Jul
2016

How to make caulk look new

categories: Renovation

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not really that into cleaning, but with rental properties I have become the cleaning lady (reluctantly) so I’ve learned a few tricks that I can pass on – through typing things like, “HELP! How to clean caulk easily, instantly, with absolutely no actual work via telepathic means or osmosis” into Google.

My husband always makes fun of me b/c I can’t say the name Dawn.  I pronounce it Don, not like he does – Dwaawnnn..  But I wouldn’t want to make that same mistake with the word caulk.  Isn’t that a hard word to say?  If you botch that word up – it becomes a not so appropriate word.  So, I’m extra careful with this word when I speak.  😀

Anyway, I’ve recently tried this trick using Bleach!!  It works on white caulk but I’m not so sure it would be good for tinted caulk – you’d have to test it first.  I get two cotton balls and soak them with Bleach, then place them on the caulk and let them sit there for 24 hours.

I use multiple cotton balls or whatever it takes to cover the opening of the bleach container – so I can just tilt it over to soak them.  One cotton ball would allow bleach to spill everywhere which wouldn’t be good.  It’s a bit tedious if you have to cover the whole area.  Usually, you only have to do certain spots, but with rentals it’s sometimes the whole thing b/c it gets so dirty.  It’s tedious but if you take the time to do it, you will see results. You have to wear gloves, of course.


Jul
2016

How to get rid of the smell in the Fridge

categories: Renovation

So, some of my posts result from mistakes I’ve made and this is one of them.  Yes, it’s humbling.  Humility is a good thing so I can’t say it’s all bad.  :-p  I painted with an oil-based primer – which is not a bad thing in and of itself.  But the oil-based primer stinks really badly.

Well, I made the mistake of putting the paint roller in the fridge so I could reuse it the next day.  I do this all the time with my paint rollers and it’s usually no problem – I wrap them in several grocery bags and then I can reuse them.  Well, this is fine for latex paint though I will probably never do it again b/c I’ve been sufficiently traumatized.

The next day, I open the fridge and almost passed out from the smell.  I tried to eat a piece of pizza that had been in the fridge and immediately spit it out.  It tasted like paint-za.  Everything in the fridge was ruined.  The lunchables that I bought the kids to snack on, the milk, the sandwich meat, even the stuff in the freezer was ruined (the ice especially)!

I thought (or hoped) it would air out on it’s own but it continued to stink for weeks even after I took the roller out.  Everything I put in there got ruined so I knew I had to do something about it.  Here’s what I did to fix it:

1.) I had to throw out all the food, drinks, ice, etc which luckily wasn’t that much b/c it wasn’t full stocked just yet.
2.) I wiped the entire fridge down with the ammonia, vinegar, baking soda mix.
3.) I aired it out by leaving the doors open until the fridge kicked on and then once I heard the fridge kick off again, I opened the doors again and kept doing this throughout the day to get fresh air circulated into the fridge.
4.) Then, I also bought some activated carbon and put it in there on a plate on both the fridge and freezer side.
5.) I also put in some sliced lemons on a plate because I heard that soaks up the smell.

Finally, the fridge smells back to normal.  I really thought I’d permanently messed up the fridge.  It took a couple of days to get it fully aired out, but it’s all good.  Whew!


Jul
2016

Lighter Shade of Gray

categories: Renovation

Gray or grey?  I’m on the hunt to find an amazing lighter shade of gray.  I kind of experimented with paint colors in this rental unit b/c I’m still searching for the perfect color and I figure the tenants won’t mind if the rooms are slightly different colors, right? They may assume it’s just the lighting b/c they are so subtle-y different.  Or maybe they’ll go crazy walking from room to room tilting their heads and whipping their heads around suddenly like I do trying to catch the color changing or something..

The colors I used are all along the lines of Fixer Upper – like a grayish white. I read an article that the up and coming colors trending in the home decor world are closer to white so that’s the kind of colors that I picked. I’m learning that lighting and the placement of the man on the moon drastically affect what paint colors look like. Actually, I have no idea why paint colors look so drastically different in different places – to me, it’s like one of the mysteries of the universe that I just have to accept and remain permanently confused about.

