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How to Give Tenants Permission to Improve Your House

August 3, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 4 Comments

improve your house

As a landlord, I believe in treating others how I wish to be treated. At the same time, this is a business and I treat my rentals as such. My goal is be as understanding as possible without altering the integrity of my homes or the ability for me to protect my investment. Over the years I have found three ways to achieve these goals in the most efficient and professional manner possible. These three ways are just a few ways I've found to give … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, Military & Real Estate, Self Management

Why I Allow Pets in my Rentals

July 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 3 Comments

Pets in Rentals

My current "child" is an adorable 8 pound kitty cat. She is a total princes and spoiled beyond means. She has been my right arm, side kick, and TV watcher since the early beginnings of my marriage. I would NEVER have made it through our first deployment, the TDY's or other experiences that I have survived without her by my side. There is a reason her name is "Missy" short for Mistress; i.e. the hubs has the Navy and I have the cat. While I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Self Management Tagged With: pets

How NOT To Hire a Handyman!

July 1, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 8 Comments

Hire a Handyman

As a transparent landlord I will be the first to say that the thing I DREAD the most is hiring a handyman. I always feel like I am being ripped off. For as many times I have paid a "reasonable" price, I have also paid the highway robbery price of $100 an hour because I had no other choice! As a self-proclaimed empire builder, I am going to have to figure out how to hire a handy man. As much as I dread hiring help, it's a skill I need to learn. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, Lifestyle, Self Management Tagged With: handyman

Security Deposit List for Landlords and Tenants: Includes ALL 50 States

June 29, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 7 Comments

Security Deposit List For Landlords and Tenants: Include ALL 50 States

As a landlord who operates in 3 different states I can tell you that every state I work in has different laws and some are stricter than others. I have seen the question often on where to look for the security deposit as this is a hot topic for both landlords AND tenants. To make it easy for everyone I have compiled a quick reference sheet for security deposit information along with a link to the more detailed information on the NOLO website … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Self Management

Are Roommates as Tenants Worth the Stress?

June 26, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 2 Comments

Roommates as Tenants

I am an empire building landlord whose attitude is the more the merrier when it comes to houses. My husband and I buy houses with great building blocks and watch the margins very closely. Our goal has been to buy houses that allow us to travel and live our life. As a person I totally respect and recommend the roommate situation. When my husband and I first got married we had a roommate. Financially speaking, having roommates was one of our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Self Management

How One Landlord and Property Manager Got Served Humble Pie

June 24, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 2 Comments

Property Manager

I am a self-managing, transcontinental property manager. I am the first one to tell you I want to build an empire. I am not a reluctant landlord. In fact, I have become a proud rental owner six times over and own seven homes. I wrote how my plan started out hiring a property manager and then that just didn't work out when I had the shock of my life over the fees and cost. So I decided to figure it out for myself. I am proud to say that I have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: How to Hire a Property Manager, I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Self Management

How Tenants Can Give Notice Under The Service Member Civil Relief Act

June 18, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 5 Comments

The Service Member Civil Relief Act

The Service Member Civil Relief Act serves two goals: 1. It protects military tenant from last minute PCS, deployment orders, and in some states, the ability to move on base. 2. It also provides clear guidelines for the landlord on how to enforce it. This creates a very black and white policy for enforcement. As discussed in 3 ways to break a lease with the SCRA, the SCRA can be used more than just PCS orders. Over the past couple of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Renter, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Military & Real Estate, Self Management

Life Lessons From a Jaded Landlord

June 12, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove Leave a Comment

Jaded Landlord

Building a Real Estate Empire is a crazy, winding road. While you will always know your end goal, the path you take will probably never be the one you ever imagined. I know it certainly hasn't been for us! Three years ago, when we put our first short sale offer down on our first rental property in South Carolina, I NEVER would have imagined where we would be today. While we have been more successful then my wildest imagination, I would … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Military & Real Estate, Self Management

Why I don’t Allow my Tenants to do Repairs Around the Home

June 11, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove Leave a Comment

tenants to do repairs

I've heard from a lot of other landlords that they pay their tenants to do repairs instead of hiring a professional. As a wife with a super handy husband (he built a boat from scratch!), and a landlord with six rentals and managing ten, I truly can see both sides. I remember when we rented a home in Texas. Our roommate's room flooded when a $2.00 seal broke in the toilet and the property manager was just awful. We called to let her know … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Self Management

The One Question to Ask Yourself Before Answering Tenant Inquiries

June 3, 2015 by Elizabeth Bennett Colegrove 2 Comments

tenant inquiries

Do you get the craziest questions from your Applicants or Tenants? "Will you allow chickens?" "Will you hold the home for 2 months?" "Will you reduce the rent $200 a month?" "Will you allow 4 cats?" You know the ones that have you scratching your heading trying to figure out the answer? You are sitting there shaking your head in disbelief or pure bewilderment! I am the biggest advocate of treating your rental like a business. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: I am a Reluctant Landlord, I am a Small Time Landlord, I am an Empire Builder, Self Management

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I love my family, my country and real estate. My goal is to retire early through frugal living and real estate investment. I am making great strides and want to share the information I've learned through the process. Read More...

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