Starting a new thread.

What are you most wanting to discuss with fellow LLs these days?

(please, let's not discuss masks.)

I have several topics:

New regulations. New taxes. New fees.

How are you dealing with new ways of dealing with people: online, virtually?

Have you started virtually staging? Who do you use?

You're welcome to rent to the cancel the rent crowd all you want. I on the other hand want nothing to do with them, as they are a detriment to a landlords business.

What are you talking about? You asked for topics? You're here all the time, what new topics are you looking for?

Is cancel the rent not a new topic in the landlord world? If there was a "Thoughts on the cancel the rent movement" round table at the convention it would be shoulder to shoulder packed. Guaranteed

As we will have a house for rent in a few weeks, I would appreciate points on screening for politics. I admit to being wary of screening for lotsa things. Por exemplo, 2 months of rent loss would 5 grand. So....I should've worry?

Frank, I tell my wife that I need her to Facebook creep for me. I give her the name and area they live in and she does the rest.

She looks through their posts to see what type of people they are. She enjoys doing it. Quick, easy, cheap. It's becoming just as important to see WHO they are as a person as much as it if if they are qualified.

I really do need to learn how to do the facebook search thing.

Also, regarding the new restrictive regulations: how to work with them to still do well.

WMH, you did ask for topics... And actually NE's suggestion of how screening may change is an important topic.

But beyond that, WMH, do your best to not let NE take up space in your head or get under your skin. You're stronger than that... Simply do not respond to him.

And NE, why continue to goat WMH when you already admit you do not plan on coming even if the Convention is held? You're better than that...

I consider you both friends.. And whether the Convention goes or not, I'll be just fine. What's sad to see are two of the most successful landlords on this forum unable to effectively communicate toward and with each other so as to strengthen each other.

I would like to go to the convention. It is educational and eye opening and vital to growing my business and thinking outside of my box. I sit in restaurants with maskless people. I think I could survive a room full of masked people. Maybe it is too soon but I sure do want to go.

I'd like to see how people automate their systems. Someone telling me they use google docs and then do this and then do that in a forum isn't the same as seeing it on a big computer screen or in person with handouts.

Ways to minimize waste, time or effort in all aspects of the job - repairs, screening, showing, leasing.

All of you give little tidbits that help me. We all do things slightly differently. Maybe your way is better. I'd love to see it.

I recently bought all the stuff needed to make my own landlord lock keys and cylinders. Part of it was the challenge of learning a new skill. Not sure it is financially worth it but I enjoyed it. I could show people how it's done and what is needed in a quick 20 minute lecture at the convention (shameful promo plug for the convention).

Someone else could do a presentation on their way to do something else.

Maybe someone has analyzed new window installs, or roofing costs and estimates. What to look for in quotes. or how to spec it out. I recently got a quote for a roof and I specified drip edge, ice and shield, replacing rotten boards, ridge vent, etc. When I got to the house at lunch time, there was no drip edge, no ice and shield and rotten boards at the edge. I called the owner (since the crew didn't speak any English) and he smoothed it over saying it was mistake, it was ordered but the supplier didn't ship it. Blah blah. He made it right but it didn't make me want to use him again.

Topics I'd be interested in:

~How to screen for politics effectively

~How to invest further in real estate while mitigating risk of significant government over-reach

Jeffrey, thanks for reminder.

Another topic would be automating renewals and such. Glenn has set up a "mail merge" system for us to renew/make new leases for us, using one master lease and one master tenant spreadsheet.

W,

We use VSH for virtual staging. Learned about it at Convention and NE inspired me to use it. We do a room or two for each listing. They look fantastic. For flips we do several rooms. Realtors and appraisers have been awed. The realtors had never heard of it! The samples on their home page are legit. Empty rooms, esp in affordable housing look lonely and drab.

FB, Google, and local newspaper are searched during screening and yes, FB exposes some cancel the rent, Cancel student loans , cheering on summer riot destruction...

Looking for ways to verify the applicant has paid properly during the pandemic. Also if they needed financial aid to pay the rent.

I’d really like to find a way to screen for CRAZY. Bi-polar, “Karen”, spouse abuser, troubled teens at home...

Real life examples of how folks found deals to buy.

In my area I often am able to find their voter registration online. I’ve been using Facebook as a screening tool for years, very helpful.

Ally, they are called Heat Pumps: they do both heat and AC. They are not suitable for northern climates, in my opinion, as they are only capable of raising or lowering temps about 20 or so degrees over/under the outside air temps. If it's too cold outside, they activate "emergency" heat which is pure electric and costs about double to run.