I used some of the colors that I used in the other unit we updated in this same building and they look completely different – go figure. I thought I’d found THE color and it looks totally different in this unit. Whatever. I suppose it’s still acceptable just not exactly what I thought it would be. I need to quit being so picky about colors for a rental unit. Most landlords just use antique white and call it a day.

I actually have this problem with everything – I’m constantly searching for the best thing that’s going to top all other things (when picking books, trying recipes, etc – always on the hunt for the magical unicorn that doesn’t exist – or maybe it does but I just haven’t captured it yet (see! it’s a problem)).  This should be a disorder – we could name it Magical Unicorn Disorder – I’m sure the drug companies would be all over it if they ever read this post.  We’ll start seeing infomercials about a new drug that will quash Magical Unicorn Disorder.  Are you constantly searching for the magical unicorn?  Take this drug 3 times/day with koolaid and you will no longer believe unicorns exist – you will be dead on the inside.  Side effects may include adult diapers, the shakes, a severe addiction that you can’t kick, etc – you know the standard list.  :-p  I digress.

Here’s the colors that I tried:

Glidden’s Silver Birch @ Home Depot:  I LOVE this color.  It’s my favorite!  It’s light, bright and neutral gray with not much hint of other colors.  I like that.  I hate to look at a gray and think that it looks blue or purple.  I wish I would’ve used this one everywhere I like it so much.

Gracious Greige HGTV by Sherwin Williams (HGSW2456): I’ve already reviewed this one in another post: 5 shades of gray on this website.  But it happens to look completely different in this unit.  🙁  I still like it but it’s not my favorite in the lighter shades of gray category.  It’s still neutral, but when compared with the other shades it’s not my favorite anymore.  It seems like it has a hint of purple when it’s in this unit which kind of throws me off – again probably the lighting.  There’s LED lighting everywhere. In the other unit, there was no hint of purple. UPDATE: Found out why this color was looking purplish – we bought cheap blinds from Menard’s that were slightly blueish in tint – once we replaced these the purple tint was gone. Love this color much more now! Very neutral yet still retaining some warmth.

Basalt Powder HGTV by Sherwin Williams (HGSW2457): I like this color.  It’s very modern looking and nice and bright.  It really brightens up the room.  It does seem like it has a hint of purple but it’s not overpowering – it’s very neutral.  Maybe the hint of purple keeps the gray from looking too cold – not sure.  It’s just a hint though – still very neutral.  I give it a thumbs up.  We used this color for the living room and dining room area of the rental.

Benjamin Moore’s Halo: This color is really nice too.  It has a hint of green to it but it’s very neutral.  I used it in the master bedroom and the kitchen.  I actually got this at Home Depot!  Did you know that you could get different brands of paint at Home Depot?  I just found out and I’m so excited about this!!!!  I never used to get other brands b/c I didn’t want to have to go to special paint stores and make a separate trip – my kids can only handle one stop when it comes to “boring” stores.  But now that I found out that Home Depot will make other brands of paint as long as they are in the system – I can broaden my horizons!  This particular paint color was recommended on some web sites by design pros so I decided to try it out and it’s very classy, classic and safe – nice color.  I would use this all over too b/c it’s pretty safe and nice.

Sherwin William’s White Duck SW7010:  This is not actually a gray color but it is an off white type of color so I thought I’d include it.  We used this in a bathroom instead of antique white and it looks really nice.  It’s more of a yellowy cream color that is slightly darker than antique white and therefore a little warmer.  It gets a thumbs up also.  It would be another good allover color if you were looking for a white-ish color but not white.

Anyone else have lighter shades of gray that they like – please comment below.  Help me find my unicorn..  I won’t stop – can’t stop..

See my other post on other shades of gray:
5 shades of gray

Here’s some pictures below.  I tried to post several so you could see it in different lighting – I know, the lighting isn’t great:

Benjamin Moore’s Halo:

Gracious Greige:

Basalt Powder (in the Dining Room):

Basalt Powder (on the left) & Silver Birch (on the right):

Silver Birch:

White Duck:


Jul
2016

Screening Tenants

categories: Realty

Most screening is intuitive.  You go with your gut on this, mostly. How do they talk to you on the phone?  Are they nice, bossy, demanding, already negotiating about the rent?  True character shines through in those first phone conversations.  These are some of the questions I like to ask:

When are you looking to move in?
Why are you moving?
How many people will be living in the rental?
Where do you work?

