Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: landlord + 2,000 + web  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)

Forbes Saving Lives, One Rent Check at a Time Forbes, NY - Jul 24, 2008 The check goes not to the recipient but to the bank, business or landlord that needs to be paid. Modest Needs funded 1582 people last year and gave away ... Keller elected to Notre Dame Club board Indianapolis Star, United States - Jul 30, 2008 He represents clients in a variety of matters involving contract disputes, business association dissolution, real estate matters, and commercial landlord ... Lillian Vernon Corp. working to put pieces back together The Virginian-Pilot, VA - Jul 25, 2008 Lillian Vernon, which sells low-cost personalized gifts and gadgets via catalogs and its Web site, had not posted a profit since 2000. ... St. George cracks down on rentals St. George Daily Spectrum, UT - Jul 21, 2008 To compliment the ordinance, the city is working with the Utah Apartment Association to develop a ?good landlord? program, Guzman said, ... Obama vs. McCain on taxes Napa Valley Register, CA - Aug 3, 2008 If someone doesn?t fundamentally understand that an increase in rent is due to a landlord wanting to recoup his lost income due to increased income taxes, ... CoStar Group Expansions & Relocations (July 6-12): Gazelles Revisited CoStar Group, MD - Jul 11, 2008 Grubb & Ellis brokers Scott Lyon and Anthony Avendt represented the landlord. Greg Lance with UGL Equis represented the tenant. (By: Rashad Smith) Cozen ...XCO - MOD - LON:TLPR Task force addresses proposed rental licensing program Leavenworth Times, KS - Jul 17, 2008 Pierce, a landlord who worked with the previous Leavenworth Landlords Association, also said the Kansas ?Party Shack Law? would address the crime addendum. ... Expansions & Relocations (July 20-26): Car Makers Shift into ... CoStar Group, MD - Jul 25, 2008 Dan Wilkinson of Colliers Wilkinson Snowden represented the landlord. Fred Placke of Fischer & Co. represented the tenant. (By: Heather Berwanger) Fonterra ...TSN - RMD - PRGO QSR magazine Search and Rescue QSR magazine, NC - Jul 22, 2008 ?We?d look up tax records and call the landlord.? Indeed, with that type of persistence and a little luck, operators can sometimes find a hidden gem. ... TechSpace Signs $25M Aliso Viejo Lease Orange County Business Journal, CA - Jul 19, 2008 Now the company, founded in 2000 as Enfrastructure Inc., is making a $25 million bet that it can reinvent itself again to survive the current real estate ...

Any helpful hints for first-time condo landlord?

Q: I will become a first-time landlord soon when I rent out my condominium. It there anything in particular I need to know about being a condo landlord?

A: First, confirm you can rent your unit. A few buildings don't allow it, and others have a cap on the number of rental units, so "you may have to enter a waiting list," says Cheryl Dittamore, director of condominium management for SUHRCO Residential Properties. Check, too, on the building's rental policy. Some have specific lease and move-in requirements you and the tenant must follow.

When it comes to selecting a renter, Dittamore wants you to know that, "a lot of people who would be rejected by apartment building managers because of their history are inclined to apply with individual condo owners because they often don't run background checks. Without a background check, you run a very big chance of getting someone who's been evicted for nonpayment or there have been noise problems or drug problems."

Dittamore says these folks like to put the rush on a landlord, offering a plausible reason why they need to move in immediately, before their references can be checked. Then their rent and deposit checks bounce, and the landlord faces evicting them. That's often an expensive three-month process.

Several professional screening firms perform background checks on tenants — and virtually all large landlords put renters through this process, usually requiring the renters themselves to pay the fee. Among the things checked: credit, employment, criminal histories as well as prior rental history, including any evictions. Tenant-screening firms can be found in the Yellow Pages under "Employment Screening and Tenant Verification." Make sure to see prospective renters' photo identification, too, to confirm who you're dealing with.

Because you'll be responsible for your tenant's actions — and can be fined if this person violates the building's written rules — the lease should include an agreement that the tenant will follow all of them. Include a copy with the lease.

Know, too, that as a landlord it's your responsibility to know and follow landlord-tenant and fair-housing laws. Read up on them on the Rental Housing Association of Puget Sound's Web site: www.rha-ps.com.

Finally, Dittamore suggests you contact your insurance agent to make sure you have the right kind of insurance for your situation.

Q: I'm about to put my house on the market. If I get a full-price offer immediately, should I take it or wait a few days?

A: Low mortgage-interest rates and high buyer demand have made this a very hot spring housing market, notes Mike Skahen, the owner/broker of Lake & Co. Real Estate in North Seattle. And in a hot housing market, well-priced, appealing homes in sought-after areas do get quick offers — sometimes multiple quick offers. However, Skahen cautions you against accepting the first one immediately.

"As a general rule, three or four days of exposure, which should include a Sunday open house, gives all buyers a chance to see it," he says.

Waiting several days will confirm for the sellers that they didn't leave money on the table. And it will give buyers a chance to evaluate your house against others and move accordingly. Buyers, says Skahen, "are smart, and they decide the price."

Do know, though, that even in a hot market it can take some time to sell a property. In fact, last month, when sales in general were ripping, King County homes still took 57 days on average to sell. The timeline was 70 in Pierce, 77 in Kitsap and 61 in Snohomish counties.

Q: Can we challenge a home appraisal or have it redone? We just got one, as part of our refinance, that valued our home at $20,000 less than it was appraised at more than two years ago — and that was before we upgraded our kitchen. The new appraiser said his was accurate based on neighborhood comparisons, but we don't think so.

A: Since lending rules say your lender — not you — has to select the appraiser, "One step you could do is to ask your lender to get an independent field review to see if a totally different appraiser agreed or disagreed" with the other one's numbers, says Carol Peisley, owner of Sound Valuations of the Northwest in Kent. "The review would probably be less than the full appraisal, but the new appraiser needs to be paid."

Peisley says there are a couple of reasons the current appraisal is lower than the last one. "It can be a declining market, but probably not in the Puget Sound area. Or the first guy (two years ago) was wrong" and overvalued your property then. Still, if similar area homes are selling for markedly more than your appraisal amount, Peisley says you're right to question it.