The Making of a Landlord

The hubby and I recently became investment property owners in West Hartford. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Kind of like watching your teenager learn to drive, but with your car. It took us about a month to get the place rented after our closing. Here are a few tips you might find useful if you’re thinking about investing: 1. Craigslist is a free and easy way to find potential renters. We used

Doh! You Missed Out on a Great House…

If you are thinking about buying a house any time soon, please keep “speed” in mind. No, I am not talking about drugs. By “speed” I mean your ability to react quickly if you happen to come across the house of your dreams. Here are two perfect scenarios where you will almost always lose out: 1. You have a house to sell that is not yet on the market, and you can’t afford to carry

Great Idea! Let's Commit Mortgage Fraud!

I had an agent, “Pat,” contact me this week about one of my listings. Pat’s clients were interested in the house and considering putting in an offer. Pat proceed to ask me how “creative” my clients were. Being left-handed, I’m always open to creativity, so I asked for an explanation of what they had in mind. Pat gave me some details about how the contract would be structured and then mentioned that the buyers would

Phew! M-O-B Doesn't Have to Move…

Looks like Max’s Oyster Bar was able to escape a huge rent increase and will be sticking around West Hartford Center after all. Facing a 50% increase in their rental expense after missing a rental agreement deadline, M-O-B averted eviction when a court ruling went in their favor last Friday. So, grab a bowl of New England Clam chowder and some mussels on the half shell and celebrate… As an aside, this story highlights the

All Things Martha…

Ah, Martha. I’ll admit it, I subscibe to Martha Stewart’s Living magazine. When my latest issue came today, I salivated over the hydrangeas on the cover, silently cursing my own for not producing one single “snowball” this year. But my brown thumb is a blog post for another day… As a Realtor, I’m often consulting Martha-media for ideas. How do we stage a room more appropriately? What cosmetic changes can be done cheaply, but help