Though we use a screening company to verify employment, credit, landlord history, etc, we don’t always go with their suggestions.  Screening companies are good for providing information though (b/c sometimes your gut is wrong).  We’ve gone with a person that the screening company recommended and not had the best experience and we’ve gone with a person that the screening company didn’t recommend and they turned out the be great tenants.  It’s important to take the screening companies advice and combine it with what your gut tells you.

The screening company is great at digging up information that you might not have access to so I still recommend using them.  And the screening company has their own rental applications, etc so you don’t have to worry about coming up with your own (not that it’s that hard, but just another plus). We use Credit Verification, LLC: http://www.creditverification.com/  The application fee is $55 for singles and $65 for a married couple – you need to have them pay you the application fee up front when they fill out the application.

Note: If you do decide to do the screening yourself and not use a screening company, then I highly recommend that you have access to CaseNet – this reports any previous landlord judgements or actions. This has saved us tremendously from bad tenants!

I also like this article on screening tenants:

Do I Have to Lease to This Jerk?

Have qualifications for the tenant. These are some of ours:
1.) Tenant should have a gross income that is 3 x rent.
2.) Credit score > 600, preferably – some exceptions can be made based on situation.
3.) Good debt to income ratio.
4.) Good rental history – current and previous landlord (beware of them using a friend as a landlord – there are ways to check this out).
5.) Let them know that you use a screening company, if you do.
6.) No cats or dogs. (we don’t allow pets b/c of the smell that lingers sometimes)
7.) No smoking.

Usually a tenant that you don’t have a good gut feeling about will fail one of these qualifications.  But sometimes a tenant fails one of these qualifications (credit score, for example), but you still want to take a chance on them b/c they seem like they have good character.  I usually don’t overlook the rental history though – that rule is hard and fast – we don’t want any drama.  :-/


Jul
2016

How to clean ceiling fan that is greasy and caked with dust (tarred and feathered)

categories: Renovation

You might think that it’s easier to replace the fan which we’ve done in the past but that’s an extra $70 that you shouldn’t have to spend.

Ceiling fans are a pain to clean especially when they are near the kitchen area b/c then they get tarred and feathered or grease builds up on them and then dust sticks to them – yuck!  And it’s already hard to reach them so you are in an awkward position when trying to clean them.

Here’s the trick – Goo Gone!  It wipes the grime off like a charm!  Put some Goo Gone on a white rag and wipe away – it’s really simple and works so quickly.  I’m going to try this on the dirty, greasy microwave vents next!  Wish me luck!!!


Jul
2016

Doll Face

categories: Blog

doll-clipart-doll_13Anyone ever get hit on by a Contractor? I’m sure many women (and even men?) have experienced this in the home improvement industry. I got called a doll by one over text. I’m like hmmm. What kind of doll – there’s such a variety:

Raggedy Ann – this is what I feel most like – raggedy explains it all.

Cabbage patch doll – I eat a lot of cookies and junk food while I renovate and Chinese buffet, of course, which could fill out the face from sodium bloat.  It’s a definite possibility.  I especially love those Mother’s brand cookies which are frosted animal shapes with sprinkles – yum!  I know even an ant wouldn’t touch those, but I love them..

Barbie – I definitely don’t have the dimensions for Barbie so we can rule that one out. :-p

Cute little porcelain fragile doll – eh, probably not – I have big German bones and broad shoulders.

Teddy bear – could be b/c I don’t have time to shave my legs as often while renovating.

One of those crazy ones from the movie Dolls that murder people – I would hope not, but I can be a grouch while renovating so we can’t rule that one out.

Blow up doll – b/c I’m usually spaced out on paint fumes – jeez I would hope not this one. :-p If so, I need to change my blank, zoned out, paint fume stare to make sure my mouth is closed. I hope I’m not looking at people like that actress Kristen Stewart. I can’t even watch the Twilight movies because I feel like she looks at everyone like she’s about to kiss them – and when she looks at her Dad – that just creeps me out.

