Jeff Lund's Michigan Real Estate Investor's Blog

If you decide to allow cats in one of your rentals, you may want to require the prospective tenant to prove that the cat is fixed, and also de-clawed.  To take it one step further, require that they prove (in writing) that these procedures have been performed on that pet.I do allow pets in some o...

ACCELERATING REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT & LANDLORDING TO THE MAXIMUM  This is the theme of the 2008 RPOA-REI Annual Conference & Expo that will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at DeVos Place.  National Guest Speakers include: Don DeRosa (Buying Foreclosures Speciali...

Many of you recieve questions from clients as to if they should swap out thier pepto-bismol pink colored tub before they sell.Tub reglazing is a great alternative which will save time and money.  Usually in 1 day, workers can come in and prepare the existing tub, prime, and spray a new coat that ...

Recent statistics from the Grand Rapids Association of Realtors are reflecting a change in the marketplace in regards to forclosures and short sale closings.The 2007 year began with January's percentage of sales that involved a short sale or REO/forclosure documents were 14.85%.  In December, the...

This blog is intended to find out what a landlord does to combat/deter tenants that play music too loud, or in the middle of the night, disturbing other tenants in the building, or nieghbors.Other than having terms placed in the lease, I was curious on what others did in the form of actual action...

I have found that when one of my units become vacant, there are usually some marks left on the walls from moving, or other reasons.  I look to see the need for painting first, but I then look to try a less expensive alternative... Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers.  You can go to thier website and reciev...

When tenants tell you that the'll pay rent when thier check comes, It's a good idea to know when thier mail comes, and give them time to go to the bank and cash it.Of course it's always easier to have them mail money orders to you, but when times are tight, you may want to make the extra effort t...

I would like to wish everyone on active rain a safe and happy holiday this season, and remember what the season is all about!It might be that your real estate business has been tougher to perform this year, but it still is one of the 3 basic essentials in life... food, clothing, and shelter.  I a...

Here's 10 ideas that I use when I enter into a rental unit that has been vacated from a past tenant:1) Save on utility bills! I turn down the refrigerator settings (they're usually cranked all the way up from the tenant).2) Set the furnace at a lower heat setting, again, you don't need to be heat...

When I first rent out a unit to tenants, I give them a refrigerator magnet that has my name, phone, and address on it.  I place it on the side of the fridge so that they will be able to call me, and have my address to send out rent.  Tenants rarely are able to find the lease copy I give them, and...