The Accidental Landlord Podcast with guest, Jay Helms
Learn from real estate investor Jay Helms as he shares the three biggest mistakes self-managing landlords make.
The following episode is an excerpt transcribed from The Accidental Landlord podcast. You can access the full episode, here.
Peter: Today we have Leah McPhail on the show. Welcome!
Leah: Thanks for having me!
Peter: Leah works for Rincon Property Management. She’s in charge of our leasing and inspections. She has a unique perspective in the fact that she knows what tenants want, because she’s dealing with them on the leasing side. She gets a ton of feedback. She knows their issues, what they like, and what they don’t like. Just a little context for our listeners. Today we are going to talk about the rent ready standards, why they’re important, and how they affect the whole process in general. Leah, please introduce yourself!
Leah: Like you said, I’m Leah. I’m not a California native. I moved from Charlotte, North Carolina about a year ago. This Southern California real estate scene has been totally different from what I’m used to. My husband is in the military so we won’t be here for long. We will be moving somewhere else in about a year. I’ve been working at Rincon for about a year and a half. Working in real estate has really shown my the importance of investing in real estate. I got my real estate license and have since, with some persuasion from Peter, bought a townhome with my husband. It’s been fun working here, learning everything about real estate, and learning about what tenants want, owning a home, and renting it out. This is just a bit about my work experience with Rincon. I definitely here a lot from tenants!
Peter: We’ve gone down this path for a while, trying to get you guys to see the value of real estate investing especially in the military. There are people who buy a new house at every new station. What’s your take on that, living that firsthand and buying your first house?
Leah: This was our first duty station and first home. We definitely are open and are hoping everything lines up. There are a lot of factors in the military, but we would love to continue buying homes. There are tons of success stories and it’s worked really well for many military families.
Peter: it’s a great strategy and it’s kind of forced upon you in the military. Everywhere you move, you’ll need somewhere to live. You have a unique perspective because you represent our clients. We work to get properties rented. Now you also own a property which you will be renting out in the next year or so when you move. Does owning a house and understanding all of this change your perspective?
Leah: It has certainly changed my perspective. In the last few years I’ve been a tenant myself, a homeowner, a landlord and someone working in real estate. I can empathize with owners and put myself in their shoes. If i’m an owner and my tenant is complaining about a toilet paper holder and it costs $300 to fix it, I can understand that being frustrating.
The following episode is an excerpt transcribed from The Accidental Landlord podcast. You can access the full episode, here.