My husband doesn’t mind people hitting on me at all which is funny. He just jokes that he doesn’t necessarily agree with my tactics at getting stuff done. :-p But he really likes a good price. I think he’d sell himself for that if he could – just kidding! I actually don’t really mind it too much other than that it just makes it awkward. I am kind of flattered to be called a doll as long as it’s one of the cute ones. I am approaching forty – I’ll take all the compliments I can get! :-p


Jun
2016

My Testimony: Three Answered Prayers

categories: Blog

testimonyMy journey to finding Jesus emanated from three answered prayers.  You might think that those three answered prayers are my kids, but they’re not.  I actually didn’t have a chance to pray for kids – we got blessed and they came soon after we married even though I was told at a young age that I would have trouble having kids – hence, don’t listen to everything doctor’s say.  My kids are truly a blessing but these answered prayers that I’m talking about all came about at some critical points in my life when I was down on my knees, face on the floor (figuratively), asking for help such that the direction of my life depended on it.

The first answered prayer happened when I was working on a project in Chicago.  I was at a place in my life where I had just gotten out of a long term relationship and had kind of lost who I was.  I got wrapped up in the party scene or I got everyone else wrapped up in the party scene.  I was the “party girl”.  If you meet me now, I’m sure you could never imagine this.  :-p

I had just gotten out of an 8 year relationship.  Somehow, after being in a relationship for so long I had just decided that I was going to live life to the fullest.  I didn’t realize that living life to the fullest didn’t have to mean sinning to the fullest.  I was drinking too much and staying out way too late and, needless to say, that can lead to bad things.  As they say, nothing good happens after dark.

A friend of mine happened to be a devout Christian.  She ministered to me on our plane rides to and from Chicago since we were both from Houston.  She didn’t forsake me or give up on me.  She continued to minister to me and be an example to me and even quote scripture to me when we would go out for lunch.  She had no idea how much this meant to me or how much I needed this.

Which, I, by the way, can still not quote scripture.  I know everyone is supposed to be able to – that’s what my pastor says.  But you really don’t want me quoting scripture.  I would be the Tommy Boy of scripture quoting.  Like, the only way a rich person gets to heaven is if a camel pokes itself in the eye with a needle type of thing.  Original verse: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”  Matthew 19:24.  But I am familiar with scripture and could look up a verse that would apply to a situation maybe via Google then read it – that is within my realm of possibility.  I just think some people have better detailed memory than others.  I have really good contextual memory but not the details.  I digress.

All of my friend’s ministering finally sunk in.  One Monday morning on a plane ride from Houston to Chicago (my friend was not with me on the plane that morning), I prayed that the plane would crash so that I could get out of this situation I was in.  No, I wasn’t thinking about the other people on board – shame on me – but I really didn’t think it would happen either .  I told God that there was no way that I could do it on my own.  I asked him to help.  And thank God the plane didn’t crash – God had a better way (as he always does).

Three days later, it was announced that the multi-million dollar project that I was on was being cancelled.  They were going to just scrap the work and write it off.  We were to get a flight home effective immediately and find new projects.  What a shock that was to everyone, especially me.  But what a relief too.  I had a way out that I never would’ve been able to create for myself! Sorry for all the people that lost jobs that day but I do believe everything happens for a reason – the good and the bad.

The second answered prayer happened when I met my husband, Bryon.  I had just gotten on a project in St Louis and I knew no one.  Well, I knew many of the people that I worked with already because we tended to be on the same projects but they were all from out of town so for the weekends I was alone.  I had been getting lonely for a while with all the traveling around and living in hotel rooms out of my suitcase.  The travel kind of wears on you after a while and I was looking for a place that would be more stable.

Nothing sounded more stable to me than a good mid-western town so I really liked the idea of coming to St Louis.   Anyway, I prayed that I would find my future husband and I was open to whatever God had for me.  Of course, I mentioned some of the qualities I was looking for which were reasonable not superficial and God actually brought me my husband and he had all the qualities I was looking for in my prayer.   Actually, some of the qualities might be considered negative to others (frugal being one of them) but I felt like they were complimentary to me.  It turned out my husband had also been praying before he met me.  So, that’s the second answered prayer.  Ever notice how it feels like finding a needle in a hay stack when you meet the right person?  Or like a camel poked himself in the eye with a needle or whatever that bible verse is.. :-p It’s got to be divine intervention IMHO.

