Categories
- 1031 Exchange
- AAOA Forum
- Collections
- Credit Screening
- Financing
- Forms
- Going Green
- Insurance
- Make Extra Money
- Marketing Vacant Units
- Promotional
- Property Sales
Archives
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
Real Estate Resources
Welcome to the AAOA Forum, where we discuss the the topics our members want to hear and want to talk about. We like to take an active roll in the online community to help our members learn and help educate landlords new and old. We encourage you to participate and join in our discussions. Thanks.
Can Landlord Charge Tenant for Painting Apartment?
by Robert Griswold, Inman News
Q: I ran a search on Google to try to determine what laws exist regarding how often an apartment unit must be repainted, but had no luck. Can you help me? My landlord told me that because I have lived in the unit for at least 18 months, he would be required to paint the unit anyway and therefore the minor wear-and-tear damage I did to the walls was not relevant.
However, when I received the accounting for my security deposit today from the property manager, I was amazed to discover that they had deducted $570 out of my $800 deposit for “paint and material.” They also charged me $45 for carpet cleaning even though I saw them move entirely new carpet in. Does any law exist to determine how often an apartment must be repainted and what factors are considered to determine who is ultimately responsible for the costs incurred? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.04.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum
Three Ways to Reduce Capital Gains Tax
by Benny Kass, Inman News
DEAR BENNY: I was told by a prominent accountant that there is a loophole in the law that states that you can be exempt from paying capital gains (if you are in a home less than the two-year period) if there are “unforeseen circumstances” involved. Are you aware of this? Can you doublecheck to make sure? This accountant is well trusted by a lot of businesspeople! At the time I was going through an “unforeseen” divorce. –Patricia
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.04.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing, Make Extra Money
Refinancing Rental Property In Today’s Market
by Ilyce Glink, Inman News
Q: I wish to refinance my rental property (a townhouse). I have been advised that doing a cash-out refinance isn’t possible in today’s climate, but if I want to take cash out of the transaction, I have to refinance using an equity loan.
I asked if federal or state law required me to refinance this way, but I’ve received no definitive explanation. Can I refinance to take money using an equity loan?
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.04.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing
Want to Curb the Insanity of Move-Out Day?
Update Your Move-out Checklist
Maybe it’s the high carbs, the beers used as bribes, or sheer exhaustion, but move-out time for tenants breeds temporary insanity. It’s a time when the quest for friends with strong arms or a pickup truck makes strange bedfellows. Things get left behind, other tenants get annoyed, and the landlord may get caught prepping the unit for the next tenant with no time to spare.
A move out checklist is the key to maintaining harmony, and to getting your property back on time and in good condition. Make sure yours is up-to-date:
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.01.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Marketing Vacant Units
Urban Planning’s Future: People, Not Cars
by Arrol Gellner, Inman News
What’s an architect doing writing about cars, anyway?
I always get indignant e-mails asking me this whenever I criticize some aspect of our autocentric society — whether it’s our parking-obsessed city planning, our mania for fruitless road widening and freeway building, or our laughably primitive traffic control systems. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.01.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum
Plant a Popular Alternative to Chlorine in Pools
by Louisa May
Is chlorine in swimming pools hazardous to your health?
Chlorine is commonly used in swimming pools to provide disinfection in the water, but it’s a known respiratory irritant to mucous membranes and lungs.
There are now healthy alternatives, thanks in part to Dr. David Knighton, MD. He’s a vascular trauma surgeon and also co-founder and chairman of the board at Creative Water Solutions (CWS), a small company in Plymouth, Minnesota that is growing fast.
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.01.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Going Green
Homeowners, Is Your Estate Planning in Order
by Ilyce Glink, Inman News
Consumer and bankruptcy attorney John Ventura begins his newest book talking about how we spend most of our waking hours either working to earn money or thinking about what we’ll do with it: spend it, save it or invest it.
And then there are those folks who dream about it as well.
But Ventura also notes that few people give more than a passing thought to what happens to our money and our property after we die. Estate planning isn’t high on most people’s lists, perhaps because they don’t believe they have that much to leave to their heirs. Or, perhaps because it’s not really an “upper” to spend time thinking about death and what happens after.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.01.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing
Credit Reports: Do You Know Your Options?
Instant Credit Analysis
Today, tenant credit screening is easy.
In a matter of seconds, you can receive a green light approval on a prospective, a red flag decline, or a warning that you may need to dig deeper with that prospect. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 08.28.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Credit Screening
Better Choice: Fund IRA or Pay Down the Mortgage?
by Ilyce Glink, Inman News
Q: I am 61 years old and have about $500 a month to use either in funding my Roth IRA or paying down my mortgage.
Currently, my mortgage is for 15 years at 5.81 percent. I plan on retiring in June 2009. Which should I do? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 08.28.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing
How to Eliminate Heat Loss Through Floors
by Bill and Kevin Burnett, Inman News
Q: We have a frame house with a stucco exterior. Part of it is over a crawl space about 3 feet high. The house is bolted to the foundation and the exterior stucco covers the walls down to the ground. On the inside of the crawl space, I can see the 1-by-8 redwood backing for the stucco and we have no problems with termites.
I’d like to improve the insulation and make the house more earthquake-safe. Would it be better to insulate under the floor that is accessible from the crawl space or insulate the short exposed walls in the crawl space? Is it a good idea to put plywood as shear-wall bracing over the short exposed walls inside of the crawl space, which would then cover the insulation? Must I drill any holes for ventilation in the plywood? There are vents for the crawl space that I’d leave open by not covering them. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 08.28.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum