Landscaping on a B or C house.

Otherwise overimproving a Property.

Getting personally involved with tenants.

Things a landlord shouldn't do because it takes too much time and has little rewards:

a) talking and becoming friends -- keep conversations short and to the point. If a tenant thinks your are their friend, then they won't mind asking your for some "extras".

Jump and run to unlock a door for a showing.

Drive to the bank to make deposits.

A few hit me: #1. To chummy with tenant. #2 forgiving debt (not that you need the money-- but the doormat syndrome takes hold)

#3 not answering a tenant call due to fear of unknown.

#4 not landscaping enough on ALL our properties (which we are now correcting thank you lowes mulch)

My plumber says garbage disposals are more hassle than they are worth. However in my market they are expected.

I am thinking a total repaint between tenants is overkill. I am attempting going forward mastering the art of paint touchups. I am doing flat paint all over because it is too much hassle to remember which walls are flat or statin. All flat going forward, flat is easier to touchup.

Providing screens on windows. Once moved in 99% of our residents never open their blinds let alone their windows.

Momma picks MY house over others and pays me more BECAUSE it has things like a garbage disposal. They are good IF you install the 3/4 hp model. Not an ounce of trouble outta ours. The 1/2 hp will jam.

Cheap houses repel quality renters.

NE,

Biggest waste: not treating their business like a business - not knowing their numbers like income vs expenses.

Not sticking to the lease then wondering why the res does not

Carpet

Showings before approval

Not standing up for their own business. Example: late fees

Listening to small thinkers

Outdated colors and style

BRAD

1. Being too nice/friendly to tenant.

2. Not having a thorough ironclad lease.

3. Making any exceptions to a lease you do have.

4. Not checking on a regular basis for compliance. Then you find dead cars, extra people, businesses being run from your place (day care, car washing, scrap metal recycling, dog care, farming- they dig up the yard and plant veggies or worse yet pot, pot growing in your house, drug manufacturing like meth, selling drugs, etc).

5. Not checking and insuring they even have trash service. Even if city provides it on my tax bill, they are too lazy to take it to the street. Deadbeats and trash tenants do not pay for trash service. They burn it in the back yards, or throw it in garage, basement or backyard until you evict them. It could be chest deep and include garbage, drug residue and needles, dead animals and more.

1. Being too nice/friendly to tenant.

2. Not having a thorough ironclad lease.

3. Making any exceptions to a lease you do have.

4. Not checking on a regular basis for compliance. Then you find dead cars, extra people, businesses being run from your place (day care, car washing, scrap metal recycling, dog care, farming- they dig up the yard and plant veggies or worse yet pot, pot growing in your house, drug manufacturing like meth, selling drugs, etc).

5. Not checking and insuring they even have trash service. Even if city provides it on my tax bill, they are too lazy to take it to the street. Deadbeats and trash tenants do not pay for trash service. They burn it in the back yards, or throw it in garage, basement or backyard until you evict them. It could be chest deep and include garbage, drug residue and needles, dead animals and more.

LLs make mistakes everyday. Some know about them and feel they have to make them to avoid a vacancy.

1. The worst mistake a LL can make is:

Rent to the wrong person(s).

--- "Having a vacancy is bad, but getting a bad T is even worse.

2. T: Rent is due today, I didn't get paid yet, can I pay next week?

LL: I guess it's OK.

--- No, it's not OK.

2. Another mistake:

T: The cabinets are very old, can we get new cabinets before thanksgiving?

LL: Sure.

Buying negative cash-flows or bad locations.

Overspending on interior finishes.

Not fixing plumbing leaks until half the house has rotted away.

Repainting on every turnover.

Getting drawn into tenant drama.

Remodeling with a credit card where the interest charges are higher than the increased rent income.

(I've never had an issue being nice to my teni. These are my bread and butter people, a good many of them are my very good friends now.

So that friend comment is absent of my list)

Not being sloppy enough. On my worst day I'm probably 17 times better than your best carpenters in a three against one fight.

Yet my working on my shacks to my standards robs me of having simple square box, painted white rentals that fit all budgets.

Should I cut the caulk tube at the base like Cimba? Maybe not that extreme but I should think about my teni needs and not just my own standards. Serve the people

Material storage. This whole subject is a mystery. I save tons by being prepared for the future and stocking inventory, however the same argument can be made for the person who keeps nothing and just pays a penalty when they need materials on a given day. They save time. I also believe volume plays into this scenario.

Collecting rent in person. Hate it, I shiver when I think of all the time lost doing this in the past.

