It really does amaze me how fast you can get answers to silly questions on the internet. Here is my latest:

“What makes a bird continually bang into a window?”

So many great answers and so now the bird has been saved. I do not like to kill anything but I was really tired of this bird banging on our window beginning at 6am. I am not a lover of guns, as my husband is but this morning I said, “WHERE IS YOUR GUN?” I was trying to figure out how I was going to kill it with one shot so then I decided it had to be buckshot. Even I could hit something, don’t you think. 

Oh, well. I am going to try what was suggested on the internet before I go to that length. 

Now to the store to buy either cardboard to block the reflection or tinsel to hang in the window. 

If you hear of a crazy woman who was killing 2 cardinals and on a rampage, you can say “I KNOW HER”

Foreclosure and Tenants

DId you know

many of you have asked “What happens to a tenant when the house they live in goes into foreclosure?”

If the tenant has a  valid lease then they can stay until the lease expires UNLESS the person that is buying the house is going to live in it. Then the tenant has 90 days to move.

What is a valid lease? The lease rate is not below market rate or the tenant is related to the owner. Things like that.

The tenant has full control not the bank or the attorney who tells them any of these things:

You have to move

You have to sign a new lease

You have no rights. You are stupid.

Many times the tenant will be given an incentive to move.Sometimes thousands of dollars BUT it is still their choice. They do not have to move. Obama signed a law in May 2009 that stated just what I told you.

It has amazed me over the years what kind of tactics these banks and attorneys will use including not telling the truth to the tenants.

Shame on them!!!!!

After sending the above email to real estate agents I thought it best to write another letter on the same subject to real estate agents that are not familiar with foreclosure laws as it relates to tenants

Did you know

Just because you get a phone call from an attorney or a bank that tells you the property you are handling has gone into foreclosure, that does not mean you just lie over and play dead. The attorney or bank MUST prove to you that it has taken legal possession of the property. This usually does not happen for at least a month if not longer. In NC it can take even longer.

Legal possession is NOT going to the court house steps and doing the foreclosure. Until  it is RECORDED at the courthouse they do not have legal possession. I have seen properties “Cried” at the courthouse steps and then 4 months later they are “Crying” again.
There is also the possibility that the foreclosure was not done correctly or a number of things. 

So remember, as an agent for your owner, you have a fiduciary responsibility to protect your owner and try to sell their property or continue to lease it. Whatever the case may be.

Don’t let the Bullies get you!!!!!!!!!

The latest photo was taken on Hwy 175 North just over the Georgia state line into North Carolina. The barn is on your left as tyou head toward High Bridge. Keep your eyes open. You will never know where I will have the next photo taken

Now here is this week's photo. It is on a secondary highway in either Towns,Union,Clay or CHerokee Counties. Where is it?

DId you know

every once in awhile it is good to brag about yourself. Men have no problem doing this

but women are less likely to do so. Women are taught to let the man handle things or at

least my generation was taught that very thing. They were stronger and smarter. Many

are stronger but not the latter.

Anyway, here is my brag. Mountain Manager & Associates has been in business for 10

years!!!! We are going to have a party to celebrate. We have survived the recession/

depression. We have had mainly women working for us. Maybe that is why we are the

Largest Property Manager in the mountains.

By the way, any of you that want to brag, go right ahead. It is OK. Send me your brags

Stone work

The stone work was part of the original Community Center in Blairsville. People would come and enjoy each other's company and use the grill/fireplace. It is located just off Hwy 129.It is next to the new community center which is spectacular.

Helton Falls

The last photo was taken of Helton Falls in Union County. Take 129 South to Hwy 180. Turn left. Turn right on Richard Russell Scenic Hwy. Go about 3 miles and turn right on Hatchett Creek. Stay on that road until you come to the falls on your left. There is one point where you need to bear to the right. Nice path to the falls or just view from the parking area.

Now where is this Photo?

This is 1/8 mile off of a major Highway. I think there must be a story to this one. I will find out and let you know.

