expensive downstairs toilet that has a special pump for basements – they put baby wipes down it, even though it was explicitly written in the lease that the septic system cannot handle that kind of stuff. $600 brand new toilet ruined, septic system pumping $400, several broken/leaking pipes, ruined flooring….ugh it was a mess. Why are people so weird when it comes to toilets? People are so weird about bathrooms/toilets! Best thing my mom ever did was hire a property management service, that way she doesn’t have to face people about the money issues. It’s just easier than confronting them yourself.
I know nothing about rental property, but my sister recently bought a house in Atlanta and thought she would have to refinish the hardwood floors. She took a chance on some stuff in the Solutions catalog and was so pleased with the results that she is not even considering the refinishing anymore. I think the stuff is called “Cabinet Re-New,” #87740, but I’m not sure.
Both of my houses have been absolutely disgusting when we moved in. The bathroom in our current house…I have no words. It was awful. I feel for you! Can’t imagine dealing with that when heavily pregnant!
My parents have lots of rentals, and they actually ignore stuff like credit reports. They feel the most important thing is references from former landlords. If a landlord is willing to provide a reference and make it positive, then the people will probably be great renters. They didn’t do this on one property, and the guy is a nightmare.
I moved into my parents rental property (which was my grandmother’s house) after 5 years of a tenant living there. It was so gross, I spent the better part of the month of July scrubbing every square inch of the house. They also decided to paint accent walls in every room and to wallpaper a few as well…I’m still dealing with the paint and wallpaper removal! Good Luck!
We rented our first home, also. I, like you, had to detach myself from it. My husband and I worked so hard to get it and the thought of renters tearing it up breaks my heart. My husband handles everything with the house so I can’t see/hear anything bad.
We own a Stanley Steemer franchise in Texas and you should check with your local branch. Most (not all) clean hardwoods. All of them clean tile and carpet as well as seal grout to prevent future staining. Look for local coupons as well and ask about current specials. Don’t be afraid to ask for a bulk discount if you decide to use their services for all your carpet, tile and hardwood!! (FYI– we have a clause in our lease that our renters must have the carpets professionally cleaned after move out and provide a receipt)
I would love to know your process for cleaning that floor. It definitely looks much better! Please share!
Cleaning sucks. Cleaning someone else’s mess, especially in the bathroom, sucks even more. That’s been my selling point on telling my sister to stay at home as long as possible. There’s no rush to move out & clean up someone else’s crap… literally.
We will soon be joining the landlord game when we rent out our condo. I’m scared, but am doing as much prep-work now so that it will hopefully run smoothly. But I’m also prepping for the worst case scenario that is bound to happen at one point…
Nothing like tackling everything all at once. Pregnant, cleaning, landlord… yikes! Good luck!
When we moved we ate nearly 10k for our house to sit empty just so we could get it sold, that is how much against being a landlord I was and still am. My parents were burned a few times until they finally said enough was enough and sold their rental property. I just wasn’t interested in going down that route. I refuse to buy another house until I know that it is my forever home or that I will be there for a long time. :/ Since my hubby is military that will be a few years but thats ok. Now that we are on the other end and renters to someone else property i’m determined to treat it like I would if it was my own property and leave it in as good as or better shape than when we moved in. Good luck renting it out again! Hopefully you can find some great renters.
From friends who have owned property and I’ve seen the good and downsides of it here are my tips:
1.) Separate checking account. You want to be able to account for every single penny coming in and out of that account and to make sure it’s not mingling with your house funds. This will make it easier for taxes too.
2.) Speaking of taxes – invest in Quickbooks and learn the basics of it. You won’t regret it.
3.) Organize all receipts from fixing items. Keep them safe so you can prove costs were for the rental and were legitimate.
4.) Screen screen screen. This means references, credit checks, etc.
5.) First and last months deposits. Part of the reason keeping your finances separate is important, and keep that money accounted for in Quickbooks.
6.) A contract. A contract specifically stating what they can and cannot do to the property and what they are responsible for and what can result in loss of deposit. Make sure what you put in there is legally allowed by the state. I.E. No painting without written approval of colors (or done by you and Jeremy or a contractor you hire). You want to make sure f they paint every room lime green and you need to repaint everything, that you don’t still owe them the deposit.
Other than that, just *try* not to be attached (harder said than done) and don’t give the house to renters you feel bad for. Try and keep the heartstrings out as much as possible and remember this in the end, it’s business. As harsh as that sounds. I’m a VERY sentimental person and I don’t even know if I could totally take it to heart, but I know logically it’s true. Oh, and I agree with the comment on a credit check.
We JUST finished doing this same thing! Our renter was in our house (that we had lived in too…kept it as rental vs. selling at a loss in a bad market) for slightly over 2 years. She bailed on her lease 9 months early (in winter in MN…really hard time to rent) and totally trashed the house. It looked like it had never been cleaned, and they destroyed the playset in the backyard. I really mean destroyed. I don’t know why, but that was the part that bothered me the most. Maybe because our kids played there? And who destroys a playset anyway? That’s just mean. It took us about a total of 7 solid days to clean/repair everything.
Like you, I invested in that tenant. She was a single mom, going back to school, and we did a lot to help her out. Lesson learned—never again. We recently found a new tenant that I think is going to be great. But we put in some safeguards to protect us, like a serious deposit, guidelines for the renter about living in the home (it’s different than renting an apartment!) and twice-yearly inspections. And, even though I won’t get invested in the tenant again, I’ll still be nice. We created a goodie basket for the new renters to welcome them to their “home”. We just want someone to live there and love it as much as we did.
Good luck on this adventure. One more crazy thing to take care of, but I think it will pay off for us all in the end! 🙂
Well, I’m sad that you’re having to deal with things not going the way you planned, but I’m happy to see the house again. I’m sure the right people will come along for the house. I moved from one apartment to another a few months ago, and while I was cleaning to move out, I was stressing about not having things clean enough by my checkout time. There was so much more I would have done, and then the property manager said it was one of the cleanest units she’d seen. Yikes! I shudder to think at the messes that other people leave behind.
Hi Katie,
Looks like a lot of readers can relate to this post! After reading it (and the comments), I do not feel so alone. We (hubby and I) also rent out our first house where we brought our daughter home to. We too bought a foreclosure (to be in a better school district) and have been fixing it up, but it just doesn’t feel like “home” (like our first house did). We fortunately really like our tenants and they have kept up the property and also made small improvements. Since renting, my husband now wants to get into the investment property business, but I’m not 100% on board. I pray that you will find great tenants that will value the property as you do. Good luck! Oh, and Weston is a doll!
My parents rent out my childhood house which is a couple hours away. Their #1 piece of advise is “never raise the rent”! In their opinion it’s better to stick to good quality renters year after year and not raise their rent than to raise the rent by a few bucks only to have them move out. Then you have to re clean/paint/list the place and it’s not worth it. They’ve used a property management company for almost 20 years.
Biggest advice I can give for a new landlord: lay out your terms (even specific) in a rental contract with a new tenant. We’ve had our fair share of crazy tenants and even the awesome people we hated to see leave. As to how specific, that’s up to you, but after a police raid on one of our properties, we put in a “no drugs, no illegal activities” term in our rental contract that said if it was even a first offense they still had to go. Rental agreements have saved us from a lot of hassle, and have a lawyer look it over to make sure everything is legit.
Also as a renter myself (who rents a house from a single woman not a company) I’m appauled that people would trash the place! Naive yes, but I wouldn’t dream of even painting a single wall, never mind changing things or trashing it. How rude.
