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jeff lund: Ah... Screening Tenants with the Help of the Internet - 10/07/08 03:01 PM
When it comes to tenant screening, the 'net is a great thing... I just had a prospective tenant call me, and when asked 'why is he moving', his answers were not consistent. BTW, I like to ask 3 times when the first response to that question is anything with the word 'landlord' in it. He went on to tell me that he 'told' the landlord that he was moving, and he wasn't getting evicted... well, he got half of it right. While on the phone, I asked his name and current address, logged onto our local District Court website and did … (6 comments)
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jeff lund: Website Grader- learn more about your website and SEO! - 07/08/08 01:05 PM
Hello everyone,
Just wanted to give you a website that grades your website. websitegrader.com analyzes what your website has (and what it doesn't), and spits out a great report that you can look at where your site needs work.
You can also type in additional websites (5 of your competitors) to compare to yours... try it out!
Keep in mind, getting a score that's over 90 out of 100 is a fantastic score, and very few sites score over 95...
Hope this helps,
Jeff Lund
Five Star Real Estate
Director of Eduction and Technology
Investment Property Specialist
jefflund@grar.com
… (9 comments)
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jeff lund: Collecting Prospective Tenants' Application Fees - 06/25/08 10:33 AM
Hello Everyone,
I just got an idea on collecting larger amounts of application fees... and making it easier.
Several times prospective tenants ask if there is an app fee, and I often waive the charge, in hopes to get more appicants to choose from. I have found that requiring a large fee upfront will sometimes cause an otherwise good tenant to not want to even show up.
When a tenant views a property, I tell them that there is a $20 application fee, to be collected when the lease is signed. This way I still get a fee charged, and I … (0 comments)
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jeff lund: Satellite internet- not the best for realtors - 06/07/08 05:40 AM
Hello everyone,
I keep watching the ads on tv about Direcway (now called Hughes net) about how you can enjoy high speed internet access anywhere, as long as you have a view of the southern sky...
I had this sytem for years, and dropped it for the following reasons:
1) Ask them about upload speed, not just download speed. Upload speed is how fast you can send items such as emails with pictures. This system is very slow (comparative to dial-up), and in our business, this is important.
2) You lose connectivity when high winds or storms occur. We had great signal … (4 comments)
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jeff lund: Save on your water bills at apartments! - 05/22/08 11:28 AM
Hello everyone,
I heard this idea recently, so I thought I'd pass it along:
If you have the older 3 gallon tank toilets in your rentals and You pay the water bill, consider replacing them with a newer, 1.6 gallon toilet. This relatively small amount of expense will save lots of gallons of water, thus reducing your water bills, while helping to conserve water- GO GREEN!
Another even less expensive way- fill up a couple of 12 ounce pop bottles with rocks or marbles, cap it and place them inside the tank, thus making the water usage smaller inside the tank. … (1 comments)
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jeff lund: Find the photo you need... - 05/03/08 07:08 AM
Hello everyone...
If you're looking for specific photos, you might want to try www.istockphoto.com , where you can purchase the rights to use photos for as little as $1.
We all know that the internet provides us with lots of photos that you can 'copy and paste' for our use, but copyright laws may come to a head. Using a site like this lets me sleep better at night.
Jeff Lund
Five Star Real Estate
Investment Property Specialist
jefflund@grar.com
… (4 comments)
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jeff lund: Is the snow gone until fall? Change the photo! - 05/03/08 06:58 AM
Hello everyone,
Just a quick reminder-Photos need updating...
Yesterday I was setting up showings for today, and I noticed that 2 of the homes I was to set up had SNOW in the main picture on the mls... wow, we haven't had snow for at least a month now!
When I was calling the agents, I nicely mentioned this fact, and that it might be in thier interest to have a new photo uploaded. Either these 2 agents were(are) too busy, or this was just an oversight... but I figured that it would be better to hear this tip from a fellow agent, and not … (9 comments)
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jeff lund: Grand Rapids Northwest 4 Bedroom Home - 04/28/08 12:01 PM
Just Listed- great 4 bedroom 2 bath home with appliances included! All of the interior has been remodeled, and included new windows on the outside.
… (1 comments)
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jeff lund: Copper Pipe Theft- I just Got Robbed Last Night! Part 2- Arrest Made! - 04/09/08 02:47 PM
Today I got a call from the detective handling the recent break-in of our rehab property... they made an arrest!
It seems that the copper thieves had been found to rob over 75 (that are known) properties in the Northwest Grand Rapids Area!
The bad news... there will be a slim chance of receiving any monetary compaensation, and I will never get back my charger/radio from these bad guys.
If the police are asking me if I have any other vacant homes in the area, that leads me to believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg that's happening.
Tip of the day: If … (10 comments)
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jeff lund: New blog post- Technorati - 03/21/08 12:31 PM
Technorati Profile
Hello Everyone,
Here's a tch question for you:
I just joined www.technorati.com, which is supposed to enhance your blog postings... anyone had any experience whith that site? Have you found it helps? If so, how, and where do you find results? We are all looking for any way to have your blog found by buyers and sellers out there, so any feedback would b greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Jeff Lund
Five Star Real Estate
Investment Property Specialist
Technorati Profile … (0 comments)
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jeff lund: Ramp up your spring open house! - 03/21/08 07:28 AM
Ah, spring is here, (at least on the calender) and that means holding open houses more than any other time of the year. Although we hold open houses sometimes to appease the seller, we also hold them to attract buyers. In this regard, here is a marketing tip that can help you capture more buyers:
In addition to having printed open house flyers, mortgage sheets and surveys etc., why not have them on a cd?
I've used this method for years, and I've found that buyers will take this home with them and look again at your property to familiarize themselves with that … (7 comments)
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jeff lund: Making a difference with a photo- wide angle lens shots - 03/20/08 06:15 AM
When I'm taking photos of a property, I use a wide angle lens on my digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera... it really makes a difference on what the interior rooms portray on the property.
True, a digital SLR costs more money to purchase than a regular point-and-shoot digital camera, and the special lens (wide angle) can cost almost as much as the camera body itself. I would suggest a lens with 20mm or less (on the low end) for a nice photo.
Give it a try! If you don't have the resources to upgrade your current camera, ask around the office and see … (4 comments)
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jeff lund: Finding Your Tenant that has Skipped Out for 28 cents! - 02/24/08 07:41 AM
Have you ever had a tenant that has just left you holding the bag? How about leaving no forwarding address?
Here's an idea:
When you have the unit cleaned out, 99% of the time tenants will leave pennies or other coins on the floor from the move (I probably average 28 cents), have your cleaning people place the money in a sealed envelope, and give it to you.
Then, call the emergency contact person on the application, and let them know that you are trying to reach your past tenant because you have an 'undisclosed amount of money' that your cleaning crew has found. (I … (23 comments)
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Jeff Lund
Grand Rapids,
MI
More about me…
Jeff Lund-Income Property Specialist- Bellabay Realty LLC
Address: P.O. box 726, Rockford, MI, 49341
Cell Phone: (616) 540-0044
Email Me
This blog is committed to buying and selling income properties, landlording, and creating wealth in real estate.
real estate, properties, rentals, landlord, tenants, links and more!
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