Try to figure out where this waterfall is located. It is approximately 3 miles from a major hwy. Answer will be on this blog on Friday.

Answer to Scavenger Hunt

The photo was taken in Hiawassee. It is across the street from Sterling Park Bank. What is interesting is the brick building was built by a lady who was big into quilting. She had the building designed as a quilt pattern. Go look at it sometime and you will see the different patterns.
The last two photos were fairly easy. The next one that will be posted  on Monday is going to be a little more difficult.

Scavanger Hunt

Tell me where this one is? Hint. North Georgia County. Answer will be posted on Friday

Hayesville Courthouse

I know this was an easy one. The photo was taken in the spring of the Historical Courthouse in Hayesville, NC. Each week there will be a new photo and you will have to guess where it is. They are going to be much harder than that one.

Now where was this photo taken? Comment on the blog and we will post the correct answer on Friday. Each week the photos will become harder  and harder.

GREAT TENANTS

Did you know

there are good tenants, bad tenants and GREAT tenants out there. I am fortunate enough to have GREAT tenants. There are unfortunately some landlords that do not have great tenants. The other day I was in the post office. The young man that was helping me said, “Who is the worst tenant you have ever had” I immediately answered with  %*%*%*%*%**%*%*. (I do have a few that no longer rent from me because they did not feel they should pay rent)

Then he said, no, I mean who WOULD be the worst tenant to ever have? I gave up and with that he said, “ I rented a house to Eric Robert Rudolph.”

OH MY GOODNESS, YOU DID RENT TO THE WORST POSSIBLE TENANT.

Spring is here, enjoy.

Remember, Mountain Manager NEVER steals your customers. We pride ourselves in managing rental property full time.

Marketing Houses for rent

Many Owners do not understand about marketing a home for sale or for rent.

 Marketing a house for sale is similar to marketing it for rent. 

This principal still applies. When a house for sale is put on the market at $100,000 when it really should be at $85,000, it will sit and sit. Then it is reduced to $97,000 and $92,000, $87,500 etc. When it sits and sits and sits, people think something is wrong with it. When it finally does sell, it sell for much less than the $85,000. It probably sells for $79,000.

However, if it were put on the market at $85,000 then it would sell very close to the asking price.

It is so hard to convenience an owner that their house is not any different than other homes. Their home will sell or rent if price correctly.

Jump Up and Down

My husband is a fanatic about NASCAR? He LOVES to watch those cars go round and round. He is obsessed with NASCAR. I gave him tickets to a NASCAR race in Dallas several years ago. His son lives in Dallas and off they went to the race. They were like little boys when they got back from the race. It was delightful to listen to these grown men act like they were 10 years old. 

It is good for us to be a child ever once in awhile.  To laugh and jump up and down is a good thing. I need to work on this. I take life too seriously. I am going to go laugh and jump up and down today. Why don’t you?

Lot of pretending

Did you know

There is a tip I want to pass along to you. When you are representing the buyer or the seller it is amazing how much they respect you when you tell them “I pretend that I own your house or I pretend I am buying a house.”

Now the hard part is to really pretend you are in their shoes. When you are negotiating the sale, remind them that you ARE looking out for their best interest even if they don’t buy/sell the house. Repeat business is the name of the game.

At closing you go down the closing costs as if they were your closing costs. Get your calculator out and see if the taxes were prorated correctly. Did the attorney over charge? Is the origination fee correct? This one action will give you repeat business.

Just recently we had a bid to replace/repair a ceiling where the popcorn style had started breaking away from the sheetrock. The bid was for $350. We could have said go do it or say “How long is this going to take you to repair? What materials are needed and approximate cost? Exactly what are you going to do to repair this?”

Answers to all of our questions are as follows:
1. How long is this going to take?  1 day

2. What materials are needed and approximate cost? 

1. Exactly what are you going to do to repair this?”

Once we had answers to these questions, we could decide if the estimate was fair.

As a property manager, We do a lot of pretending!!!!

