I am excited to announce that 2017 BAH rates have been released. If you have not checked your rates for next year you can find them HERE. For some, the new BAH rates are a blessing and welcome relief to a high market. For others, this may be not so great news. It all depends on if your rates have increased or decreased and by the anticipated amount. Every year there are always tons of questions from people about how the BAH changes will … [Read more...]
Should I Refinance My House?
I see the question all the time, "I received refinance fliers in the mail. Should I refinance?" or "Rates are at an all time low, should I refinance?". It is true that rates are at a very low point, so for some it may make sense to refinance if they have a higher rate. Still, owning Real Estate is public record and a very lucrative market. So companies are indiscriminately sending out fliers no matter the person rate. We have even seen fliers … [Read more...]
How to Get Rid of Cat Urine in Cushions, Carpet and Clothes
As a landlord of eight houses and counting, I know that cat urine is very destructive. As the mother of three precious cats who are the love of my life and foster mother to over 30, 4-8 week old kittens, I can tell you that accidents happen in a cat lovers household. The key to my survival and sanity was to figure out how to get rid of cat urine in cushions, carpet and clothes. As someone who has invested over $3,000 in boat … [Read more...]
What to Buy for Your Furnished Rental
If you are starting from scratch, putting together a furnished rental can seem overwhelming and incredibly expensive. We have saved a ton of money by buying all our furniture from Craiglist and Buy Trade pages. This has allowed us to furnish entire houses for less than $2,000 in furniture. Unfortunately, what I have learned the hard way is that the most under estimated but highly expensive items are not furniture, but all of the other items … [Read more...]
How we saved $140,000 in 6.5 years!
My husband and I got married right out of college at ages 22 and 23. In the beginning, we felt very poor as we were single income living on a Ensign's salary while I was going to school for my master's degree. One of the goals we established early on in our marriage was financial independence. Our goal was when my husband could retire from the Navy with a pension (god and Navy willing) that we did not need to find another job. We knew that to … [Read more...]
Why My Husband and I Bought a Boat and not a House
My husband and I own eight houses which are all currently rentals purchased bought in the past five years. We own in three states; CA, SC and VA, and I self manage all of our rentals from all around the world (check out my adventure in self manning while in Fiji.) All of my buddies would tell you that I gleefully look forward to each new duty station as it is an excuse to purchase our next personal property, meaning I get another rental at 5% … [Read more...]
7 Sites to List Your Short Rental
My husband and I are building an empire with our 8 Rentals & Counting. Since I left my job in April, I have been able to increase our income from $1800 a month to over $5800 a month (check out our October Income Report). While we are fortunate that rents increased at three of our houses, the biggest asset was turning two of our houses into furnished rentals. Thanks to short term rental income, our income has dramatically increase. While … [Read more...]
How to Prepare Your House (or Rental) For Hurricane Evacuation!
This is the second post in a two part series about how to prepare your house for a Hurricane. The first post, How to Prepare for a Hurricane as a Landlord, can be found here. As a landlord, homeowner or tenant, preparing your house (or Rental) for hurricane evacuation is scary business. You are leaving your home and hoping that the best occurs when you return after the storm. Here are some tips to help you prepare your house (or Rental) for … [Read more...]
How to Live Like Royalty While Waiting on HHG Shipments
I am excited that Cort is sponsoring this article, because I absolutely love the opportunities they provide to our military members to save money. Did I mention yet I am frugal and have an expensive empire-building habit? We are currently embarking on our fourth PCS in six years. So, I can tell you that the worst part of moving is trying to arrange drop-off and pick-up with the movers. I don't know about you, but after struggling … [Read more...]
Is HGTV Killing your Real Estate Transaction?
A serious issue plaguing real estate in this day and age is the existence of cable television networks, such as HGTV and the DIY network. While they are certainly entertaining and can provide great information, we often lose sight of their place in real estate — which is actually non-existent. They truthfully don’t belong in real estate at all. They are solely meant for entertainment. Like any reality television program, they are directed, … [Read more...]