Ok lady, how in the world did you get that grout so clean?! Was is really the Ajax? We bought our home about a year and a half ago, and while the entryway tile is an awesome shape, the grout is filthy and nothing I have tried has worked!
Two — just wondering how/when you are going to advertise the house for rent? I know it’s maybe a little creepy to do it on the blog…. so I wasn’t sure what you had in mind. But we live in the area (Snellville), and we have a friend who is in the market for a bigger house out of the perimeter. He’s not a couple of cute young gals who like to decorate (lol!), but he’s a stand up guy with a great job that’s ready for a more “grown up” place. Would love to pass along information to him and a few other east siders if you decide to post! I promise none of them are creepy. 🙂
Umm…can you share your grout cleaning tips?? I can’t believe how 1. filthy those floors were beforehand and 2. clean you got them!
I am sure this all must be incredibly overwhelming right now- but a few years from now, having an investment property might be advantageous! Or, perhaps (if you still wanted to sell) you could find some renters who would be will to pay a reduced rate in rent in exchange for keeping the house “show ready”, allowing showings, and renting month-to-month…? Just some food for thought!
Katie & Jeremy! This house looks darling. If it was up in Iowa, my fiance and I would gladly be your renters! 🙂 But for now, we are happily renting from my parents – a pretty good deal, I’d say. My parents own our condo and another duplex and they’ve always said that having good renters is the most important thing. It’s okay to be picky – these people are going to occupy your home. Enjoy the ride, and God’s blessings to you two, Will, and baby Weston!
(Another) Katie
We learned the hard way about rentals- our first tenant accidentally caused a fire and our brand new condo (6 months old) burned and then flooded from the sprinkler system.
I swore I would never be a landlord again, but here we are 5 years later with 2 more rental properties. We have learned A LOT.
My only advice would be to require them to get rental insurance. It is extremely cheap ($50-75 a year), and it covers their belongings as well as your home (from fire and other destruction).
We have found that legit renters don’t mind the idea since it’s very inexpensive and it covers them too.
Like others have said above, we keep all the rental money in separate accounts (its easier to keep it straight), and we always hold back a few hundred dollars of their deposit for carpet/floor cleaners and new paint, because you will need it (every time).
With that said, good luck. There is a reason it has come back into your lives. I’m sure it is going to be a wonderful home for some new family.
Aww Katie I’m so sorry to hear that! Renting out your home is such a difficult task. My husband and I are currently renting our first home, and here are a few things we’ve learned:
– Definitely do a thorough background and credit check. This (I’m certain) has saved us a ton of headaches. Obviously if someone just had a hard time in the past and is trying to rebuild, it’s easy to be drawn in to helping them. However, if they have a collection out for $575 at Blockbuster (yep, that happened), it’s likely that they’re not going to want to pay you either.
– Stick to strict fees for late payments. It seems harsh, and things happen, but it’s the best way to protect yourself and to keep them in check.
– We created an LLC for the rental property – not everyone I know does this, but I definitely think it’s the best way to protect you and your family if things go haywire. I’m sure you’ve already done that, but it’s such an easy process it would be silly not too.
– If there’s something that bothered you about what your last renters did to the current house, add it to the new lease. For example, if they had pets, but you realized that that is the cause of most of the floor repair you’re doing now, ban pets on your next lease. It seems harsh and that you’re isolating renters, but it’s well worth not having the headache (and mess) later on.
I hope that helps, definitely keep us all posted on how things go! I would definitely be interested to know more of the steps you’re taking to clean up the house in between renters too.
Great job on that tile KB! At least your tennants didn’t leave the house in the condition that your current house was in when you first saw it. I realise my comment won’t help you much, but I just wanted to chime in with my experience. We have previously owned 2 rental properties, 1 short term & 1 long term. The short term one went great, we just needed to fill in some time before selling it, so a guy I worked with moved in, because he was waiting for his house to be built. Of course the personal/work relationship helped with this situation, and since we were both at middle management level (which I believe = responsible) there weren’t any unpaid/late rent or care of property issues. The long term one was another story. Since it was more like a “real” rental deal we didn’t have much luck. Over the period of 18mths, we had 3 tenants, one of which, practically held our own property (via the laws which seem to run in the tennants favour) at ransom against us. Another had to leave on short notice, due to a criminal offence! This coupled with a real estate agency, that in hind sight, wasn’t really doing their best for us, we lost over $10K. We were lining up to start our family around about this time, so we decided to cut our losses and stress and sell the property. We sold it 3years after buying for only $10K more than what we paid. So with that, the loss and the money we put into it ( to prep for renters, cleaning & general maintenance) we were pretty soured by the experience. We have now taken to, buying, renovating & selling. This process makes it less stressful for us, since we can take the 3rd party unknown out of the equation. (This is the Australian market I am referring to, by the way.)
I am studying the cleaning products in that picture very closely. The bathroom floors look great after you cleaned them! We bought our first home December 2011, and our tile floors look like the bathroom before picture. I don’t think they were ever sealed, and I also don’t think the previous owners really cleaned them. I’ve tried EVERYTHING to get the grout and tiles clean (they look a lot like yours color wise). I’ve even done the mixture of bleach and baking soda and scrubbing until my hands were raw. It didn’t make much of a change. Please! Tell me what you used / did to get your tiles / grout back to tip-top shape.
My dad owned several rental properties. He said, when asking for references, ask for the previous rental owner’s name, in addition to the current rental owner. He found that the current rental owner may not be truthful because they just want to get them out of the house. Good Luck!
Yep, we have some rental properties as well. I still own my condo from before I got married. The first tenant I rented to was an “up and coming young star in Hollywood who just finished filming a major movie”, according to her mom whom I dealt with primarily regarding the lease agreement. We discussed the no smoking/no pets policy and they signed the paperwork. Needless to say, a year or so later (after numerous bounced/late rent checks), we ended up evicting her. The place was a filthy pig sty. Chihauhau stains all over the place, and of course it reeked of cigarette smoke. I was devastated. That condo held so many fond memories for me, and to see someone treat it so horribly made me so sad. After that incident, we turned it over to a management company and I haven’t seen it since. I can’t, it’s the only way to distance myself from the emotions. I totally get it.
We still own our first home, too. My first house love 🙂 The best thing we did was turn it over to a management company that I trust. I don’t know who the renters are and don’t want to, but I know the management company takes good care of it!
Well, we have rental properties/manage a business partner’s and the worst thing you could do is move in people that you know and need help. I did this to a so called friend who was thrown out of her apartment. She had 3 kids and no where to go. I caved. Sucker! Those said children over ran water in the townhouse and had water coming out of the can lights downstairs. When the “fiancé” decided he wanted to be a fiancé again and father his 3 children, she decided to move out. Since they were leaving the state, she didn’t have a job, so I guess this was the time to ask about her deposit that she paid 4 months late – after flooding the home. Lol!! Yeah but no, you won’t be getting that measly 400.00, which may I add, did not cover the damage done. My husband sent her a nice letter notarized and with the card of our attorney. Needless to say, we aren’t “friends” anymore. Well, I assume this since we are no longer Facebook friends. Her decide, not mine. I’ve learned to not raise hands to help someone especially when money is involved. I should have just offered to help her move her furniture from the curb. 🙁
We have a rental property, but we are extremely lucky that it is actually attached to our home. My husband does all the yardwork for the entire property, so we don’t really have to worry about that at all. Also, our tenant came with the house when we bought it and we’ve been extremely fortunate with her. She is a wonderful woman with two adorable grandkids, and we just love her!
