| | |  | Home Business Books | Home » » First-Time Landlord: Your Guide to Renting out a Single-Family Home (USA Today/Nolo Series) | | | | | | | Description: | | Whether or not you call yourself a "landlord", when you rent out a house you'll want to do it right!
The "Landlording 101" course for new rental property owners who are first-time landlords by way of an inheritance, divorce, investment, purchase for a family member, or a move to a new house. 90% of small properties are owned by individual landlords, and millions in this group are balancing their landlord responsibilities with their daytime careers.
First - Time Landlord provides concise information for those with little business savvy and less time and patience to become big-time real estate investors, but who wish to make money on their new property while renting it out lawfully and right! It covers:
How to determine whether or not the property will turn a profit
Landlord business basics
Finding good tenants
Preparing and signing a lease
Handling Repairs
Complying with applicable rental laws
Dealing with problem tenants
Preparing for sale of property
Containing tips, true stories, and shared first-time experiences, First - Time Landlord is an indispensable book for the new landlords of today's dominant rental housing market. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Janet Portman | | Paperback:
| 336 pages | | Publisher:
| NOLO | | Publication Date:
| February 27, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1413309119 | | Product Width:
| 150.0 centimeters | | Product Height:
| 222.5 centimeters | | Product Weight:
| 1.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.9 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.1 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 31 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 31 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 Exactly what an aspiring landlord will want to read!Jun 02, 2009
By Derek G
I've reviewed three Nolo books now and all three have done a wonderful job of translating complicated legal mumbo-jumbo into readable material regular folks can understand. They may not replace the advice of a lawyer in my opinion, but perhaps I'm just a wimp. I was a little apprehensive of a book publisher of this caliber teaming up with USA Today as I consider their newspaper the sort of thing people read when they don't want to learn anything. Still, in a strange way, the combination works rather well. Nolo provides the information and the pages are sprinkled with interesting factoids or Snapshot Pictures to keep the material from getting too dry and putting you to sleep. It makes the entire book reader-friendly while still providing a valuable source of info.
Here are the different chapters:
1. Is Owning Rental Property for You?
2. Landlording with Family or Friends
3. Preparing and Marketing Your Rental Property
4. Screening and Choosing Good Tenants
5. Preparing a Lease and Getting the Tenant Moved In
6. Manage Your Rental Income to Maximize Tax Deductions
7. Keeping Things Shipshape: Repairs and Maintenance
8. Landlord Liability for Injuries, Crimes, and More
9. Dealing with Difficult Tenants
10. Hiring a Property Manager
11. Exiting the Rental Property Business
Each chapter has subchapters with specific topics that are easily referenced via the table of contents if you are searching for something specific.
Like other Nolo books, First-Time Landlord provides a step-by-step guide to the process of purchasing an investment property from start to finish. UNLIKE other Nolo books, First-Time Landlord does not provide a reference guide containing the various laws in the 50 different states that will impact you. Instead, you will frequently get phrases like, "check state law", that tend to get annoying. Even worse, they often don't provide suggestions as to which state department or authority we should talk to. Those blue pages in the phone book get larger every year and it's difficult to play the runaround game with state workers when we don't know where to begin. It's a significant omission and I hope it's updated in future editions, but it's my only gripe. Otherwise, any potential landlord will want to read this book first and I'm still giving them five stars for the info and layout. Nice job, Nolo.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
I am making money following it's advice!Jul 03, 2010
By E. Meyers
I bought this book when starting a rental business. This book is eye-opening, really. I surprised my real estate agent. It gives many hands on details as well as resource for further learning. It is a small book so don't expect it to help you make million dollar decision, however, for a small rental business in initial stage, this is pretty much all you need. This book also helped me avoid a few costly mistakes. It is also very easy to read.
What can be a better compliment than simply saying: I read it and I am making money following it's advice!
17 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 good for starter information, but you may need moreSep 04, 2009
By J. Jacobs
This easy-to-read book goes over the basics of renting out a single family home. Most of it is easy to understand and reading the book will provide one with a good base of information.
I was disappointed that this book didn't mention anything specifically related to renting out a part of owner-occupied property and how that situation might be similar to or different from renting out an entire house. Also, the discussion on depreciation of investments and what impact that will have at the time of sale was not well explained.
This is a good book to read for some initial information, but you'll probably need to consult other sources as well.
11 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Good book, but full of "ads"Apr 19, 2009
By J. Shewbridge
"shew"
This is an excellent book, but be aware that it serves as an "advertisement" for other NOLO books. It would be nice if it contained more legal information instead of recommending (repeatedly) the purchase of additional books from the same publisher.
Nonetheless, it points out many useful ideas about being a first time landlord.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
A Fun and Informative ReadMay 13, 2009
By Modern Blue Argonaut
Much of this book is common sense, but coming in at almost 300 pages plus the index, there is a wealth of information in here.
USA Today, in a joint effort with NOLO takes readers by the hand and explains in simple language the business of becoming a landlord. The graphics were well-placed, interesting, and informative.
Some of the things in the book appeared to be silly & unnecessary (such as don't hit your tenant, page 199). Other information was very valuable, such as providing accommodation for disabled persons, checking tenants credit (it says you don't need their permission!), and checking the sex offenders database. I also liked the staging checklist, but the book is full of checklists and bulleted lists that help to ensure you are covering your bases.
Overall, it was a very informative read and should be useful for new landlords.
See all 31 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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