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Blinds are commercially made window coverings that can have either vertical or horizontal slats, have an accordion or honeycomb construction or are woven from natural or synthetic reeds. In one style, slats are sandwiched between two sheer fabric layers that diffuse light when the slats are open. In yet another style, slats are laminated vertically […]

If there was one single factor that was most critical to maximizing rental property returns for real estate investing what would it be? Accurately assessing repair costs is crucial and so is marketing, thoroughly screening tenants and good property maintenance, but perhaps most essential of all is locking in long term tenants. Why are long […]

Owning a rental property should be viewed as a long term investment. If you take care of the property it will produce income for years to come.  As apparent as this may be, not every landlord is willing to go the extra mile.  They would rather allocate any extra cash flow to other areas of […]

Happy tenants are often the best tenants. As a landlord, your tenants are the backbone of the entire rental property operation.  Having a good tenant that pays on time and has little drama makes owning the property feel almost too easy at times.  On the flip side, an unhappy tenant will drag their feet sending […]

Screening potential tenants is the most important thing you can do as a landlord. Every problem during a lease can be traced back to your screening process.  If you are lax on your screening, you will let many more bad tenants slip through the cracks.  Tenant screening is not like opening up an investigation.  In […]

Washing Window Blinds Blinds are often subject to dust and rain so they need thorough cleaning once a year. Aluminum and vinyl blinds of a manageable size can be taken down and washed in the bathtub. Mix a mild detergent with water and scrub blinds with a sponge. Once clean, rinse them with water. Let […]

Real estate investing is easy, but becoming a great real estate investor is harder. Real estate investors don’t enter the market to get their money back, they do it to create wealth, gain respect or earn power. Although there is no magic button for greatness, you can join the ranks of the best real estate investors by […]

When you’re selling a home, property value is probably one of the first things on your mind. Property value can be mystical, but there are a few key elements that help determine your property value and help keep it realistic: • Neighborhood data. Your first step in determining your property value when selling a home is to […]

If you are like most householders, your bathroom is probably small and has little, if any, storage space. Don’t despair because home centers and specialty closet stores are filled with shelving units and cabinets designed specifically for the bath. Before you venture into a store or order from a catalog, you need to calculate the […]

Mold and mildew can cause problems in the bathroom. The culprit is excess moisture so it is important to be able to direct moist air out of the room quickly. An open window is often an efficient way to circulate air in the bathroom. If there is no window or if a bathroom has a […]