My biggest piece of advice is to take a page from our book, and never rent to someone who you wouldn’t want to live with everyday. Technically we only see her about once a month when she stops by to pay the rent, but I really feel strongly that you should trust your gut and make sure that the person is trustworthy. Also, be sure to check out the local tenant/landlord laws in your area. It always helps to know your rights in the unlikely event that you would have to evict someone.
I feel your pain, we have a really long story on an investment property and through that we had a house and had a lease to own that fell through. The house we had was older and it had some issues. When our renter backed out of buying we sold the house, we learned really quickly we didn’t like being landlords. The house was FILTHY when we got it back and I scrubbed and cleaned and it was awful! It took 3 weekends to get it to a clean condition then we had to paint everything and do some major repair to sell. Good luck finding new renters!
The one thing I would suggest after being a renter for (coughcough a few years cough) is to make sure YOU are comfortable with potential renters. It’s your property and you can ask them as many questions as you want to feel ok with them living in the house. One of my old, and beloved, landlords only rented to single college girls, no pets, and we had to be slightly introverted. (figures… lol.) She was very picky, but in the end, it works out for everyone. I took care of that apartment and she appreciated having people there that she herself could trust… Much less stress for her.
Also, I wish we lived closer. I would rent the heck outta your house. And have unrealistic emotional attachments to the pallet/ wood wall. Really. It’s gorg. I lurve it. Don’t judge… It’s not weird at all… 😉 Good luck to you guys- everything will work out. You deserve it. 🙂
We have a rental property in VA and currently live in Spain. After our previous renters (who were friends of friends) moved out, they assured us the place would be cleaned and ready for the new tenants to move in. Of course, it wasn’t. Embarrassing, because it made us feel like slum lords…and a huge pain because we had to schedule a professional cleaning to make it up to our new renters, who were understandably less than impressed. Ahh, the joys of home landlordship!
Yep, same dealio… we moved almost exactly a year ago but maintained the ownership of our previous house. It is a 1200 square foot box lacking a bit of charm in no small part because it was built in the late 50’s. It was a good little house for a decade for us, so we decided to keep it mostly because we LOVE the four acres of land it’s on. We thought about tearing it down and building my husband’s dream house, but it’s still on gravel, and frankly, it’s way to decent a place to be a tear down. Our first renters just got a job transfer so it’s available again… if you know someone who wants to live on a gravel road in rural Iowa, that is. 🙂
We own 3 rental properties as well as our house. (It’s one way I am able to continue to stay home with our 3 kids, ages 14, 11, and 7.) I highly, highly, HIGHLY!!!! recommend using a property manager. It costs us 10% a month which is so worth finding the right renters for your house. He screens applicants and does credit checks up front which in turn eliminates a lot of problems for us later. Any important questions, he calls us. Otherwise, he handles all the dealings with the renters. I cannot recommend this enough. Virtually no headaches; again, because he is screening up front and runs it like a business. No emotions involved with the parties. Good luck!
Katie–we moved into a home with the exact same grossness in the bathrooms. Could you please tell me exactly what you did and used to make the floors look so good?? Our floors desperately need some grout treatment and I have no idea where to start! I’m such a rookie!
My husband owns a house in a military town. This works in our favor because our last tenant signed a 3 year contract (that is about how long the military live in one place), but included a clause that said they could break the lease with 30 days notice and proof of new orders. This was our first experience renting his house out. The tenants are actually moving out tomorrow and we’re heading down there (5 hours away) to see what needs cleaning and a replacement. They were a family of 5 and it seemed like their 5 year old was a terror. They were well aware of this and told us they were having carpet cleaners come in on their own dime. They told us that they did not expect to get money back from the security deposit but they were afraid that they might owe us money to make additional repairs. I have not seen the house yet but because they are military they are used to being charged extra for every tiny thing (it would be that way if they lived in on-base housing). Since we are quite far away we have a property manager who handles any minor occurrences but anything that will cost over $100 we get a phone call about. The property manager also keeps track of the rent and sends us a statement at the end of the year for tax purposes. They find us new tenants and handle the applications and references. So far so good for us. Good luck!
We moved out of our house in Phoenix this summer and are renting it out–so we’re fairly new to the process. But it’s already been an experience. The renters have asked us to re-landscape the backyard. The shower door in the master bathroom has mysteriously broken. And last week the wife text my husband asking for her husband to be removed from the lease because they have separated–and she changed the locks without notifying us!!! I’m truly thankful that my husband handles everything with the house though.
“Experience is what we get, when we don’t get what we wanted”
You are one brave woman, cleaning a bathroom without gloves, shivers.
Ugh. We have a rental house (although I have never lived in it and don’t have emotional ties. I can only imagine how difficult that would be. But come on– bashing these “folks” in such a public forum (however passive aggressively it was done) because their bathroom was gross or because their floor was dirty (wait till you have 4 kids and then come back and talk to me about your clean floor 😉 )? I truly am sorry that they wronged you, but airing their dirty laundry on a popular blog? How embarrassing for them. That just seems mean.
Oh man. Does it make me a bad person to admit that reading all of these comments makes me feel better about our rental? We are on our second renter since we started renting out the townhouse I bought before we were married. We brought our oldest daughter home to that house, had five married years there, and buried our miscarried baby in the back yard. Lots of memories.
I though for sure we had the worst renters ever, but many of the stories from other commenters give ours a run for their money. Or our money. Since we lost about $4000 when it was all said and done. Blurg. It took close to 40 man-hours after the eviction to get the house back to a non-condemnable state. Carpets had to be replaced since they didn’t think dozens of piles of cat vomit was cause enough to clean the carpet—literally. There were too many piles of cat vomit in the master bedroom to count. Just sitting there. So gross. They ripped out the grass from the backyard last winter “because the grass died”…which is what happens in the winter. The biggest kick in the gut was the hole their dog had dug where we’d buried our miscarried baby (many months earlier, but still). I could go on and on, but I’ll stop.
I feel like everyone has offered great advice (and I’ve written many new tips down). The other thing we did the second time around was to come up with an extensive “state of the home” list room by room that we both initial upon the tenant moving in and again at move out (assuming they make it to the end of the list) so we’re all in agreement from Day 1—if something is subpar they have an opportunity to speak up right away, and we have proof they agreed to the quality of things before they lived there. That was a terribly long sentence, I hope it made some sense. Along with the list I wrote in plain English how to leave the home in order to receive their deposit back in full. We’ll see if it makes a difference. Also had them sign an agreement that we would be visiting at least three times during the year lease.
Best of luck to you—and everyone else reading!
Our prayers are with you & Jeremy that you get it rented to someone who will treat it just as well as you would. It’s so sad when a home is not taken care of properly, no matter the situation. I liked what you said about God controlling all the money in the world – I’ve never thought about it like that and I think it’s a great perspective.
We have several rental condos. We bought them to fix up and rent. So far so good. One bit of advice I got from a friend who has MANY rentals…. along with the other advice above…contract, check credit and rental references, etc she told us to walk them to their car after they have come to see the house. If their car is a mess with fast food wrappers and junk all around that is how they will take care of your house. If their car is tidy (no matter how old) they will treat your house the same. I know it sounds silly but it does help us decide who we will rent to once the finances are taken of …of course. They don’t realize they are showing you a private side of themselves .. but it does speak for their tidy nature.
Best wishes!!
It’s funny, because you would think getting more personable with renters would make them more likely to understand you are people not just a faceless ‘landord’, but somehow it still doesn’t help.
My parents had 2 rental properties. The first they rented to a young family, the adults were both unemployed, but they were the best tenants we ever had!! They got behind in their rent only once in the entire time, and they were so quick to make it up and were so grateful that they weren’t kicked out or anything.
