[spdrun]

I’d say that MM as a whole is relatively new by SD standards, yes. Assuming that plastic plumbing issues were addressed, what’s the major disadvantage of a 23-year old home vs a 10-year old home in a climate as mild as SD’s?

As long as location, amount of floor space/rooms, condition, and price is right, I really don’t think that most tenants will even ask about age.

[spdrun]

Considering some neighborhoods in SD have a lot of 1910-1930 houses and others have a lot of apts and condos built in the 1960s through 80s, 1990 is relatively new.

Hell, by non-SD (northeastern) standards, 1990 is practically new-build 🙂 Assuming halfway decent construction quality, the building should be able to last 50+ years at minimum — 23 years old is nothing.

[spdrun]

* It’s not in 92115, it’s in 92108.
* It’s a 1/1.
* Tenant has been awesome so far. I had a bit of a crowd to choose from, though the first person who showed up, was genuinely interested, and sent me references turned out to be good enough.
* I’d absolutely live in the unit, at least short term, though if I moved to SD long-term, I’d probably try to find a 2/1 in PB or North Park (more walkable, less boring, though the unit isn’t horrible since it’s near some shops and a tram stop). Retirement is a looooong way away 🙂

[spdrun]

Hey, some of the people who stare at their cell phones instead of looking at traffic while crossing the street could use a helmet! Or a clue.

[spdrun]

Meh, disagree on a lot of what you’ve said 🙂
(1) You can generally suss out the risk of special assessments and rises in HOA fees. Look at the general condition of the complex, the financial condition of the HOA, and check court records for any open litigation. This info is all available to prospective buyers and isn’t hard to find.
(2) HOA fees in a well-run condo pay for a lo.t of stuff that you’ll be paying for anyway in an SFR, like exterior maintenance. Also, the level of HOA fees is reflected in the sale price — condos are cheaper to buy than SFRs for a given level of rent.
(3) Who cares where employment verification comes from? I’ve just asked for 3-4 references from prospective tenants including one from work (co-workers are fine in my book), called them up, and googled them as well as the prospective tenant. It’s very hard to get a few friends to lie consistently, and if the stories didn’t fit, I moved on.

There are also other ways to verify income, like bank statements. I’m self-employed, so I’m sure not going to discriminate against self-employed/small-business folks and students — too much empathy to even consider that.

[spdrun]

If the bills were incurred when the kid was under 18 and thus unable to legally sign a contract, could the kid say “fuck you, I’m not paying” upon his 18th birthday?

[spdrun]

Thinking about what stocks to buy if 17 Oct comes and goes, since a “default” will be the buying opp of a lifetime. Just like 2008 post-Lehman was.

[spdrun]

dup, please delete.

[spdrun]

I’d personally split it whichever way made the highest return. She may have been thinking that one unit was the best she could do, but she should remain flexible if that’s not the case.

[spdrun]

I’d rather have a 1/1 (or building with 1/1s) if possible, since applicants with kidlets will likely select themselves out.

[spdrun]

I just saw a 2-bedroom list (and go quickly) for a bit under $200k in Mission Valley. Early 80s construction, but nothing horrible if you’re not squeamish.

[spdrun]

Expect to pay up to 50% of income on expenses (property manager, maintenance, insurance, HOAs, vacancy, lease fee, advertising, some utilities, property tax).

Condo doesn’t need a property manager and if you pick the right one, maintenance is minimal. Insurance is mostly picked up by the HOA fee, landlord’s liability is cheap. What lease fee? What advertising? Craigslist is free, and I’ve never checked a tenant’s credit, just interviewed VERRRRRY carefully, asked for multiple references, checked them out online, and looked if the story made sense.

[spdrun]

.

[spdrun]

Sounds like a contradiction. One keeps people in the kitchen. The other aims to get them out of the kitchen 🙂

[spdrun]

^^^

Haha, I walked home in the rain the other day, didn’t have the right shoes for it — ended up with 1″ blisters on my heels. Ouch.

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