The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Tri Cities Association of REALTORS®. The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Listing information updated daily
0 comments • Joe Lane • July 26 2010 02:39PM
Sadly, Colleen and I see too much of this, real estate agents abusing social media. This is an email sent to everyone on the real estate agent's email list, and, without hiding the recipients of the list:
I am trying to get at least 25 fans on my [name of real estate business] fanpage so I can add the URL. Who would like to help? If you have a facebook page I would appreciate so much your becoming my fan! I will then add it to my "coming-soon-website" and my new business cards along with my new picture. Its an all new me:) Just go to my facebook page and you should be able to get to it from there. I'm still learning this facebook thing so I hope you can find it, but I am excited about it for my business! Thanks so much!
Perhaps this agent is new and simply does not understand how things work, but common sense should prevail. No wonder the world out there thinks they are being farmed by us real estate agents. For what it is worth, Colleen and I rarely discuss real estate on Facebook and other social media websites. Sure, we have a business page, but we treat our business page like a brick and mortar store. If they walk in we'll offer our help to them, and if they do not walk in we will not go to their home and bother them to stop by the store.
6 comments • Joe Lane • June 21 2010 08:38PMThinking of owning your own home? Well do consider Kennewick Washington homes for sale real estate options. The peace and serenity of the place and the proximity of all Kennewick homes near public and private utilities make the real estate options worth the time and money invested in the hunt.
At The Lane Real Estate Team, we handle Kennewick Wa properties and are very well networked in the community offering buyers, first and seasoned, homes for sale real estate options that are lucrative and designed to fit into any predetermined budget. There are a number of online as well as offline resources that list Kennewick homes and even make virtual tours available on request, however, The Lane Real Estate Team can walk you through the process.
Kennewick Washington is a destination location for folks looking to purchase into a thriving community. Consider using The Lane Team of Colleen and Joe Lane for assistance. Colleen Lane is the broker, while Joe manages marketing, online ventures, and personnel. See Kennewick Wa homes for sale.
4 comments • Joe Lane • June 05 2009 08:22AMA very cute home in Prosser ready to move in and call home. Close to everything,- parks, shopping, freeway, and the Yakima River. This immaculately maintained home features a large double sized lot, plenty of storage, and comfortable living. Check it out...
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
0 comments • Joe Lane • February 28 2009 08:56AMFeatured Property Specifics: 5700 Kilawea Drive, West Richland Wa
This 2007 home looks and feels brand new, ready to move into and call home. Plenty of windows letting in ample home lighting. Room above the garage ready to finish off to the new owner's liking. Possibilities are endless. Workout room, play room, craft center, sewing room, just to name a few, and more...
A featured listing at West Richland Homes For Sale!
About Hanford High School
Hanford High School is in the city of Richland, in the state of Washington. Richland’s superior climate makes it conducive to outdoor activities. Parks in front of the Columbia River and Yakima River make it a favorite place for boating, fishing, water skiing, and other water activities. Hanford High School is categorized as a High School, run by the Richland School District education agency, offering Ninth to Twelfth Grade. The population of an approximate of 1300 is composed of mixed races of Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, African American, and Indian. With a total of 94 teachers, a ratio of 14 students for every teacher is made. [more Hanford High School]
0 comments • Joe Lane • February 12 2009 08:15AMThis property manager is right on!
Invest With Passion - Property Management Tips 1-5
Invest With Passion - Property Management Tips 6-10
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
8 comments • Joe Lane • October 28 2008 04:53PMWhere does your candidate stand on positions important to you.
Download a .pdf file that includes and cites candidate resources here.
Your Vote Counts...
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
9 comments • Joe Lane • October 28 2008 04:28PMYou're getting inspections on your investment properties, right? Of course you are. Imagine your surprise when your inspector produces a picture like the one below of a bat in your future rental's heating furnace. Click on the image to see more inspection nightmare photos. Also, you can see more photos here.
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
3 comments • Joe Lane • October 28 2008 12:32PM
Niiiiice work Jeff! Yes, screening is a must these days. I thought this blog entry and Jeff's story worthy of a re-blog... ~ Joe Lane :o)
When it comes to tenant screening, the 'net is a great thing... I just had a prospective tenant call me, and when asked 'why is he moving', his answers were not consistent. BTW, I like to ask 3 times when the first response to that question is anything with the word 'landlord' in it. He went on to tell me that he 'told' the landlord that he was moving, and he wasn't getting evicted... well, he got half of it right. While on the phone, I asked his name and current address, logged onto our local District Court website and did a search on him. Yep, you guessed it... his 10 day eviction notice to move was expiring today (no wonder he needed a place asap). He acted surprised that I found this out so fast, and argued about the fact that I found his prior eviction from June on there also, even though 'he didn't really get evicted'.