The second one however, ended very badly. It was a newly renovated house, the family who moved in showed up dressed extremely well (the guy even wore a suit). They completely talked the talk. My parents started off collecting the rent in person every fortnight. The very minute they switched over to automatic bank deductions everything fell apart. They stopped paying rent for 9 weeks. By the time my parents were able to get the right legal advice and serve them with the correct notice, we discovered that the people living in the house were not the original tenants. The original tenants had started illegally subletting to someone else. The house was completely trashed, many broken tiles, holes in walls, and they had started using the store room as an area to throw old food scraps. My parents had to take them to court, but then the tenants declared themselves bankrupt, so my parents ended up with zilch. They sold that house at a loss very soon after that.
My partner and I rented for a year and a half while we built our new house. We were really careful to make sure we looked after the place. We got really good feedback from the landlord when we left. they told us that they knew we would be good because we had owned our own place in the past, and because our reason for renting showed that we were in a good position financially. I think you need to find people who are going to treat it like their own-and therefore look after it.
WOW. By reading some of the comments here on your blog, it makes me glad that I’m not a property owner in the US!
Here in Australia, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to take out ‘landlord insurance which will cover you for a whole host of things from a trashed house, to unpaid rent. The cost of this is a tax deduction too.
As for applying for a property, we HAVE to provide: written personal references, written rental reference and rental ledger. The last few payslips, a copy of your license, of your bank statements is also common. Now, because our rental market is so tight, people are being forced to bring their security bond to rental inspections. Our bond here is by law, 4 weeks rent, plus two weeks rent in advance. For my current apartment, that’s $2910(!) This money is lodged with the ‘rental bond board’ (the landlord doesn’t keep it.) We also have an inspection every 6 months which is performed by the estate agent. I’ve lived in my current apartment for 3.5 years, and they still inspect our place every 6 months, even though she knows we look after the place better than any of her other rental properties.
When we first moved in, the apartment was only 6 months old, and had one set of tenants in it, but the place was FILTHY. I scrubbed this place from top to bottom for 3 weeks. I was cleaning out the kitchen drawers, and I accidentally pulled the drawer all the way out, only to find about 3 kg of RICE sitting underneath where the drawer sits- WTF! So, the previous students had filled the drawer with rice (without using a container) and it had spilled down the back of the cabinet.
As for home improvement, we are definitely NOT allowed to paint, drill holes, or in any way modify the property in any way without written consent of the owner. Nobody here would paint a rental anyway, because, unlike you, our paint is about $60 per liter! LOL Also, written into the lease is a clause that when you leave, you must have the carpets shampooed. My real estate agent also checked that I had pads on the bottom of my dining table and chairs so I didn’t damage the dark hardwood floors (of course I did!)
p.s, I hit ‘submit’ before I edited!
So sorry that you are going through this Katie, but I know the Lord has some wonderful plan for your family regarding this house, hang in there! If I lived closer, I would have come to clean the house for you- you shouldn’t have been doing that just before going into labour!
xx
AMEN, ROBIN!
I’ve lived in my rental property for 3.5 years, and we have had an increase of about $20 every 6 months! Our place is owned by somebody’s superannuation fund, so the woman doesn’t need the money. It annoys me that we get NO recognition for being such good tenants, when obviously there are so many terrible ones around!
We’ve bought six houses in our 11 years of marriage (and lived in three apartments too, when we sold houses right out from under us without having found a new one). We brought each of our three boys “home” to different places. We’ve kept a few of the houses as rentals, and we’ve sold some. All of them were fixer-uppers and we’ve done a lot of work. At first it was very difficult to hand that over to someone else, but it has gotten much easier to move on each time, and I actually (in a very not-normal kinda way) like that we’ve lived so many places. It creates nice little groupings of memories…kind of like how you remember that something happened in third grade or middle school, or your first semester of college. At the end of the day, home is where my three sweet boys and their awesome daddy live. This world is not our home and neither are the houses we reside in during our time here. God bless your family, and congrats on Weston. He’s a cutie!
I’m having coniptions right now!! I have a 5 year plan for my little house and that includes using it as an investment home when the renovations are finished. Reading all of the great advice and wondering how people can treat a house, their home, like that. I rented for years before buying and always treated a house with respect as it was my home for the time and for the owners. Renting isn’t cheap and it’s hard to find another house if you treat it like a throw away. Sure things happen, I remember burning a hole in curtains after washing and ironing them before I moved out and breaking a glass shower screen with my big foot in a soap vs gravity incident. If your genuine and upfront, it makes a world of difference.
My husband and I are still in our first home. Still fixing it up. I would assume that after it is finished we will end up moving. But we talk a lot about renting it out. I know from my parents experience that after renters move out you will always have to clean again and probably repaint. My parents bought their retirement home and are renting it out now until they are ready to move south. They have a management company that finds the tenants and collects the money. However, they occasionally make visits to check on the house. They had to learn this the hard way after tenants missed a payment then abruptly moved out. When they went in to assess the damages they had to repaint every wall (they painted them all dark colors!) and replace the carpet. Dogs do a lot of damage. What they learned to do was check on the house about twice a year, by changing the air conditioning filter, or pressure washing the house. They have always been able to see the inside and get an idea of the damage or changes that might be happening. Of course all the other advice is super helpful too! Good luck with the rental and congrats on baby #2!
How close was this to your delivery?
It just reminded me of scrubbing EVERYTHING 8 hours before my labor began.
This looks like ‘forced nesting’.
ps…anyone who rents from you guys is incredibly lucky.
We rent out our first home too, the attachment has eased over the years but we have been so lucky with wonderful tenants and have a management company to handle the day to day. It did bring up all our DIY mistakes as the tenants didn’t know the tricks to keep things working with our temporary or odd fixes. Do a job properly the first time – lesson learnt.
Emotional investments – like all investments can bring gains or losses. Don’t get too torn up about it, just have faith you’ve got an emotional gain due now. Or at least some good karma from all that scrubbing.
I’m so glad you had this post. We’re in the process of deciding to rent out our tiny first house (it’s been on the market since July) to move into something larger to accommodate our growing family. I’m terrified of renting because I’ve heard such horror stories but the other side of me just wants to give it to God and stop worrying. How many hours do we spend worrying about things that haven’t even happened? It helps to read all the other comments, I’ve got a better feel for renting now.
Yep, we have 6 rentals. I HATE IT. We rarely have anyone leave them even halfway clean. We do all the cleaning and work ourselves. The latest tenant destroyed our carpet and when I mentioned we charge for repairs/cleaning tried to tell me I gave the house to her in that condition. I swear I wanted to slap her. It is so frustrating because you work so hard and people NEVER treat rentals like they would their own house, or maybe they would. My only tip is a good Lease and Security Deposit Acknowledgement, which breaks down all of the conditions that must be met in order to receive it back. Needless to say, there is usually so much damage or back rent, they don’t get a refund, they end up owing us. Good Luck!!
I’m so sorry your starter home is giving you such grief. Even still, I couldn’t help but be excited when I saw that it was back! I started following your blog around the time you announced your pregnancy with Will and immediately fell in love with your growing family. Your DIY adventures in that house made me look twice at my own and even gave me the will power to start on my own (blog and DIY projects).
