Rental Property Inspection Checklist

Inspection checklist before renting your place:

1. All major utilities (electricity, gas, or water) must be turned on.

2. The cooking stove and oven must be clean and in working condition. All burner control knobs must be present.*

3. The refrigerator must be clean and in working condition.

4. The heating unit must be properly installed and vented and otherwise in good working order.

Check with SDG&E to ensure the safety of the heating system. Heater must be operational.

5. You must have hot and cold running water in the kitchen and bathroom(s).

6. There must be a shower or bathtub that is in good working condition.

7. There must be a flush toilet that works and does not leak.

8. The bathroom must have a window or working ventilation fan.

9. There must be no plumbing leaks or plugged drains.

10. All accessible outside doors and windows must have working locks.

11. Unit must have at least one exit door without a double‐keyed deadbolt lock.

12. All electrical outlets must have cover plates that are not cracked or broken.

13. There must be no missing, broken or badly cracked windows/window panes.

14. The roof must not leak.

15. The hot water tank for your unit must have a pressure relief valve and downward discharge pipe.

16. The carpet or linoleum must not have holes, tears, or loose seams.

17. Stairs and railings, inside and out, must be secure.

18. A stairway of four or more stairs requires a railing.

19. There can be no mice, rats, or insect infestation.

20. There MUST be a properly operating smoke detector on every level of the unit.

21. No cracking, chipping, scaling, or loose paint anywhere inside or outside of the unit if a child under the age of six resides or is expected to reside in the unit.

22. No excessive debris in or around the unit, such as an accumulation of boxes, paper, trash, wood, tires, machine or auto parts, batteries, paint cans, or old appliances. Derelict vehicles must be removed from the premises.

23. Security bars in the bedrooms must have a quick release device.

For more information on buying, selling, or renting out an income property in San Diego, please call Frank Rashid's cell phone at (858) 676-5250 or email him at rashid@rashidrealty.com. More to follow within the next couple of weeks.

Required Items For Loan Applications

The following items are often requested by your lender. You might want to begin gathering this information in anticipation of their request.
1. Last two years worth of W-2 forms.
2. Last four pay stubs or one month’s worth if you are paid less than often than every week.
3. Last three months of checking account and savings account bank statements (all pages).
4. Last Statements from your stock portfolio (stocks, bonds, 401(k), IRA, Money Market, etc. – all pages).
5. Twelve months of cancelled rent checks (both sides).
6. Copy of divorce decree and child/alimony support stipulations.
7. Copy of bankruptcy schedules and discharge (all pages).
8. Names, addresses and phone numbers of all landlords and all employers for the last two years.
9. Copy of valid Driver’s License and Social Security Card.
10. Appraisal and Credit Report fees

We can give you a specific estimate for closing costs and help you figure out what you absolutely need to pay and what is junk fee. Feel free to call Frank Rashid at (858) 676-5250 should you need more information.

If I had my life to live over – Erma Bombeck

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carper was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about the grass stains,

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”

There would have been more “I love you’s.” More “I am sorry’s”.

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute…look at it and really see it…live it…and never give it back.

Stop sweating the small stuff.

Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who is doing what. Instead, let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Let’s think about what we are blessed with. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally as well as spiritually. Life is too short to let it pass you by. We have only one shot at this and then it’s gone!

Behind the Numbers: Pending Sales Index Up

By Dawn Wotapka

Here’s a bit of good news for the existing-home market: The National Association of Realtors’ monthly index for pending sales climbed 5.1% to 94.1 in March. That is (drumroll) the highest reading since November.

It was the second-straight monthly increase for the index, which tracks agreements to purchase homes. The results beat expectations: Economists were looking for a 1.5% increase.

But, before you break out the bubbly, know that the reading is 26% below its April 2005 peak. Plus, prices, already down 30% from the peak, continue their downward spiral. The median sales price for an existing home is forecast to fall to $169,800 this year, down from $172,900 in 2010.

A reading of 100 refers to the level of sales in 2001. A sale is considered pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction hasn’t closed. Pending sales typically close within one or two months of signing.

Here’s what economists had to say:

Ian Shepherdson, High Frequency Economics: This is a pleasant, though modest surprise. We think the January and February numbers were depressed by the severe winter weather and this gain makes up those losses. … With mortgage rates dropping back in recent weeks and payrolls now rising more rapidly, we think the odds favor a modest but sustainable increase in sales in the second quarter and beyond.”

Steven Wood, Insight Economics: “This report suggests that home re-sales are likely to improve modestly but remain at a relatively low level over the next couple of months.”

Joshua Shapiro, MFR Inc.: “Broadly speaking, this index, and what it implies for actual existing home sales, is roughly back to the level that prevailed before the homebuyer tax credit temporarily distorted market trends. But, in absolute terms these remain very depressed levels, and there is considerably more territory to cover in order to call the late 2010 move anything more than a rebound from a post-tax credit air pocket.”

Alan Zibel contributed to this article.

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2011/04/28/behind-the-numbers-pending-sales-index-up/

For Buying or Selling, You Need a Teacher that gives you straight answers. For more information on buying, selling, or renting out an income property in San Diego, please call Frank Rashid's cell phone at (858) 676-5250 or email him at rashid@rashidrealty.com. More to follow within the next couple of weeks.