The third answered prayer happened when my Dad got sick.  He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  By the time I got to TX after I found out, he was in the hospital and he didn’t even seem to recognize me.  He used to always call me, “Stinker”, and this time he seemed to look right through me when I walked in the room.  Well, it turned out that the cancer was already in his brain so that’s why he wasn’t functioning cognitively too well.  He ended up having a seizure while I was in the room.  I just remember 2 nurses jumping on him to try to keep him from hurting himself while he was having a seizure.   But also in that moment, I saw a glimpse of the old him.  His last name was Hellmann.  When the seizure ended and he saw 2 women on him, he grinned and said to the nurses – “I’ve still got it – Vernon Hell of a Man”.  His first name was Vernon.  That was the good old upbeat attitude he always had.  It always seemed he was unbreakable.  And here he was broken physically but yet still not in spirit. That left a huge impression on me.  That’s true strength.

He never allowed us to see him broken – he always had a smile for everyone no matter what he himself was going through.  The doctors told us he didn’t have long to live and that he wasn’t going to get any better from the state he was in – which was barely functioning.  I prayed that night if we could have just 4 good (meaning he would be his old self) months with my Dad to say goodbye.  My sister was coming into town from California and I was hoping we could just have a chance to say goodbye.  God answered my prayer.

After undergoing radiation on his brain to shrink the tumors, they did shrink and he did return to normal.  He could walk, talk, and do everything he used to do again.   We were able to move him out of the nursing home and back into his trailer.  They gave us seizure medication so he didn’t have any more seizures.  He was back from essentially the dead.  We got to spend almost exactly 4 months to the day.  My dad took us on 4 wheel drives through his land and he took our kids as well.  He showed us the farm and gave us a little history on his family.  And we got the chance to take care of him in those last 4 months which was very therapeutic to give back to him at least a fraction of what he gave to us.

Then, he died the day after my oldest daughter’s first birthday – I think he held out so as not to die on her birthday.  I was 3 months pregnant at the time with my second daughter – he didn’t get to find out what gender she was but I think he’d have giggled from Heaven – the reign of girls continues (he had 2 girls, my sister had 2 girls and now I was going to have 2 girls (eventually I went on to have 3 girls – girl power!)).  He died in peace – he was in hospice care for the last 2 weeks so he didn’t have to feel any pain.  My prayer was answered so that was the third answered prayer.

I now knew that God existed, but I had no idea about Jesus until I was given a book called, “Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles With His Father’s Questions About Christianity”, from my husband’s grandma.  I know that’s not the most exciting way to have learned about Jesus, but that book laid it all out there on why he exists and why he needs to exist.  We really got it after that.  We decided it was time to attend church.  And we eventually got baptized shortly after.  Our journey with Christ continues and it’s a daily struggle between good and evil.  We try to keep our eyes on Christ but of course every one falls short.  The goal is to sin less but not be sinless because that only Jesus could do.  I know not everyone’s prayers get answered and I’ve had many a prayer not answered but it’s like that country song says, “I thank God for unanswered prayers”.   These three answered prayers were life changers for me – I believe he’s answered when he could and when he knew was best for me.  God’s plans are greater than ours. We just have to trust that.


Jun
2016

Old Smokey: Removing the smoke smell from an apartment

categories: Renovation

One of our tenants smoked inside the apartment.  So disappointing.  It is so much work to get rid of that smell.  And I have been blessed with the nose of a hound dog.  I can smell the tiniest smells which is both a good and bad thing as you can imagine.  My sense of taste is great though and I like that part.  They must’ve smoked for the entire 4 years they lived there because the smell is pretty bad and the walls/ceilings were yellowish. 🙁  So, I’ve been busting my tail on this and here’s what I’ve done so far:

Cleaned the Walls:

Washed the walls and ceilings with this solution: 1 gallon warm water, 1 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup baking soda.  No, it won’t fizzle over – that’s what my husband thought would happen – no fizzling volcano.  I just used a rag and dipped it in the bucket, rang it out and wiped the walls the best I could.  Then, used a damp rag (with just water) to wipe that off and then a towel to dry.  I’m not going to lie – it’s a lot of work.  For the ceilings, I bought a flip mop at Wal-Mart (it’s like a flat head mop that flips so you can use both sides) and sprayed the solution on one side and plain water on the other, then mopped the ceilings.  You’ll want to wipe anything that would absorb this smell – even cabinets, etc.  Luckily, we are planning to gut the kitchen so that’s not a problem for us.

