Renting my house questions

[zero-in]

What's the name of management company you use? Maybe they service my area

River City Properties/Remax out of San Antonio. Customarily charges 8%. Worth it in my opinion. Buddy and Karen Manning. They continue to be on top of their game and go out of their way to keep the few headaches that we've had (i.e. AC issues during hot weather and fencing issues from soil expansion) out of our hair. Good folks and they may be able to dig up a reputable source/contact in your area.

[zero-in]

Couple other questions: Where do I find renters? I bet Craigslist would be a nightmare?? Would think it's only an invite to all thieves Do I compare what the market is offering in reference to deposit 1'st months last months rent?

Our property managers interviewed and screened our tenants for us...that's what we pay them for as well as to keep management issues out of our hair. A reputable management company will handle the screening and interview process as well including all of the above stated issues/concerns..good luck!

[TKRanch]

Remember the tax liability when you loose your homestead exemption when you move out. Your taxes will go up for sure so factor that in. We have 2 rent houses we have had for many years. Have been lucky overall with renters, but just got burned for several thousand $ of work by a little old lady that no one would have suspected to be a problem! Bottom line, don't trust anyone, no matter their story!! And get plenty of deposit and say NO to pets! Good luck if you do it. Remember, nobody takes proper care of a rental!

[toastie]

Absolutely no pets allowed. Ask me how I know. Document the condition of the house with pictures. I used to give pre addressed stamped envelopes, or you can give erentpayment.com a try. I also supply air filters for the house.

A thorough screening of tenants cannot be overstated, call their references, boss and previous landlord. Anything that sounds off, usually is. There are such things as "professional tenants" who specialize in in living in your place for free. You have to be a hard azz as a landlord, no slack for missed payments, you lose valuable time when crappy tenants need to be evicted.

[wal1809]

I understand what your talking about. This area was nice back 12-15yrs ago. It's on a decline not horrible but far from what it was. I agree you either have the funds to move in or don't bother. So do you have certain docs you use would you mind sharing?

What is it you're needing? If you're needing rental agreements we use them off of the internet. There are dozens, one of them will certainly fit your needs.

Somebody after me brought up a very important point. The homestead exemption tax status. Very good point and worth reviewing.

[XBowHunter]

I would consider letting a property management company handle it for you. They can take a lot of the headache out of it for you.

I don't think I could ever own a rental property. I used to work for one, and seeing the way a lot of the places were left when they moved out was incredible. The property owner was out thousands in repairs. You can pretty much count on a complete repaint and new carpet when they are gone.

This