Now, normally I don't do this, but I kindly told him that 'you gotta love the internet', and that he needs to find some other sucker landlord out there to let you rent from him and then kick you out', and then hung up. Sorry, it must have been a bad day today, but I hate getting lied to. Had I not checked him out, I would have taken my time to show him the place across town, just to find that he's a 'professional tenant' later.
Also, be weary of the ones who state 'I can pay you cash today'... flags shoud pop up all around. Cash now means even more court costs tomorrow.
Hope this helps,
Jeff Lund
Investment Property Specialist
Five Star Real Estate
0 comments • Joe Lane • October 28 2008 12:30PMLooking for a location for investment properties? Not all cities are experiencing real estate woes. Watch TODAY’s Meredith Vieira talk with real estate agent Barbara Corcoran about the five hot real estate markets where you can actually make money...
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
5 comments • Joe Lane • October 28 2008 12:20PMUpgrading, where possible and financially feasible, is a great idea, especially in a market where the scales are tipped towards the renter (as opposed to a landlord's market). Read this relevant blog entry...
~ Joe Lane :o)
When travel, do you prefer a hotel with 80's decor or a renovated hotel with modernized theme?
Undoubtedly, most travelers prefer a newly renovated one. This is why we often see hotels spend multi-million dollars on renovation to entice visitors to stay at their properties.
Rental properties are like long term hotels. Giving a choice, renters prefer properties with modernized upgrades such as kitchen with stone countertops, stainless appliances, hardwood floor, travertine floor, earth-tone paint, neutral-color carpet, 2" wood blinds, plantation shutters, modernized faucets and light fixtures.
It is very difficult to rent a property that still has the original 50's to 80's decor. Houses with older decor will normally fetch 10% to 30% less rent comparing to the upgraded ones. Even with a deep discount, it may take an extra few months to secure a suitable renter.
Therefore, adding the lost of rental discount and vacancy rate, it may be more cost effective for landlords to modernize their rental properties if budget allows.
0 comments • Joe Lane • October 26 2008 09:56PM
As a landlord, if you choose to maintain the sprinkler system for the tenant you're in for a real time suck. We've found it very effective to have our tenants maintain the sprinkler systems at their expense. The parts are nickel and dime parts, but the time it takes to make the trip to do the 15 minute job is a real time consumer. I was finding that most sprinkler repairs were the result of the tenant's children playing, and/or a driver running roughshod over a sprinkler.
One of the many line items in our custom addendum is the 'sprinkler clause!' For several years now we have had our tenants sign and agree to maintain the sprinklers. Like mentioned earlier, the parts are minimal, so it's just a matter of time. Because the tenant lives on location, the time is miniscule compared to the time I would need to inspect the repair, go to the store (if needed) to buy the part, return to repair the broken part, then return home again. All the aforementioned steps can easily be accomplished by your tenant as they run errands on a weekend, of which leaves them with a mere 15 minutes to repair the broken section. At times, if the part is an expensive one, like the timer or valve, we've reimbursed the tenant for the part.
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
0 comments • Joe Lane • October 26 2008 03:44PMMany landlords believe that they cannot reject any applicant for any reason, that they have to accept the first one to come along with the money or risk the grief of a lawsuit. Not so. There are numerous legitimate, businesslike reasons to reject a prospective tenant.
1. Unsatisfactory references from landlords, employers and/or personal references. These could include reports of repeated disturbance of their neighbors' peaceful enjoyment of their homes; reports of gambling, prostitution, 
drug dealing or drug manufacturing; damage to the property beyond normal wear and tear; reports of violence or threats to landlords or neighbors; allowing people not listed on the lease or rental agreement to live in the property; failure to give proper notice when vacating the property; or a landlord who would not rent to them again.
2. Evictions.
3. Frequent moves. You have to decide what constitutes frequent moves and apply the same criteria to every applicant.
4. Bad credit report. If a report shows they are not current with any bill, have been turned over to a collection agency, have been sued for a debt, or have a judgment for a debt, that is grounds to reject. These do not have to be debts connected in any way with housing.
5. Too short a time on the job. As with frequent moves, you have to decide what too short a time is and apply the same criteria to every applicant.