Painted with an Oil-Based Primer:

Next, I bought a bunch of cans of Pro Block oil-based primer from Sherwin Williams.  It’s my first time going to Sherwin Williams – I actually embarrassed myself the other day when I told someone I went to Sherman Williams (that’s actually alot easier to say – they should change their name).  :-p  I usually buy my paint at Home Depot or Lowe’s – it’s just less expensive.  In this case, though, I wanted something heavy duty and the best so that’s where I went.

I basically painted the entire 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with this stuff – walls and ceilings – again, lot of work and boy does it stink.  I did use a respirator for some of this – in the smaller rooms, it was unbearable.  I put a box fan in the window to air it out.  You’ll also want to make sure you protect your arms, and hair.  I got some paint freckles on my arms that aren’t coming off – instead of sun freckles this summer, I am getting paint freckles. :-p

They say that the smell will go away once dried but it really doesn’t – it just morphs into a different smell.  I suppose once I get the top coat on, it will go away – I hope. Be sure to let it dry for a few days before putting a layer of paint on top of it or you could trap that smell in the place.  UPDATE:  the smell is going away slowly but surely.  I just make sure to open all windows whenever I’m there and use fans.

Also, made the mistake of putting the roller in the fridge so I can reuse it – never do this, but see this post if you did: How to remove smell from Fridge

 

Replace Flooring:

We’re also planning to replace ALL the flooring – luckily, we were planning to do this anyway so this isn’t an extra expense.  If you have carpet, I don’t think this smell will come out, unfortunately.  Someone with a nose like me would be able to smell it.

Room Shocker:

I also read about something called Room Shocker which I have bought through Home Depot online for the bathrooms because the bathrooms have been recently gutted (3 months ago) and remodeled and then they smoked heavily in there so they are ruined smell-wise.  I’m hoping not to have to repaint those (since they were just painted) and just use the Room Shocker.  I will update when I actually get a chance to use it and let you know how it worked..

Pray:

Don’t forget to pray – this smell is hard to get rid of. :-p

Well, I think that’s all for now.  I will have to check back here and update you if this all worked.  We are still in the process of renovating and will be done in January sometime.  Will let you know.

UPDATE: All of this worked to get rid of the smell.  It’s like a brand new place.


May
2016

Move Out Letter/Email to Tenant

categories: Realty

Here’s an example of the letter we send the tenants about a month before their move out date.  How you send it depends on how you normally communicate – we tend to communicate over email where possible but some of our tenants never check their email so in those cases, we have to use snail mail.

Dear Tenant:

Please keep the following in mind for your move:

  • Please make sure you do your best to clean up the apartment after you move your belongings out.
  • We will need an address in which to mail the security deposit.  You should receive the deposit within 30 days as long as the apartment is in order.
  • Don’t forget to transfer the utilities out of your name on the day you move so that you don’t continue to get billed
  • Send the post office a change of address form.
  • You can leave the keys (including the mailbox key) and garage door openers in the apartment.

Once you have finished cleaning and removed all of your belongings, let me know.  Thanks for taking care of the apartment and let us know if you have any questions.

We have set up landlord agreements with most of the utility companies so when someone moves out it automatically switches back into our name and gets billed to us.  This is important to double check because it can be costly if something gets shut off and you have to get it turned back on.

 Also, this website has a great, more formal move out letter:

https://www.nolo.com/products/move-out-letter-noe3-pr123.html

 

 


May
2016

Non-Renewal of Lease Letter

categories: Realty

If someone does not pay rent on time or is not following all the rules outlined in the Lease agreement, you can choose not to renew their lease at the end of the term by sending a Non-Renewal of Lease Letter.  Just make sure you give proper notice.  We have had to do this.  For many of my forms, including our leases, I like to use:

http://www.ezlandlordforms.com

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