PDX Renovations

Category: Blog

  • The Jungle Out Back

    It’s nearly June, kids are almost done with school and it’s time to get your summer on But your backyard looks like a jungle. What do you do? Where do you start? You didn’t get a head start on the madness until it was too late and now everything is abundantly growing and out of control. What you’d rather be doing is relaxing in the hammock drinking a cold beverage, but before that can happen, the weeds need to be gone and the lawn needs to be lush and green, right?

    We suggest taking it one step at a time. If you stand back and look at the entire disaster, it will overwhelm you and make you fear the yard. Don’t fear and don’t fret. There are outrageously expensive companies that will come tame the jungle for you or you can take it on yourself. We suggest the latter.

    A great way is to make a list, or even a sketch of the backyard and then look at it in sections. You can even rope off a portion of the overgrowth and tackle that for an hour or two each day or just pick one small area and say “This weekend, You’re doing down!” And just stick to that one part. It will keep you from being overwhelmed with the jungle out back and will give you a small project to work on in your spare time, rather than a huge headache.

    Weed-shield is also very effective. Once you’ve worked hard and gotten rid of every last weed, think ahead and if you never want to do this again, put down a barrier and then cover with bark or gravel or even decorative rock. (If you do this, seek out gravel yards instead of paying a fortune for bags at a hardware or garden store)

    If you know anything about the pacific Northwest, you know that Moss can also be a problem. Especially in those areas where the sun just don’t shine. There are a variety if very good moss fighters out there as well as other weed killers like Noxal and Casoron to take on areas where you don’t want anything growing ever again… so take a look around, do some measuring and get to Lowes or Home depot for your yard needs sooner than later so you can enjoy the sunshine in your newly manicured yard.

  • 4 worst type of renters

    Evictions can be a tricky task.

    Not all renters abide by the laws, pay on time, or keep a tidy home.

    Being a landlord is not as easy as it sounds, and if you recently bought a rental property, you’ll understand what we mean.

    We’ll show you the different kinds of tenants and the nightmares that can ensue with each.

    We will show you the 4 worst types of renters.

    But first off, let’s talk dollars and cents.

    There is a high cost to getting your property in suitable condition to rent out in the first place.

    You may have to spend a month or two or even three without any income while you fix up the place, as most renters won’t be okay with living in an unfinished rehabbed house.

    All repairs and renovations usually take 25 to 50% longer to finish than originally expected, so don’t get your hopes up when a contractor says it will take 2 weeks. Plan ahead.

    Precious Time ~~ It takes time to renovate and fix a place, and most people have day jobs where spending hours upon hours at their “project” home just isn’t feasible.

    Also, it takes a good amount of time to screen and find a good renter.

    With good credit, a steady job, and a suitable lifestyle in which, you will feel comfortable with them living in your house.

    It could take a good month or two just to find the right tenants who you know will take good care of your investment.

    There are several ‘types’ of renters out there, but here are a few to watch out for unfortunately, these traits don’t usually show up on any background check. So dig deeper, get references, etc.

     

    • The “Entitled” Tenant: This type will call you for everything and harass you for every tiny repair. They can’t take it upon themselves to do anything and expect you to come running at the drop of a hat because they are “entitled” to your services since they are paying rent and most likely have a chip on their shoulder about doing so.

    Perhaps they are recently divorced or just lost a good-paying job, so paying rent is beneath them, and you, unfortunately, feel the wrath of their nagging about repair needs.

     

    • The “Flaky” Tenant: This type may have a perfect credit score, impeccable references, and a good-paying job, but they are irresponsible with their money and time.

    Making it nearly impossible to get your rent on time each month. There’s always an excuse with this one; eventually, it will wear you down, costing you money and precious time.

     

    • The “Self-Proclaimed Civil Rights Attorney” Tenant: This tenant can be the worst.

    Like the Entitled tenant, this one will nag about repairs, maintenance and issues by threatening legal action at every turn. They will look up landlord laws, quote bylaws, and civil cases.

    Even if you think your house is in rentable condition, they will not stop until everything is perfect and to their satisfaction or the threats will continue.

     

    • The “Cheap and Lazy” Tenant: This tenant just doesn’t care, mostly about anything, as you can see when you do a yearly walk-through.

    They don’t care about keeping their space clean or keeping up your investment house with even little things like light bulbs and batteries for smoke detectors because why should they when it’s “Not their house” These tenants will leave things broken and unusable. Dirty and unkempt.

     

    These are just a few of the worst-case scenario tenants, and again, evictions can be no fun. You can hope to get a good tenant who will sign a longer-term lease, but those are few and far between.

    So do your homework and think about whether or not you want to take on the headaches of a rental.

    Can landlords evict tenants in Portland Oregon? Click on the link to be taken to an article that may be able to help.

    Or, if you have a rental you are no longer happy with or are just ready to be free, give us a call today, and we can do a quick assessment and give you some good options – 503 560 6620.

    PDX Renovations – Buying houses with tenants with cash.

  • Location, location, location

    Location always comes into the conversation when you speak to anyone about real estate. It’s somewhat a punch-line when speaking to realtors, but it’s a valid point. Location ~ Isn’t that why you chose the house you eventually bought? Whether it’s for the right school district, distance from your job, next to a park, away from the city lights, location of shopping, etc. Every one of us has our own opinion on the “Best location” for a house to call home.

    When considering buying and, then again, someday selling, it’s a good idea to know your Portland local metro areas. There are plenty of avenues to go about this. Sites online tell you how much crime there is, traffic problems, and even things like “windy” areas or areas with dead-zone cell coverage. Or the all-important, best internet connection locations. It’s best to do your homework and research every aspect of your new location, or down the road, when it’s time to cash out all the equity you have been saving in its walls, you won’t be surprised or disappointed.

    Have you ever thought about the difference between having the “Best house” in the neighborhood versus the “Worst house”? If you think about it, having the smallest, least expensive house in a nicer neighborhood might do you and your equity a favor. It raises your property value because the houses around you are worth more. You are among better homes, so that alone bumps you up. On the latter side, you don’t want to build your dream house amongst neighbors who could care less about their homes and don’t care about the neighborhood in general. Homeownership should be something you are eternally proud of.  It’s best to get some good comparables when finding that perfect home. Getting a good deal on the house in Portland takes time, energy, and a lot of research. You might get a good deal, and pay under market prices, but in ten years, find out it didn’t do you any favors by buying in the wrong area of town.

    If you need to sell a home so you can start fresh, give us a call and see what we can do for you today!

    PDX Renovations – We will not waste anyone’s time.