I understand not wanting to be attached to the house emotionally but at the same time, I think it’s only natural to have an affinity for something that began your journey with you at such a major moment in your life (marriage and your first home). Besides, every house needs a little love now and then. 🙂
Have a wonderful day,
Emily
When we decided, this past summer, we were tired of neighborhood living the only logical option with this economy was to rent our house. It is our first home, the home we custom built from the ground up, the home I lovingly decorated, it holds so many wonderful memories. I got so much wonderful feedback on how well maintained the home was, how it still looked brand-new after 5 years from property management companies and potential renters. The week the new tenants moved in I had nightmares. Crazy, crazy dreams about them tearing out walls, rearranging the floor plan, painting crazy colors, and just destroying my home. It’s been almost 6 months since they moved in and I had to learn to just let go. I thought I had broken up emotionally with this home until last week. I picked my daughter up from a friend’s house on the same road as our rental. As we drove by I realized they butchered our weeping cherry blossom. We worked SO hard to train those limbs so they hung just so and they ruined all our hard work by chopping the branches off at the top. I cried. In that moment I realized I am not emotionally over this home. I don’t know at what point I will really be able to let it go emotionally. It’s my first (house) love.
We have a rental property because we were upside down on our mortgage when we moved (husband bought the house while he was a bachelor back in 2007 at the height of the housing bubble, d’oh!) and we have a realtor that handles the tenants. However, once or twice husband has had to go over there to collect mail that somehow still ended up there etc and they waste no time telling their sob story about the car broke down and the rent may be late etc. It’s ridiculous. On the one hand I feel bad but on the other, don’t sign a rental agreement if you can’t afford it! Ugh. So many stories but I shant bore you. Bottom line, can’t wait to sell that dang property! Good luck with yours, just remember everything works out in the end. Love love love.
The last paragraph brought tears to my eyes.
Someone may have mentioned this already, but quarterly inspections can be written into the lease agreement so that you can actually see the house and make repairs before too much damage can be done to it.
I have to admit that we’ve fallen behind on this one, but we are scheduling it soon for our rental home.
I don’t know why I never thought to use the “other side” of the swiffer pads. That is genius on your part…or complete stupidity on mine.
Check your local laws, but one we’ve done is a very simple, easy to understand lease agreement in very clear language. AND we make them initial every single line. Rent due xxx or you’ll be charged xxx late fee ____ initial.
Also, we made them responsible for all repairs that cost under $100. Again, go over very clearly with them, and make them ___ initial. They can repair themselves, or I will do it, and then send them a copy of the bill which will be expected to be paid with the next month’s rent. (note that your labor will be included at $10-$15/hour as well). This helps them take ownership of the property, I think. But *shrug* who knows!
Best thing we ever did, and it had to be a great tenant to make it happen, was set up the direct payment through the bank. So the bank automatically drafts the rent from their account into mine. I loved it, and the tenants in this case did too.
katie, have you thought about just selling it? i’m really good friends with a realtor who tells me there is literally no inventory in georgia right now. with so many buyers out there (interest rates are in the 2s right now!!) and so few sellers, houses are going super quick, often in just days.
when we bought the house we’re in now we still owned a condo in buckhead that we couldn’t sell. we rented it out and it ended up being a total nightmare. i’m so glad we finally sold it.
We almost had to rent our first home after it was on the market for a year with no buyers. We were starting to consider this when our realtor suggested that we use a property manager to handle the renting of the house. It doesn’t cost much and they take care of everything, as Nicole mentioned above. It’s a great way to handle it. I knew I would be too much of a softie to be a good landlord. We ended up being able to sell the house and didn’t have to go that route. But that’s the only way I could have been a landlord. Good luck!
My husband and I have rental properties and I agree about the single girls with a flair to decorate. This is one of our rental properties with single girls in it and I would have 100 rental properties if 1.) I could afford it, (which I can’t) and 2.) if I had renters like these two.
http://www.iloverehabs.com/2012/11/19/normal-us-jane-and-tanya/
Also, one tip that has been really helpful is we always offer a $20-$50 discount on rent for those who pay us by setting up a direct deposit. So if rent is $800 a month if they sign up for direct deposit for rent payments they pay $750 a month. (Of course you make sure the discounted price still covers your payment) Yes you don’t make as much profit but you are also guaranteed that you won’t miss getting a payment for them. Hope this helps.
Jennifer
Sorry if this is a repeat of someone else’s advice… I haven’t read through all the comments yet.
But, I have a friend with several rentals and his advice is to write in the lease agreement that the landlord is responsible for all filter changes. This allowed him to pop in every quarter and change all the filters in the house and “check in on” the tenants… who usually cleaned and straightened up for the walk through. Now, he was close enough to his rentals to do that. Not sure how far you are from yours. But I LOVE that idea. And renters never change filters… I know I didn’t when I was renting with my girlfriends in college. Not sure I even knew to do that.
Good luck!
It was on the 12th…my induction was scheduled for the 17th…and Weston came on the 18th…and yeah…I wasn’t about to clean with a newborn HERE so I guess I’m glad he was a little late 🙂
xo – kb
I own my house, but I would rent yours any day. I love it and actually like it better than the house you have now. I”m a clean freak so that gross bathroom would never happen. Too bad I live in Minneapolis. LOL
How the heck did you get the grout that clean?! looks brand new!
Congrats on the baby by the way~he’s just perfect!
I love your blog and can totally see why you’re upset. However – Reading about this makes me really uncomfortable. I think that speaking about your tenants on your blog is something that you need to talk to them about. You featured this family several times earlier and while things didn’t work out…this doesn’t feel right.
I’m sorry Katie that you had to go through this. But you have the right attitude and I’m sure it will all be great in the end. I too went through this two years ago during my pregnancy. The stress of the situation and my then tenants really did a number on me. I was hurt and felt used and betrayed. Throughout their lease, they often would call me crying about money problems and I always tried my best to accomodate them. Then a couple months before their lease was up, they started acting mean, and “twisting my words” to the tune of “We can live here at half the cost of rent and if we don’t we’ll sue you for not fixing up the house.” I couldn’t believe it. They never told me anything was wrong with the house and all the lies they said about me were so hurtful. At that time in my pregnancy, I was on “restricted activity” which was just a notch below bed rest. At the peak of all the stress, I was admited to the hospital b/c I didn’t feel the baby move for a long while. Everything turned out okay with baby but the whole hospitalization put things in perspective for me. I wasn’t going to let the lousy tenants/situation/rental do any harm to me or my baby. I “let it go” from that moment on. God took over and it all ended…probably not for the best, but it ended and I no longer have to worry about it anymore.
Take care and many well wishes that you will get nice tenants swiftly. Even though it’s probabaly against our nature, you’re right – not being emotionally invested in the tenants or the rental house is best…I’m still trying to tell myself that 😉 God Bless.
Yup! Been there. We’ve had 4 rentals so far(still own 3) and 2 of them have been our main residence at one point.
The best thing we ever did was hire a great property manager(a bad one can be as terrible as bad tenants!).
I had dreams for the people we would find to live in our houses and really prayed for the opportunity to bless someone else with something we loved. But, I’ve learned that there’s a reason people who rent, rent and there’s a reason that people who buy, buy ;).
I’m so sorry you are going through this. It’s a hard lesson to learn and full of battles! But, you’re so right, God is a part of this plan.
