From a landlord perspective a service dog is not considered a pet.  It is illegal for a Landlord to charge the extra Pet Deposit or Pet Fee to a renter that has a true service animal.  Also a bonafide service dog is obedient trained, house trained and will not do any damage to a rental property.   Now with these fake service dog certificates it will force the landlord to be more suspect of any legitimate service dog.  This is a shame....Read More at News9.com

The pros and cons of allowing pets in a rental home.  Biggest pro...so many potential renters have pets.  A landlord may be limiting the pool of prospects with a no pet policy.  

Read More at Landlordology 

Do you pay your property taxes and just move on?  How do you know you are not being overcharged?  You want to read this...Read More

As its name suggests, a security deposit essentially insures a landlord or property owner against the risk of damage by a wayward tenant.  So how much can a landlord charge and what to do with the funds? 
Read more from Zillow.com

If you are a real estate investor and wondering where will be the best opportunity to invest in rental properties...well have you heard of Canadian County in Oklahoma?  Yukon and Mustang are the main cities in Canadian County.  I will tell you every day of the week that Yukon is a great place to live, raise a family and have a rental home.  Don't take my word for it (I am biased) but look at this research of the Top Hidden Gems for Real Estate Investment in regards to the greatest yield.  

This is in the entire United States! Canadian County number 3!  Notice Canadian County is less than 2% from the top spot and has the lowest unemployment...Read More

Are you considering selling your home because the mortgage payments are now a burden on your budget?  Leasing out your home is a viable option.  A responsible and qualified tenant will cover most or all your mortgage payments while still keep the equity of the investment. 
Read more...

Yukon, OK is a great place to live, raise a family, buy a home and invest in rental property.  Why is it so?  Check out these interesting facts about Yukon. 

Source is from Sterlings Best Place web site but more important from my own personal opinion.  Your comments are appreciated.

• As of 2012, Yukon's population is 22,709 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 12.27 percent.
• Compared to the rest of the country, Yukon's cost of living is 8.00% Lower than the U.S. average.
• The unemployment rate in Yukon is 4.90 percent(U.S. avg. is 8.60%). Recent job growth is Positive. Yukon jobs have Increased by 0.46 percent.
• The median home cost in Yukon is $127,000. Home appreciation the last year has been 3.76 percent.

What is your opinion of why Yukon is a great place to live?

Have you filed your taxes yet?  Are you taking advantage of all tax deductions that are available to you as a rental owner or investor?  How about travel time to check on your investment?  That is one of ten you may not be aware of.  You could save money just by reading this article.

Here is a brief summary
1. Interest...2. Depreciation...3.  Repairs and 10. Professional Services including Property Management services. 
Read More...

Highlights of the current housing market in regards to Rental Homes.  This is from a report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies published each year reporting on the housing market for that year.  This is the 2013 findings and I am highlighting facts that are interesting to rental home owners and investors.  The full report can be download here. 



The take away here is the percentage of "renter" households vs. "owner" households is increasing every year.  Due mostly to the increasing tighter standards to qualify for home mortgages.  Please feel free to share your comments.

Report highlights:

• The share of single-family homes rented has increased sharply in recent years, with investors accounting for one in five home sales nationwide in 2012.
• Fueled by the growing share of households opting to rent, the US rental vacancy rate fell for the third straight year to 8.7 percent in 2012, down from 9.5 percent in 2011 and 10.6 percent in 2009 to its lowest level since 2001.
• 1.4 million single-family homes on net were converted from ownership to rental properties between 2009 and 2011.
• The share of renters living in single-family homes rose from 30.8 percent in 2005 to 34.1 percent in 2011, totaling nearly 14 million units.
• The US homeownership rate fell for the eighth straight year in 2012, from 66.1 percent to 65.4 percent, reflecting a net loss of 161,000 homeowners for the year.
• In 2007, borrowers with credit scores below 620 accounted for 45 percent of FHA loans but by the end of 2012, that share was under 5 percent.