Isn't that a shame!!!!!

Did you know

The son thought he could sweet talk his way out of moving.  He had maneuver his was thru the justice system time after time. He really did not believe that his mother would evict him. He is 57 years old. What a shame. How could a son do this to his own mother. This situation, I really find unacceptable!!!!

Mountain Manager gave the required notice to move out in 7 days. By law we must deliver/mail a letter that states the tenant has 10 days to  get out. If they do not respond, a court date is set.

The tenant shows up at court and says he needs additional time to move.(remember he has already been there without paying rent for 3 months). By law he has 10 days to move. If he does not move he has 10 more days.

Call or email your STATE representative today. Do you think a tenant should have all this time to move, especially since he has not paid any rent? 

Remember, the landlord is the one who pays property taxes!!!!

We did evict him and  as Paul Harvey would say, "here is the rest of the story"

He is such an idiot. 4 weeks later he decides that he has the right to come back to the property and go inside.A neighbor tells me a few days after he went inside.  All the locks had been changed but the locksmith failed to change one of them. Once that lock was rekeyed, William breaks into the house.  This time the neighbor calls the police and then I am called by the neighbor. William showed the police that he still had a key and had the RIGHT to go inside. When the key did not work the police took him to jail.

Isn't that a shame!!!!!

There are difficult situations that are hard to decide the best way to handle. Here is one of the more difficult.

 An 84 year old woman calls the office. She has been renting her house to her son who has not paid rent in 4 months. Her home is a 4 bedroom 4 bath home. She rents the upstairs to her son and the downstairs to another person. Her son is paying $300 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bath that should rent for a minimum of $500 a month. The other person is paying $300  for a 2 bedroom 2 bath which should also rent for $500 a month. The rent includes  approximately $250 a month for utilities including cable. She wants me to evict both of the tenants for non payment of rent.

The son has a criminal record. He keeps getting away with not going to prison. He is disabled and also is big on prescription drugs.

Here are some of the concerns

1.If eviction begins, will the mother ask it to stop?

1. Will the son damage the house?
2. Is he dangerous?

Stay tuned next week to see what happened

Did you know

there is a family  that have moved in near my home. There is a real good chance that they are going to be evicted real soon. The parents have begun disturbing my husband and I at 6:30am every morning, even on the weekends. They both are very inconsiderate and need to get some manners. They are not like us. They are foreigners and I am going to discriminate against them and I just don’t care.

Every morning they bang on our bedroom window beginning at 6:30am. Every few minutes they bang and then leave. Then bang again. It usually lasts until around 10am. I have seriously thought about getting a gun and shooting them but then stop.

Next year I am going to move their bird nest before they set up living quarters next to our bedroom window.

Don’t you just love “Mother Nature”

DId I get you?????

Sorry guys. It is now been proven!!  Women are smarter than Men. Who would have believed. It was on Diane Sawyer so it must be true or at least all the women believe it is true.

It has been proven that woman are better money managers. They are better at

tolerating pain and best yet they are better at hammering nails.

WHO WOULD HAVE BELIEVED!!!!

There is always two sides to a story

Some find it  hard to believe, BUT I am really a nice person. My job requires me to be thorough when renting homes for owners. Because I am so thorough, I have a reputation on not being nice or I am a witch. A few years ago, an owner came to me and asked me to handle a house which had a tenant. The tenant did not have a lease and the owner wanted a lease. The tenant refused to sign and lease so we gave him the required 60 day notice. During that time, he also did not pay the rent. We went to court and had him evicted. 

1 month later he gets 2 free websites one called www.MountainManager.Info and the other www.MountainManager.Org . On these two websites he calls me a “SHE DEVIL” and a lot more. 

It took me 3 years and a court order to have him remove the websites. I had to spend $2500 in attorney’s fees because he felt he did not have to pay rent and he could tell all sorts of lies.  He even said, “It was his right of freedom of speech.”

Many times when people say bad things about someone, there is always two sides to a story.

Protecting the owners can be difficult at best.