Oh absolutely! I would never say anything publicly that I haven’t already expressed to them face to face. Also, just to make sure things are clear – I have never featured the family – that is not something they ever agreed to and something I never did. The blog contains no mention of their names or recognizable photos of them – only ones of the house which is something that I do own. Maybe I should be more clear on the fact that I still do care about them and wish them the best and truly think they are good people (a dirty bathroom floor does not mean they are not good people – otherwise we’d probably all be labeled ‘bad’, amiright?!) so it’s definitely not a personal attack.
xo – kb
AJAX with bleach and some elbow grease 🙂
xo – kb
We have but to get the price we want, most folks would have to shell out some serious liquid funds because of the comps…(most people don’t have that kinda dough sitting around)…so we will rent till the market turns around 🙂
xo – kb
AJAX with bleach – it’s $1 at the dollar store and one scrub brush (get that there too!) and then sprinkle the entire area with it and get it wet (I just dumped a couple cups of water on it) and then let it sit overnight. It will dry…probably a blueish color and then you can get a clean bucket of water and wet your brush and scrub it hard! I used a sponge to soak it all up and a couple clorox wipes to finish it off 🙂 Hope this helps!
xo – kb
AJAX with bleach – get a thing of it and one scrub brush at the dollar store and then sprinkle the entire area with it and get it wet (I just dumped a couple cups of water on it) and then let it sit overnight. It will dry…probably a blueish color and then you can get a clean bucket of water and wet your brush and scrub it hard! I used a sponge to soak it all up and a couple clorox wipes to finish it off 🙂 Happy cleaning!
xo – kb
I definitely didn’t want this to come across as bashing them…I truly think they are fine people…just at the end were completely uninvested in the property since they knew they weren’t buying it. That is totally legit. Why clean something you aren’t going to be living in soon?! And since they have never been named or identified on the blog, there is no way any of this mess could embarrass them. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but our first house has been featured on this blog since day 1 and this is just another documented step in it’s journey.
xo – kb
We rented out my mothers house, which was the first home she ever owned on her own and was very special to her. We also had to evict and found out that the tenant had knocked the walls down in the finished basement and made a weird maze with sheetrock and pallets. This was after they were squatting in there for 3 months and finally removed by the police. Such an awful situation, we tried to keep it civil because they had children but eventually had to get them out. We found out from neighbors that they would frequently smell pot coming out of the house and shady people would come by at all hours of the night! I guess you really just have to be more vigilant and not be so nice and more straight business. It’s sad really because there are many people who would love a house like yours and take excellent care of it.
AJAX with bleach and a scrub brush! That’s it! I buy both at the dollar store 🙂 I get it wet and then let it sit overnight (it’ll dry) and then use a wet brush and some serious elbow grease to clean er up.
xo – kb
Yup – the Ajax with the bleach is great for tile and grout 🙂
If you have a friend who is in the market – just shoot me an email and I can send you the listing 🙂
xo – kb
Oh I totally understand! I wasn’t trying to air their dirty laundry – just share another step in the adventure of this house. The family that lived here is doing well and bought a home of their own and I couldn’t be more thrilled for them (I truly believe that it is a priceless joy to own your own place!) and don’t believe that how you leave a rental bathroom is a reflection on how good of a person you are.
xo – kb
We don’t think we will get what the house is worth and we don’t think most folks would have the liquid funds to buy (considering the foreclosure comps in the area).
xo – kb
Ok…Katie, let me say it! Wrong is wrong whether uninvested or not. I am African American. I know they are from previous posts. Makes people who are stereotypical confirm their thoughts. I don’t live like this nor most people I know. However, they could not have been good people to leave your house like this. Call a thing a thing. I would shout from the mountain tops and expose these disgusting people. They are not good people! Repeat!! I agree with another person who posted about her father owning property stating that sometimes a previous or current landlord will lie and give a good reference just to rid of their misery. Sorry this happened to you guys and your beautiful home. God doesn’t like ugly and you definitely reap what you sow. They will get what they deserve and I hope former renter will reflect on her previous actions and behavior. Vengeance is not up to us but it will be handled.
I think this can be a good guideline, but as someone in the messy-car club I will give a bit of a rebuttal. I own my car, so I don’t mind if I let it get a bit trashy sometimes. However, when I was renting, I was always keenly aware that the space I was in wasn’t mine and needed to be treated with a bit of extra care- not only out of respect for the people entrusting it to me, but also to save myself the headache of paying additional cleaning fees or whatever later.
Sorry to hear the lease-to-own deal fell through! I just wanted to say that I’m 8.5 mos pregnant, and you really encouraged me to clean my own bathroom. I am a dirty pig. We’ve owned our house for two years and I have yet to clean the grout…so thanks for the inspiration! It should help that I’ve got a lot of extra weight to throw around at all this built up dirt 🙂
Although your grout cleaning tips are fantastic, how do you know that the previous renter is not reading this? I agree, seems mean.
I actually told them all the sentiments that I had…and hope it doesn’t come across as mean – just the matter-of-fact about the condition of the house and how I felt. Of course, I am overly attached to the house and was (still am) hormonal so you gotta consider the source.
xo – kb
Not sure if you realized it based on your comment above, but the post that you linked to with how it was decorated had a picture of a young boy that I assume was one of the kids that lived there.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t think they are disgusting…and I really hate that we are even talking about stereotypes. I don’t think they are bad people…just completely uninvested in someone else’s property. Hope that makes sense.
xo – kb
Hi Katie,
Oh how I wish your house was here in Colorado so I could rent it! I love that house and especially how you decorated it! I loved the way you had your dining room, searched out 4 mirrors to use in my own house like you did there. So sorry that things didn’t work out with your renters. Good luck finding new tenants that will really treasure it and make it their own.
Kandy
We have had rental properties for years and finally got a rental agent. They do background checks on renters and all the day to day stuff I’m too softhearted to do. Works beautifully and actually saves us money because they know what they’re doing. Best of luck.
I don’t think it is mean at all. Katie never named the tenants. She mentioned in a previous post that she was renting the house. It is helpful to other people considering renting a home to see a real life example of what might happen. IF the tenants are reading this post then perhaps they should feel embarrassed at leaving the home in that condition. Barring any extreme circumstances it is very irresponsible and a bad example for their children.
Thanks Katie. I didn’t realize (until now) that so many asked the same question as me when I posted the comment. You are awesome and I will be getting to work on our bathrooms today! I have no excuse now, right?! 🙂
By the way, I love your honesty and your blog and the way you handle and own up to every situation in your life (and the comments/opinions that go along with it!). Thanks for all the inspiration…both in the home and with life.
What a bummer Katie. And what a trooper you were so pregnant and cleaning!
I manage my mom’s house (my childhood home)– I renovated it and rented it out. As difficult as it is (and yes, sometimes it can be emotional), it’s important to remember that everything you do/say with a potential tenant is part of a business transaction and a LEGAL one. I always write things down (confirm via email if we’ve spoken on the phone) and assume everything will eventually be used in a court of law later (even though it probably won’t be). That’s not to say that you need to be cold or detached, just be careful and professional in every contact.
Get a lawyer friend to look over your lease and enforce provisions. Good luck!!
Dear Katie. Would you like to scrub my bathroom? Mmm?
Seriously though, I feel for you. We’ve considered renting our home to move to the city but I’m not sure I could emotionally deal with someone else living here and possibly doing things to it or not doing [cleaning]. Control issues. Totally normal.
Don’t know if your local government has one of these Tenant-Landlord handbooks, but this is one from where I grew up (and am currently renting out a property): http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/DHCA/housing/landlord_T/pdf/lthandbook.pdf
We emailed the link to our potential tenant and asked (in writing) for her to read it before she signed the lease agreement. There’s also a detailed template for a lease agreement on that County’s website.
Hope it helps!
We just started renting our TH and boy was it a headache getting the lease right. We wrote it ourselves based off several MD leases making sure it covered us for everything. We put our applicants through the ringer and were super tough on people who didn’t meet the financial requirements we laid out which was hard on me because there were several new moms that I wanted to help. In the end, we got a great renter and we have a very tight lease and a thoroughly documented house – a video of each room and tons of pictures.
