Landlord by Design Blog
I started this blog as a form of therapy, a way to share ideas about ways to invest in real estate and manage your real estate investments.
I have found most of what is written online about real estate investing and property management is written with a slant to sell a service, course or investment. I wanted to be contrarian to that.
It is an interactive space with all my readers and followers. Some days I will just write a story based on one of my, or a reader’s experience. I welcome and appreciate all the stories from folks like you. Sharing ideas, solutions and advice has helped thousands of readers over the years.
If you are expecting perfectly edited corporate style blog posts with an agenda to sell you something, please leave this page (other than a link to buy one of our books).
If you want interesting helpful stories that tell the truth about the often chaotic world of real estate investing and property management, then enjoy the read.
Can you reject a potential tenants application based on amount of income?
Can you reject a potential tenants application based on amount of income? This is a question I have been getting a lot lately, and there are a few current cases of potential tenants pushing back on landlords after they have been rejected for this reason. I need to...
Is Your Property on a Bed Bug Registry?
If you have had to deal with bedbugs in one of your rental properties, I am sure it was a stressful and costly situation. It seems like there are times when the media makes it seem like the world is infested with the critters. The reality is, that you will likely...
Do tenants have a right to smoke Marijuana in or around your rental property
Landlord by Design - Complete Guide to Residential Tenancy Do tenants have a right to smoke Marijuana in or around your rental property We are entering into an interesting time in the world. The attitude towards the legalization of Marijuana has changed...
Wake up Landlords, Your tenants have rights
This is a wake up call to landlords / property managers Do you know the rights of your tenants? The past few months have been a time of rule changes in my area, and many others. The biggest topic of conversation and questions for me is around the use of Cannabis. I...
How to repair a window screen
How to repair a window screen. I want to talk about window screen repair. If you have rental properties, I think you will quickly realize that being able to do window screen repair is a necessary skill. Get a copy of our book here I do not know why, however, screens...
Do NOT Bother Screening Tenants – Go With Your Gut
Do not bother screening your tenants. If you go with your gut, it will save you time and money placing tenants. All you need to do is talk on the phone and meet with a person or persons, or family. Click here to get a copy of my book If you connect with them, then...
Is it expensive to write a book?
Did you ever dream about writing a book? Is it expensive to write a book? Buy it on Amazon.com by clicking this link I did, and on September 22, 2016 it went live on Amazon. It was an amazing feeling. It all started a couple of years before when I started a blog...
The most important member of my team
Today, I was asked the question of if I were to start over, who is the first and most important person you would ask to join your team? That was a tough question to answer, and really made me think about all the great people that helped and still are helping with our...
Tenant screening – avoid eviction
Tenant screening is the best way to at least limit the painful process of doing an eviction. The hardest part about the eviction process is the emotional energy involved. It seems simple, pay rent or get out. The problem is that the process is generally full of rules...
Books you need to read
One of my favorite quotes is from a guy named Kevin Trudeau "leaders are readers". I do have to admit, I had to practice. I am not the type of person who was born to read for fun. In fact I mostly only read for educational reasons. I still do, so the key factors...
What should you ask to pre-qualify a tenant?
What should you ask to pre-qualify a tenant? This is a very common question. When you rent apartments or homes you have to be fair. You cannot violate any human rights as a landlord. That being said, landlords and property managers are people and have...
Should you repair or replace appliances?
I get asked quite often if it is better to repair or replace appliances. Like all things property management there is not a clear answer to which way is better. You have options. The options will work depending on your personal experience, and your access to...
What to do if your tenants break up?
What to do if your tenants break up? This is a common tenant relation question. I was asked this question most recently last week. There are several possible outcomes to the situation. I will give you some possible scenarios and the pros and cons of each. You also...
The super that was not so super
I want to set the stage. We purchased an apartment building that had a live in superintendent. I had met him when we looked at the building and he seemed like a great guy. I should have noticed the first red flag, which was from the previous owner. He had said that...
How to use a plunger
The simple, yet extremly useful plunger Early on in my property management / landlord career I found a way to minimize service calls from tenants. I can remember within two weeks of purchasing a six unit building I was called twice by tenants with clogged toilets. I...
Tenants playing with fire (literally)
This is a true story about a fire that happened a few years back. I had a 6 unit apartment building up for sale. I had a conditional offer on the building. One of the clauses was the building inspection clause. It was set up for a particular day. The morning of...
Eviction Nightmare
Eviction Nightmare This post is about an eviction, It was the type of eviction that I had only read about in books. It was a few years back, so I can look back and laugh. When I was dealing with the eviction, I think I went into a sort of survival, lets get it done...
Bonding over rat poop
This post is about an experience we had renovating a house that had a previous rat problem. We bought a 150 year old house to renovate a few years back. We hired contractors to do the majority of the work. What we have found over the years, is that it is a good idea...
You need vision to seize OPPORTUNITIES
Barton House BeforeBarton House After You need vision to seize opportunities This post is all about having vision to seize opportunities. I want to tell you a story about a house that my wife and I bought a few years back. It turned out to be a really great...
How to invest in real estate as a family
How to invest in real estate as a family. Lets face it, owning residential real estate and raising a family is not always easy. I think the obvious part about owning residential real estate is that your business runs 24/7. I want to give some advice to those who...