At one point, my father decided that it would be a great thing to keep the family home in San Diego as a rental property when the Navy sent him to the East Coast. After all, he figured, it was quite likely that in a couple of years we would be back in California, and he was also looking towards retirement in the city where my mother's family lived and where they had met. It turned out to be a disaster at every turn.

It seemed like every month or two, we would get a call from our old neighbor, Dennis, about some problem or other with the tenants. The final straw, New years morning, came when we got the call about the fire. it seems that someone had left a pan on the stove New Years Eve with the burner turned on, causing a fire that decimated the kitchen and required serious money to fix up. Insurance covered most of the expenses, but that by Easter the house would be sold to a new family. My parents had decided that it would be less of a hassle to look for and buy a new house when/if we moved back to California (we never did).

Frankly, I think the problem was probably the tenants themselves. The first couple were a young couple, fresh out of college and not really stable. The same was true of the next set of renters, who burned the kitchen. But then again, that is what you get if you post a flier on the bulletin board at Safeway.

There is a better way to find renters. Rentals.com provides a database of 3 million potential renters to you, many in your area, and tools to help you connect with someone you are comfortable dealing with. After all, that property is an investment in your present and future -- you want to take care of by ensuring that you have quality tenants. Rentals.com makes it all very easy for you to do -- and at a reasonable price.

Posted by: Greg at 06:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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