6. Too new to the area. There is nothing to say you have to rent to people who have just moved to town. Be careful, though, many times these would be excellent tenants and the time and long distance call expense of checking them out could pay big dividends.
7. Smokers.Some newspapers mistakenly believe that smokers are a protected "handicapped" class. They will never be. The tobacco companies would not allow it. Do do so would be to admit that tobacco and nicotine are addicting. Industry lobbyists would be sure to fight that idea tooth and nail. So you can safely discriminate against people who smoke. Newspapers will not accept ads that say "no smokers," but they will accept ads that say "no smoking."
8. No verifiable source of income.
9. Too many vehicles. Lots of cars can be a real source of irritation to neighbors and make the entire neighborhood or apartment complex look bad. Chances are, if they have more than one vehicle for every adult they spend a lot of time broken and being fixed. That means they could be in pieces in the front yard or parking lot.
10. Too many people for the property. Be extremely careful with this. Before the familial status protection clause of the Fair Housing Act, you could discriminate on this basis without fear of any problems. Not any more. Now the same criteria must be applied without regard to the age of the inhabitant. Be sure it is applied equally to all applicants. Check your state's Landlord-Tenant Law.
11. Drug users. They must be current drug users. If they are in a drug treatment program and no longer use drugs, the Federal Government considers them handicapped and protected by the Fair Housing Act.
12. Pets.
13. Any evidence of illegal activity. You must be able to come up with some kind of satisfactory evidence. I don't know what that would be, every case would be different. Certainly a letter from the police department warning a previous landlord of their illegal activity and threatening to close the property is considered sufficient evidence.
14. History of late rental payments.
15. Insufficient income. You must set up objective criteria applied equally to each applicant. Insufficient income could reasonably be if the scheduled rent exceeded 35% of their gross monthly income.
For example, if the rent is $600, their gross monthly income must be at least $1714.29. The formula is:
Acceptable income= scheduled rent income ratio
You can require proof of all income. Be careful, though, if you are willing to accept only one member of a married couple to supply the total dollar income, you must be willing to accept the same of unmarried, co-tenants that share the housing. Under Fair Housing law you cannot require that unmarried people meet different income requirements than married people.
16. Too many debts. Even if their gross income is sufficient, they may have so many other debts that they would be hard pressed to make all the payments. A rule of thumb might be that all contracted debts, including rent, cannot exceed 50% of their gross income. Contracted debts would be such things as credit card payments, car payments, loans, etc. Those would not be cable TV, water and garbage, telephone, or other utilities.
17. Conviction of a crime which was a threat to property in the past five years. Included in this could be drunk driving convictions, burglary convictions, robbery convictions, and other such misbehaviors.
18. Conviction for the manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance in the past five years.
The best way to proceed is to post a list of the acceptable rental criteria and hand it to each applicant. You can use the list above, but under no circumstances is it intended to be legal advice. Check with an attorney who is familiar with the Landlord-Tenant Law before posting or handing out anything like a list of acceptable criteria for applicants.
Laws change constantly, and what you don't know can and will hurt you.
Copyright Cain Publications, Inc., used by permission. Robert Cain is a nationally-recognized speaker and writer on property management and real estate issues. For a free sample copy of the Rental Property Reporter call 800-654-5456 or visit their web site at www.rentalprop.com
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team.
The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513
Don't mess with a bald dude!
9 comments • Joe Lane • October 26 2008 02:36PM
A landlord recently told me a story about how his condo in Natomas was flooded out by a prior tenant.
The tenant went to hang a small picture in the bathroom, and used a typical carpentry nail on the wall to hang the frame. Unfortunately, when the nail pierced the sheetrock, it also pierced the soft plumbing lines that ran through the walls, causing a spout of water inside the wall that went undetected until the unit was partially flooded.
If you have soft plumbing in your walls, it is imperative that you disclose this fact prominantly in your lease agreement, so that you can prohibit your tenant from piercing the affected walls (usually limited to kitchen and bathrooms) in any way.
Best wishes for a safe and leak-free holiday season.
0 comments • Joe Lane • October 26 2008 01:34PMWhile perusing the ActiveRain blogs, I thought this re-blog would be a nice compliment to issues in property management, particularly, the benefits of painting...
We have always told friends, family & clients that painting is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve the appearance of a home. After years of renovating our own homes, you would think we would stop being amazed by the transformations. But this is just too good ... we have to share.