Taking advice from a large Real Estate Group. Absolutely horrible move time after time. Whereas Mr. Landlord is a vetted site, one that you can trust and take to the bank. Many landlord groups spew bad advice. Be forewarned

Banks. Banks are fun when starting, but to stick with the lenders only earns them money.....If you believe you can't go without them you need to sharpen your pencil and open your mind.

Cramped quarters. I short changed myself for "ever" by not having enough workshop and storage space. Having a lot, or a spot where subs can park their trucks or use a shop is a big advantage. On that score, having a shed that doesn't have room to move around is just flat out dangerous to productivity.

A distraction and a hidden bad habit.

Peanut Butter ice cream. enough said

1. Collecting rent personally

2. Apt showings without getting the person pre-approved

3. Fixing bi-fold doors. Always break again...

4. Storm doors... Always get broken by the tenant but mine never does. Never understood that.

Spending a lot of time composing letters and mailing about non-rent lease violations instead of just posting a c/q notice.

My biggest mistake,a according to you people is not making any,Some of my tenants,I haven't seen in three years,hope they're still there,must be,still get a check from them,if they weren't livingg there, do you think they would still send the money to me? Laura ,I still paint everything when a resident moves out,much easier to do and much faster than trying to paint a spot here and another one over there,Oh! Darn!Did I miss one,Don't know,all looks the same to me..Maybe coming from Northern Ireland and serving a five year or longer apprenticeship to the Carpentry Trade has something to do with it, when just good enough is not half good enough and you have to do something a few times then you get the hint.As far as talking to someone,whether they are the town moocher,or local US Senator,They all get the same Greeting,I learned that from having the Samoyeds',they made no distinction,didn't matter if it was raining ,or the Sun was Shining.............Charlie..............

My biggest mistake,a according to you people is not making any,Some of my tenants,I haven't seen in three years,hope they're still there,must be,still get a check from them,if they weren't livingg there, do you think they would still send the money to me? Laura ,I still paint everything when a resident moves out,much easier to do and much faster than trying to paint a spot here and another one over there,Oh! Darn!Did I miss one,Don't know,all looks the same to me..Maybe coming from Northern Ireland and serving a five year or longer apprenticeship to the Carpentry Trade has something to do with it, when just good enough is not half good enough and you have to do something a few times then you get the hint.As far as talking to someone,whether they are the town moocher,or local US Senator,They all get the same Greeting,I learned that from having the Samoyeds',they made no distinction,didn't matter if it was raining ,or the Sun was Shining.............Charlie..............

Many as stated above.....

No more screen doors. No more landscaping to my personal standard. No more carpet!! No more linoleum flooring. No more trying to have the nicest house on the block. ie. over remodeling. (Still struggling w that one) No ice machines or food disposals. I no longer supply a refrigerator unless requested. (I am always pleasantly surprised how many renters own their own fridge) No more excuses for late rent...pay or I file. No more big houses(way too costly and time consuming at turnover). No more helping tenants out, just because I can. (ie. unclog toilet, some easy repairs, lock out, etc) I still have an unofficial policy of "I will help a good tenant once a year, no charge."...kind of a good customer service thing.

Cleaning the windows and screens between tenants - the shades are usually drawn, anyway.

Landscaping. Far easier to just mow grass than to maintain shrubs and mulch.

In the past. I did not prequalify prospective occupants properly.

I now have seven or eight questions and I require that they view my virtual video of the property.

If they have not watched the video, I simply don't make individual showings.

I have found that having numerous people at the property can create competition and anyone who is willing to sit at the computer and watch a tenor 12 minute video of the property, if someone who truly does care about where they would live and they are typically tenants that stay for a longer period.

Providing you have the right prequalification questions, and you follow through with prequalification on their first phone call.

My favorite is to use a number of questions, letting them answer fully and completely. Each question !!!

Where you moving?

Do you have local rental references?

When they question. This I tell them I want to drive by the property and now living in to see how my property will look in one year !!

(Personally I don't care if it takes longer to rent the property, but many people are disappointed when I don't buy stories that they tell me)))

this alone has saved me a lot of time.

I post my screening criteria in the window and I do a YouTube video allowing everyone to see the video, but to get my phone number. They will need to go to the end of the video and either get it audibly, or visually.

The video then becomes a part of the property condition report! At any time they want to they can go back and see the condition of the property.

My security deposit is based on their past references, so they know right up front that the worst they are, the higher it will be !!

Typically, those with no credible references go elsewhere.

I think over the years my very worst mistake was probably moving too quickly and not qualifying residents for the property , properly.