Tip of the Week

Greetings Landlords!

As I sit here gathering my thoughts on what I should update you on, I am listening to a slew of workers who are doing A LOT of improvements to our own personal home. We always joke that our tenants have nicer homes to live in than we do! And where a home is what you make of it, not all the bells and whistles and amenities, we are finally getting many much needed projects done on our home that will make it safer and more enjoyable.

Let's start with the roof. Our roof has been leaking for about a year. Now, where most people will just call a roofer and get theirs replaced, we had a few other items to coordinate with the installation of the new roof. First, about half of our home has no attic area to access in between the ceiling and the roof. We also had very few overhead lights in the bedrooms, bathrooms, and living space. That's right. We only were able to get our light from lamps or small vanity lights. So, while the roof it torn off is when we had to get an electrician out to install recessed lighting in most of the areas of our home.

Along with the roof, we are installing air conditioning. Can we live without it? Of course we can. But our upstairs primary bedroom falls somewhere between 75 - 92 degree in the summer months. Which this midlife mama is now struggling with! We also had to run electrical and condensation lines for the mini split system our close friend and HVAC tech is installing upstairs.

Of course, when the roof is off and completely exposed is the best time to upgrade our 50 year old insulation in the ceiling, so we did that too. What a difference in the noise level from before to now! It also will be awesome for efficiency when we run that new AC.

You know what else is a good idea to do when your roof is being replaced? Solar. So we are adding 13 panels to our second story so that we can take advantage of the 30% government tax credit being offered through December 31, 2025. The solar company works closely with our roofer to make sure the stanchions holding the solar panels are installed correctly and will not leak or void the roof material manufacturers warranty.

For safety, we had the electrician hardwire our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors so we don't have to deal with batteries every year. We ended up purchasing Kidde interconnecting (when one goes off, they all go off) smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Smart meaning if we are not home and there is a fire, an app will notify us so we can call 9-1-1 or a neighbor to investigate.

Another item for safety was to replace all the old knob and tube wiring with coated grounded wiring. We will also upgrade our electrical panel now that we have so many items being filtered through it. The electrician told us that in the attic crawl space he has access to, he found several live bundles of knob and tube wiring hanging out. He also found one of the bathroom exhaust fans were wired using no nuts and essentially there are bare wires laying on the metal fan along with other areas with bare wires just laying in the middle of the insulation.

The last thing we are having the electrician do is run ethernet cable to every room so we can have fiber optic internet installed. We love our provider we use now, but after experiencing nearly instant internet speed in Sacramento, we decided it was time to make a change. That ethernet is also being run to all corner eves of the home so we can convert our security cameras to Power over Ethernet units and not have to worry about changing batteries or looking at hanging cords.

Now, how does this relate to being a landlord? Well for one, your safety is equally as important as your tenants. If you need work on your home, budget and save or take out a line of credit to get the work done. It also means that when you have to do work on your rentals, think about what else needs to be done and is it best to get it all done at once? Often it is. If you listen to our most recent podcast on budgeting, we teach you how to figure out the best ways to save for such projects as we are dealing with right now. Give it a listen here or read more about it below.

Until next time, You've Got This Landlords!

Stacie & Kevin

This Week On The Podcast!

What You’ll Learn How to build and manage a rental property budget Why reserves matter and how to fund them How to plan for maintenance and CapEx How to budget for profit, not just expenses Which software tools make it easier 🎧Listen to This Podcast

Stop Guessing, Smart Budgeting: Smart Budgeting Tips for Rental Property Owners Stop Guessing, Smart Budgeting — it’s time to take control of your rental property finances. In this week’s episode of Your Landlord Resource Podcast, we share smart budgeting tips for rental property owners that turn your rentals into a confident, well-run business. Building on Episodes 78 (Bookkeeping & Accounting Tips for Landlords) and 79 (Accounting Software for Landlords), we discuss how self-managing landlords can create a practical budget, forecast expenses, manage reserves, and plan for profit. You’ll learn how to track cash flow, prepare for maintenance and capital projects, and stop reacting to financial surprises. We also dive into the best tools to help landlords stay organized and in control and explain which ones fit best depending on your portfolio size and experience level. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to use budgeting as your most powerful business tool — not just to survive, but to grow.

Click ​HERE​ to view show notes with links to special offers and promotions.

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Favorite Landlord Products

Products we use to make our rental property business more efficient and safe. They make our life easier so we are sharing them with our readers to help you too!

Mr. Grip Stripped Screw Hole Repair We have always used toothpicks to fix stripped screw holes. And that's fine for one hole here and there, but when you have several on a door frame, this is our go to product. Our son told us about this and has used it multiple times in our Idaho rental (and his own as well) when tenants complain a door is not closing correctly or is loose on the door frame. Just cut the strip to the size of the screw you are using, fold into a "U" shape, and insert it into the hole. When you screw in the screw it catches the metal and stays put! One package contains 8 metal strips for $8.17 Click Here to Learn More

This post contains an affiliate link. We may earn a very small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you purchase from here. These small commissions are to benefit our business so thank you for your support.

​​Good Landlord Reads

How to Terminate Your Property Management Contract in 6 Steps Whether you’re selling a rental property, switching to property management software, or simply tired of paying 8% to 12% monthly recurring fees, you’ll need to know exactly how to terminate your existing property management contract. Read More

Top 5 Most Landlord Friendly States to Invest In 2025 Real estate investors are managing successful rental businesses across the U.S. But there’s no doubt that some landlord friendly states make better long-term investments than others. Read More

Get on the waitlist today! Yes! I want to be on the waitlist for this course!

Upcoming Course: Place Your Ideal Tenant, A Comprehensive Guide from Marketing to Move In This is a detailed course on the best practices for Marketing your vacancy to attract the best tenants The process of unit showings and accepting applications Vetting the applicant and background checks Accepting/denying applications A Lease & Addendum Blueprint Onboarding your new tenant and the move in walkthrough Have you ever worried that you could be doing more to ensure the tenants you place are ideal for your rental property? There are specific steps landlords must take to feel confident they have done everything possible to prevent a nightmare tenant from living in their unit. We are sharing our tenant screening strategy, giving you those steps and more to help you build a professional, organized, and communicative landlord tenant relationship that hopefully, will last for many renewals.

Your Landlord Resource: Blogs You Might Have Missed

Fall Seasonal Maintenance for Rental Properties It’s that time of year where the leaves start falling, and there’s a nip in the air each morning and evening. Time to put away the tank tops and pull out the sweaters! For landlords, Fall is the time of year for seasonal maintenance on their rental properties. Here are some reminders on what you or your property manager should be checking out as preventative maintenance... Continue Reading

5 Ways to Show Kindness During the Holidays The holiday season is upon us! Where this is a busy time of year, it’s always nice to remember those who rent from you. Isn’t the true meaning of the holiday season to share the spirit of community and humanity? Whether you have one single family home rental or several multi-family units, here are 5 ways to show your tenants kindness during the holidays... Continue Reading

Your Landlord Resource: Free Downloads

$9.99 Your Landlord Resource Periodic Inspection Form: Single Family Home Inspections are important! This is how you know if your tenant is following lease terms and if any unreported... Read more Get it now!

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$9.99 Property Manager Questionnaire We created a 14-Page questionnaire for landlords to use when vetting a property manager! Why are asking these questions... Read more Get it now!

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