We bought a place at Lake Merwin Campers Hideaway in May 2006. We were told that it sat for 8-10 years with little or no maintenance. If there had ever been stain on the deck or siding, it had long since broken down. The wood deck has gray and had cracks from years of being exposed to the elements. Unsure whether we wanted to paint or stain, we talked with our friends at Home Depot, Jantzen Beach. They recommended a relatively new products called Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain.
Though a little more expensive than regular paints and stains, Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain has a lot of features that make it well worth the extra cost. The stain is self priming, offers UV protection against fading, is mildew resistant and is a urethane-fortified 100% acrylic formula that resists scuffing, and cleans up with water. We love that it hid the imperfections, while still allowing the wood texture to show through. Its durable finish resists cracking, peeling and blistering and is available in more than 1,600 custom colors and is formulated for computer matching. It can be applied to wood and composite decks, fences, siding and furniture. Unlike some stains and sealers that may only last 1-2 seasons, this product offers a 10 year satisfaction guarantee on decks and a 25 year satisfaction guarantee on fences and siding. How cool!
We decided to give it a shot figuring if it even lasted 1 extra season, it would be well worth the price. The siding and deck now look almost new. The cracks are gone, but the natural wood texture still shows through. We were even able to bring the old picnic table back to life! For less than $500 in materials and a couple weekends of work, we were able to completely transform our sad little shack into a welcoming weekend retreat.
We were so happy with our results that we told Scott's mom about the solid color wood stain. She and her husband had spent 2 years trying to get a good finish on the deck at their home. Everything they tried took unevenly, broke down too quickly, or just didn't look good. With 1 coat of Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain and a little bit of touch-up, their deck looks great and they look forward to a durable finish that will last for years.
If you have a deck, fence or siding that you are planning to stain, we encourage you to take a look at Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain. And don't forget ... you can save 10% on your purchase by ordering a Home Depot coupon on our website.
3 comments • Joe Lane • October 25 2008 10:45PMI was surfing the internet looking for property management information. I'm not sure how I ended up on a Technorati page, but I did. I found a video about one property manager's dedication to his clients through the crisis of his community's ice storm. Enter Paul Dizmang, one dedicated property manager:
On an somewhat unrelated tangent, take note of where I found this information. Social bookmarking works!
0 comments • Joe Lane • October 25 2008 09:18PM
I was speaking with my handyman today and he gave me a great idea for a blog entry. Let's call him Tom. Tom is a great handyman, however, a terrible businessman. He has several rental properties and makes all the mistakes in the books, then if that weren't enough, he repeats the same mistakes!
One of the mistakes Tom continues repeating is allowing his tenants to pay rent late, or close to the grace period deadline. Here's my tip. Require rent on or before the first day the rent is due, as opposed to allowing the tenant to pay rent on the last day of the grace period. Our rental agreement's rent due date is the 1st of every month with the drop dead date (grace period) the 5th of every month. What we've done is let our tenants know the rent is due by the 1st of every month, and the rent is late on the 2nd. If the rent is not received by that 5th day, the 6th day begins our 3 day pay or quite notice. We go as far as calling the tenant on the 2nd day of the month and letting them know the rent is late. If you allow your tenants to consistently pay rent on the last day of the grace period, you as a landlord are asking for trouble.
Many bills are due by the 1st of the month. If your tenant only has $2,000 toward the month's bills of $3,000 don't you want to be the first bill paid? We certainly do!
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
0 comments • Joe Lane • October 25 2008 08:28PMI may be wrong, but ya probably do not want to hire any of these guys to work on your investment property...
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!
6 comments • Joe Lane • October 25 2008 07:55PM
I know this may seem harsh, however, screen doors are a maintenance nightmare. When we purchase a new rental property with screen doors already in place, we exclude the maintenance of them with the new rental agreement we encourage the tenants to sign.
If during the process of a tenancy the tenant wants a screen door, we give them the approval providing the screen door is removed upon vacancy, and the door frame is restored to original condition.
In principle, this is how we handle the screen door issue, however, we've made exceptions. For instance, we had a senior citizen asking for a screen door who had been with us for several years. She also took good care of the property. Naturally, we gave her a screen door!
Related: Pick The Right Contractor | Cut The Contractor Loose
So you still want to keep the screen door? Well, consider Screen Door Saver products!
17 comments • Joe Lane • October 24 2008 12:23PMI be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team.
The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513
Don't mess with a bald dude!
14 comments • Joe Lane • October 24 2008 03:39AMContent © 2009 'Frequent Contributors'. Design © 2009 ActiveRain Corp.
Logos and service marks owned by copyright holder.