We have the right to come by anytime as long as we give them notice so we’ll be doing things like replacing the furnace filter each month to check up on the house. We let applicants know this in advance and judged their reactions – didn’t want anyone living there who didn’t want us to see the house. We idiot proofed the house before renting too and made a house folder so they had the instructions for the appliances.
We talked with lawyers and tax advisers (MD) and found that if we left the management to a company we would lose the tax breaks. It’s a little extra work for us but we need those tax breaks with 2 homes. I saw several other people mention an LLC, we did that too. We used legalzoom although we could have probably figured it out on our own but we were busy.
Our renter requested direct deposit which has been very nice.
About pets, we did away with the pet deposit (there’s a pet deposit and a pet fee and legally they mean different things) and just said if you have a pet, you will be required to pay for a whole house cleaning, carpet cleaning and a flea and tick spray regardless of how well behaved your animal was. It was a pretty big deterrent but we realized we needed to protect our investment.
I recommend a lot of research into the legal side of being a landlord and the tax laws. Ugh, taxes. I so wish we could have sold our first house. But, it is what it is.
Good luck!
Can I ask how the butcherblock countertop held up in the bathroom?? It’s been on my pinterest wishlist, but I still can’t decide if I should poly the top or leave it be. Thanks!!
There was a small mark but I’ve been googling ways to clean it up (I’ve heard that sanding and a sealant does the trick).
xo – kb
This is funny, actually, because when we moved into our current rental house, we asked when the heating filter had last been changed, and the agent giving our walk-through said “there are filters in there, that you can change? I didn’t know that!”
Cracked me up. I make sure to change them every three months or so, or oftener if it starts to sound funky.
This was not very nice. I would never call someone’s floors gross in real life – not sure why you decided to do so on the internet.
I’m sure you were disappointed that the lease-to-own fell through, but this would have been a great opportunity to take the high road instead of getting this little jab in about their housekeeping.
Well, Sarah I totally see your point. I personally see it differently since they are my floors…but to each his own, right? I definitely was trying just to document this step in the house’s adventure of renting…so people can see how things panned out…not to take jabs at anyone.
xo – kb
So sorry to hear that! We recently moved and rented our home, but fortunately it is to my sister which makes it easier. We recently moved into the Bay area…can you say expensive? Anyways, our experience was kinda the opposite. We included it in the contract for the carpets to be shampooed and the house to be deep-cleaned before we moved in. Um, that didn’t happen and I’ve been going crazy cleaning the place, and the previous tenant was the owner!
That sucks (terribly). My parents owned rental properties for years, one that we had lived in before it became a rental (and so it had the emotional attachment). My dad’s advice:
1. No tenant is better than a bad tenant.
2. Never buy anything new, because they’ll tear it up. Focus on clean, not new.
3. And don’t ever – ever – be attached to the house or the tenants.
He had so many good people go bad. One poor guy lost his job because of an injury, then got addicted to pain medication, and then his son started tearing shingles off the house while his dad was high. Another couple started making meth, so the house had to be gutted.
The house that was OUR house before it was a rental was pure luck. A single dad rented it for a decade. He wasn’t a very good house-keeper, and there was plenty of wear after the decade, but it wasn’t torn up like we had seen in the other houses.
My parents ultimately got out of the rental game for one reason: the quality of tenants. With the sudden availability of houses for no-money-down and bad credit, the only people left renting were really terrible. It was supposed to be an investment – not a full-time job. It ended up being a full-time job to renovate the rentals and lease them again.
Even with all of this, I want to buy a duplex as my first home, so I can rent out one side, then buy a nicer house and rent out both sides. It sounds weird, but I loved renovating the houses (to an extent) – taking something broken and renovating it was really rewarding. And not all tenants suck – just keep an eye on the real estate market!
I feel your pain!! Looong story short- thought not a big deal to rent the house we couldn’t sell so we didn’t miss out on a great foreclosure…….being dumb and desperate, rented to an unmarried couple with 5 kids under 12 and a dog. used the lease their realtor had…neighbors complained about things, but they paid their rent on time. After they were there 4 months, dealing with their complaints and my dear old neighbors’ issues, was called at 10pm one night-“um, Kathy, your house is being raided- they broke down the door, have armor and helmets and BIG guns, brought the guy out in chains” they found heroin, pills, digital scales, baggies and GUNS- and the children were there when it all happened! Because of the raid, they were evicted immediately and out in a month. While they didn’t intentionally trash the house before leaving, it was DISGUSTING- cleaning other people’s sh*t off toilet that looked like it had never been cleaned, “brown-who-knows-what” baby handprints down the wall where the crib was, carpet in baby room smelled so bad of urine I had to replace it. carpets had weird little color spots- carpet cleaner told me it was drugs spilled on floor. It broke my heart- I raised my babies there for 13 years, and it’s a miracle my neighbors would even speak to me after that. I did a background check- guess not a very good company- I ended up hearing from the feds he was wanted, and had served 15 years for robbery with a sawed-off shotgun!!!
Had no choice but to find new renters, and with better screening and a laywer’s help, we have been blessed with WONDERFUL tenants that fit in beautifully with our old neighbors (unfortunately they aren’t buying because they know they are only staying in the area 3 years). I dread the day they give their notice, and hope we can list and sell rather than rent it out. It is a JOB to be a landlord, not an easy solution when your home won’t sell, and well worth the money to hire professionals to help!!! Best wishes to you if you’re taking that route!!
And CONGRATULATIONS- both boys are beautiful!
Oh gosh. That is terrible. Glad you found the right renters 🙂
xo – kb
Katie, such a bummer that it fell through! I have been a reader for years and identify with you in many ways, usually even nod along and giggle at the similarities (handsome husbands, one toddler boy and one baby boy (your children are only weeks apart from mine), similar styles, very similar humor…the list goes on) so needless to say, I’m a fan. But I have to say, this post made me sad. I’m sad that your heart hurts, and I’m sad that the family is also hurting…because though hard to see at times, paint splatters when we drop the can and it can take a long time to repair the damage. So while I understand you wanting to document having a rental, I think that you very passively took the opportunity to get in one more jab, because you are in pain. Salt in the wound. And it is your home, and your blog, so I see why. I just don’t agree with it because though it is your mortgage and the place your fairy tale began, it was also home to another family and it played a role in their fairy tale as well. I don’t mean to criticize or be rude – I just hope that you will take time to really consider the consequences of using your blog to lash out at others (even if done almost noticeably). There are ways to document the changes and the mess and the bathroom floor without putting the family on blast. Would you want them to blog about your shortcomings as a landlord? Probably not. We all fail, and that’s okay. But please, let’s not sling mud. It is damaging. I will continue to read your blog, but hope not to read another “that family” post. Congrats on building a beautiful family. What a joy!
Hi Katie.
I see no problems with your post and I really don’t look at it like you were trying to take one last jab at the tenant. You did the right thing by not giving the entire story about the tenants. People are assuming that they fell on hard times and you’re sour they couldn’t make the purchase happen. For all we know, they might’ve used something you said to get out of the deal because they found something cheaper or better. People always assume the worst.
I own rental property, too. It was the first house my wife and I ever bought and we worked HARD to make it happen. 4 months after we bought it, my job moved us so we rented it out. Our first tenants broke the lease after living in it for 2 days because they found a farm house they liked better. Now we’re on our second set of tenants. They’ve lived in it for almost a year, pay their rent 5-10 days late, but the check never bounces. I’m told by friends that drive by the place that they keep it clean. Then yesterday I get a phone call that the tenant has forged my signature on a document to help get their friend’s kid enrolled at the school district — the district I used to work at. What do you do about that? It sucks having to carry the house, find new tenants, etc.. but man, talk about voiding all trust.
