Sally English Atlanta Real Estate: Putting Investment House Up For Sale: Sub-Contractor Angst (Part 2 of a Series)

Putting Investment House Up For Sale: Sub-Contractor Angst (Part 2 of a Series)

Should I put a 60s ranch rental house I have owned for 8 years on the market?  Tough decision anytime but particularly difficult decision now as the real estate market in Atlanta continues to grind along in low gear.  The need to make a decision was precipitated by tenants vacating the property a couple of months prior to the termination date of their lease.  We parted amicably but still left me with a vacant property at what has traditionally been an extremely slow time of the year for rentals or for sales. 

See Part 1: Putting Investment House Up For Sale: Randolph Road Atlanta Georgia

Lots of work to do to get this house ready for the market.

1. Needs some windows and doors replaced

2. Needed to paint walls.

Tenants had a dog (bain of Landlords existence) and all the walls showed extra ordinary wear and tear.  Really unacceptable for a home that we are going to try and sell in a down market cycle.

3. Screen doors and walls were punched out and torn

So, we hired a contractor, one of my regulars, to punch out the house (ie do the work from a list) and then paint the walls and trim on the inside of the house.

Got several calls during the week about the work.  Seemed to be making decent progress.

Went over yesterday morning to take a look at the finished product and........was definitely underwhelmed. 

Talked to the sub-contractor on the phone.  This is nothing new for me as I was a custom home builder in a previous career.  I politely expressed my dissatisfaction.  Let him know the work completed thus far is un acceptable.  We shall see how the "return trip" to the job works out for this subcontractor.

Stay tuned for an update.