Recently had one in which the compressor died but we didn't know it so it was running all electric heat strips. Tenant's bill was double her usual bill.

I like Scott’s request.

I’ve had some good success with getting so-so applicants to become great tenants, and I’d love more ways to continue to do that.

Several years ago, I had asked for Al Williamson, hoping he’d discuss urban renewal, urban improvement, and training tenants, but either I had the name wrong ( wrong person) , or he changed his business focus. He spoke about Airbnb! Ugh!

My tenant pool in my area is such that if I eliminated the crazies, the melt-downers, and those with ‘history,’ I’d have no one. My goal is to teach the tenants to step up their game to become assets to the neighborhood, instead of somebody known to the police. So, I’d possibly come out for that.

The most important topic this year is going to be keeping up with the changes in landlord / tenant laws.

Lots of good ideas and suggestions so far.

I would like to learn more of the computer and paperwork end as that is what I have a lot of trouble with.

Well said, Jeffrey. I certainly don't expect everyone here to have the same political views as I do, and I keep to landlording topics.

But others have correctly pointed out that the political views of prospective tenants can have a bearing on how well they'd work out with our landlording philosophy, and I appreciate the screening tips!

And last, please cut women named Karen a break. I know two lovely 20-somethings who happen to have that name (okay, one is my daughter). The rest of the Karens of my acquaintance are in their 60's and 70's, and are certainly not like the caricatures of middle-aged complaining white women. I don't know who started using that name for that reason, but I hope that it goes away soon. (Sound of Wilma stepping off of her soap box, which she probably got up on because her real name was a major common joke all through her childhood and early adulthood. Which begs the question: "Why did you choose the screen name WILMA! as in the Flintstones?" That's a story for another day.)

I don't think political affiliation has anything to do with whether or not someone is a Karen or a Snowflake.

NE, my family is mixed-race. Confederate flags do not connote heritage-based unless you mean slave holders, and hard-working? No, they owned slaves who worked for them.

It's a despicable emblem of days gone by - like the swastika. If someone showed up with that on their sleeve, would you think, "Ohhhh follows orders...good tenant!"

PS, I have family that is mixed race also and my mom has a wife, so there's that. You won't one up me with virtue signaling.

The civil war was also called the war of northern aggression by the south by the way.

One side was forcing its will on the other. Kind of like other things we see today.

Also, the modern reverence of the confederate flag has an entirely different meaning than it did 160 years ago. Certainly doesn't mean bring back slavery.

History isn't dispicable. It's important. People on the other hand.....

"One side was forcing its will on the other. Kind of like other things we see today."

States rights, WMH. You don't get the force your will on someone else. It was a different time back then. Things were naturally moving in the way of no longer having slavery. The western expansion excluded it.

However, they were still states who did not want to give up their way of life. It just happened that slavery was the specific topic.

It was so divisive though, that it tore this country in half. You don't get the force your will on somebody else. Just like you do not get to force me to wear a mask because you are scared. Because if you get to force me to do something against my will, then I should be able to force you to do something against your will. But that's not how it works in your world, is it? It's a one-way street for you.

You constantly post stuff about why can't we all just get along and why don't I stop responding to your threads, but yet YOU continue to post controversial threads and statements. You don't want to get along, you just can't handle opposing viewpoints.

This is an open forum. It can't be one-sided.

Would I rent to a car with a nazi flag? He// no. Confederate flag on a work truck in 2021? Asap with an approved app.

WMH, do you know what is said to have happened at the end of the last battle of the civil war? The union officer in charge ordered his men to deliver aid to the wounded confederates because at the end of the day they are all Americans. He didn't spit in their face due to their flag. It was a different time. That flag has a total different meaning today and I will take someone with that on there truck ANY DAY over someone who supports talearinf down statues of civil war soldiers.

SCREEN THEIR POLITICS!!!

1) Landlord technology and automation

2) rent collection

3) rent to own

4) scaling your business

5) finding deals

6) mock eviction

7) tools to automate

8) govt assistance programs

9) niches available

10) rahabing

11) raising rent

12) Pets/ESA/SA/Comfort Animals

13) delegation

14) financing

15) trust

16 Structuring deals

17) retiring in real estate

18) financial considerations in investing

19) hacks of the trade

20) Staging

The only state, to my knowledge that prohibits discrimination based on political affiliation is California.