That house is still YOUR house. Those floors are still YOUR floors and you did nothing wrong by making a comment that they did not take care of it. Hopefully you kept whatever deposit/down payment they gave you.
I’m so sorry that things didn’t work out with the rental lease people. I don’t think you were being mean at all. They trashed your house and you didn’t name them so who cares if they read your blog. They should be the ones embarrassed not you. Just my 2 cents.
Anyhoo when I moved away from GA earlier this year I put the townhouse I lived in for 5 years up for rent. I found a management company to deal with the day to day headaches since I would not be living in the area. The going real estate management rate around town was 10% with them taking up to the full first month’s rent for procuring a tenant and getting the background check etc etc. Luckily I found a company that offered a veteran’s discount and I only have to pay 5%. I put in sign in front of the place when I was still living there and I had ton’s of people call or stop by to look but they would get all weird when they realized they would have to deal with a management company and not me personally. I wouldn’t trust anyone not willing to go through a background and credit check! I placed an ad on craigslist and found my own tenant so I didn’t have to pay the first month’s rent to the management company. Ironically it’s 2 single gals from CA:-)
I wouldn’t exactly call it an investment property since I don’t make any money on it. After the management fees and HOA fees I’m out of pocket about 50 bucks. I painted the house like new and also put new carpet in the place after we moved. I was no longer there so I also paid a single mom friend of mine $150 to clean it before the tenants’ moved in. I may not be making money but I should be able to deduct the loss on my taxes this year. The alternative was to pay for a mortgage on an empty townhouse and have to pay rent where I live now.
I feel that I have been blessed thus far as I seem to have great tenants and haven’t had any problems so far. It’s only been 4 months though. The girls will be moving back to CA after their residency at the medical school so hopefully the market will turn around so I’ll be able to sell!!
Katie, I’m glad you’re keeping it real. My fiance and I are homeowners in the Bay Area in California and contemplating whether to sell or rent out our property after we buy another one in a few years. There are pros and cons to being a landlord. We’re aware of the advantages but would like to hear about the disadvantages as well. Your blog is always filled with happiness and hilarious comments/jokes, but I don’t mind hearing about the crappy part of being a homeowner. Keep it real, and I hope your next tenants are respectful and clean.
I was just surprised you criticized their housekeeping, when I am often shocked by pictures of your current house and how dirty it appears. More than just a bit hypocritical.
haha…maybe. On the other hand, it’s one thing to wet fart in your own panties vs wet farting in someone elses. But that’s just my opinion…everyone definitely has their own 🙂
xo – kb
Oh man. I wish I had a landlord like you. Our bathroom floors look just like your “before” picture, but it’s not a “priority” in her mind so they just look gross. And because they aren’t “my” floors I haven’t put much thought into it….but seeing this is SO inspiring!! Is it weird that I now have the urge to spend 4 hours scrubbing the bathroom floor?! Because I’ve never said that before. Thanks for the pics too – I’ll have to try your product mix!
As someone with a rental, I totally feel you Katie. We’ve had horrible renters who leave our house trashed. If they don’t clean when they move out, they deserve to be criticized.
Oh no, I’m so sorry. I think I told you our story, but was hoping yours would turn out differently. Hopefully the nitty gritty wasn’t as bad as mine but I know it’s not easy being a landlord. 🙁 Good luck!
I disagree with your comment that Katie was inappropriate in her post about how dirty the previous renters were. As a former renter for years (before buying my own home) I never left a place without cleaning it first. It’s like borrowing a shirt from a friend and not washing it before giving it back! Totally disgusting!
Katie, keep up the good work. I love reading your posts 🙂
My goal is to one day move to a bigger home and renting my first home. If it wasn’t for you posting this, there wouldn’t be dialogue about the do’s and don’t of renting. Never knew about management companies for rental homes or it’s pros and cons. I’ve heard some really bad nightmare stories working in the foreclosure/short sale business including stolen ac units and copper plumbing. I’ve also met some nightmare tenants including my ex-boyfriend’s roommate who owned 13 pitbulls, all of which were tearing up the owner’s backyard. That homeowner had no knowledge of the dogs. Whenever the owner checked on the property, the roommate took all of his dogs to his mom’s house. I also knew of a sailor coming back from overseas to find that the former tenants were squatting in the home without electricity or running water.
LOL! No really … I LOL’ed when I read the wet fart comment.
Okay I need to know how you cleaned that nasty grout. Was it really just Clorox wipes and Ajax with bleach? And just scrub, scrub?
We bought a house that has white tile floors on the entire first floor and the grout is nasty.
We did notice that purchasing a commercial bucket with a wringer and a commercial cotton mop has made a huge difference. But I am afraid I am going to have to get on my hands and knees and scrub like you did or :/ pay someone to do it…
Yup that’s it!
xo kb
Natalie, you must be a renter to make a comment like that. I think Katie showed incredible restraint! Don’t forget that this was HER home, and HER floors, and it was a place that held wonderful memories, not to mention a great deal of blood, sweat, and tears to make it the beautiful place that it was. The floors WERE gross……….. had it been my blog, I would not have been nearly so kind. Just sayin……….
I feel like it would make me very upset if someone messed up the house I LOVED, but I’ve been on the other end and been a young renter working ALL.THE.TIME. and not having the cleanest place, either. Life puts us through so many different phases. I’m sorry you had to go through that.
The real estate market can be a very ugly place nowadays. I remember thinking we’d have a nice relationship with the people we bought our house from, but then I was crying about $9K in plumbing damage they had hid a week after buying the house (and YES, I did have a home inspection). Needless to say, we don’ t talk to them (or their kids, because that’s really who we bought the home from).
I’m a little late to this party but, having only just recently discovered your God send…I mean your blog…I’m working my way through all your posts & this is where I’m at! I’m assuming Sarah & Natalie, above, where somehow connected to the previous tenants to be so defensive. Quite frankly Natalie was far ruder than you (I really don’t think you were rude at all…you were just keeping it real which is what I absolutely LOVE about your blog! Your writing style kills me…I guess we have very similar dirty senses of humor!!LOL).
Anyway…I just wanted to say that we have been in a lease-purchase for 18 months now & on May 3rd we’ll finally get to close the deal! I’m so excited! I can’t wait to knock down some walls & paint trim & tear out flooring…I have 18 months (20 by then!) of DIYing to catch up on!! Now I don’t know your tenants reasons for not purchasing but I do know that I’m beyond grateful to our landlords for being open to this arrangement & I have taken care of our home, from day one, as if it were already mine. Of course I’d do that even if it was a straightforward rental because I’m a bit OCD about that but w/e! 😉
One last thing, Will reminds me so much of my baby (he’s 9 now)…I have a pic of Landon at 2 wearing his safety goggles, helping his daddy “build”, with the squished nose going on…& dimples! Those dimples…they’ll get away with murder! 🙂
Aww congrats girl! You warm up that paint brush and hammer…it’s DIY time! Best of luck in your ‘new’ home 🙂
xo – kb
Thank you Katie! I can’t wait!! 🙂 Right now I have to settle for mesh-taping & filling some holes (& if that’s not a “thatswhathesaid” opp I don’t know what is! My teens tip their hat…ok…nod their head ever-so-slightly in acknowledgement to you & your humor! I think they’re happy to know their mom isn’t the only one “like that”!!)