BDF Realty’s Blog

The Charlotte Hornets opened up the NBA season the other night against the Miami Heat.  For NBA fans, this is exciting stuff!  The Hornets hope to replicate some of the past success of the Heat, while the Heat are looking to find success again. How well have the Heat done in the past 5 years? 2011: Eastern Conference Champions 2012: NBA Champions 2013: NBA Champions 2014: Eastern Conference...

“Enjoy Free Rent!” (Former advertisement to entice landlords to put their houses in the Charlotte Section 8 program) Q: My Section 8 tenant’s lease is set to expire next month.  Should I offer to renew it? A: Maybe… As a Charlotte-based property manager and real estate investor, I’m a huge proponent of renewing leases.  I think it makes unbelievable financial sense; there is no missed rent...

Who needs a house out in Hackensack Is that all you get with your money It seems such a waste of time If that’s what it’s all about Mama if that’s movin’ up Then I’m movin’ out I’m movin’ out   “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” by Billy Joel People move out and relocate for many reasons- a new job, real love (isn’t that sweet!), real love that...

The dreaded scenario… You enter the “4th Century Priceless Vases” store with your 3-year old child sleeping in his stroller.  “While he’s sleeping I might as well find a birthday present for Uncle Milt,” you quietly say to yourself as you peruse the priceless artifacts (surprisingly all with prices on them…).  As you turn to the shop owner to ask if there is a chance that the price of the...

If you’re feeling mad as a wet hen, Mad as you can possibly get, then Pass that peace pipe, bury that tomahawk Like those Chichamecks, Cherokees, Chapultepec’s do. That cold shoulder never solved a single complaint. When you’re older, you’ll wipe off all of that war paint. (Hugh Martin – Pass That Peace Pipe Lyrics | MetroLyrics)...

I finally did it!  I found a tenant!  Now good times are here!  I can just sit back and spend the rent money.  Oh yeah! (Landlord reaction after placing a tenant into her rental home) It is a good feeling getting your rental home filled!  The house preparation, the marketing, the showings, the rental screening, the deposit collection… it’s exhausting, but usually means that you are in the...

“Honey, before you go out golfing today, there are a few things I’d like you to take care of around the house.  The air conditioning is out upstairs, the front door squeaks, the gutters needs to be cleaned, the back latch is sticking, the front bushes need to be trimmed…”   (Cutting his wife off while rushing out the door) “Can’t you just put it in an e-mail and send it to the landlord?  I...

You tied up, you better stay tied up Cause it’s cheaper to keep her, this is from T, who says It’s cheaper to keep her, it’s cheaper to keep her When your little girl makes you mad And you get an attitude and pack your bags Five little children that you’re leavin’ behind Son, you’re gonna pay some alimony or do some time That’s why it’s cheaper...

When you hear the term “paycheck to paycheck” you probably think of low-income households struggling to make ends meet. That’s even the title of a new HBO documentary highlighting the plight of America’s working poor. But a new paper released at the Brookings Institution’s BPEA conference Friday finds that a sizeable number of wealthy households are living...

“Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn’t start a conversation.”  (Kim Hubbard) I sometimes feel that the same could be said of landlords about their rental tenants.  Landlords love to tell stories about how they outsmarted their tenants in their latest dispute.  And, conversely, renters love to do the same. Example:...