The Accidental Landlord (Paperback)

~ Ph.D., MBA, Danielle Babb (Author)
Key Phrases: accidental landlord, mold addendum, rental comps, The Accidental Landlord, Fast Forms, Social Security (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The book covers many topics, starting with a sound approach for determining whether owning a business is the right move for you at this stage of your life. From there, the book transitions to practical matters. Other books cover similar ground, but this book does a great job of covering all of the most important topics in a single book. We do many business book reviews each year, and this is one of our favorites. It’s a must-read for new entrepreneurs.”
—Gaebler, Resources for Entrepreneurs

Product Description

DonÂ’t sell for less!

The fastest-growing opportunity this side of the real estate bubble.

For everyone who needs to move but doesnÂ’t want to sell their house for less than they paid, this book outlines a profitable new option that many desperate sellers fail to consider: rent it and become a landlord, at least until a market re-boom. This book alleviates every fear, and outlines every step of the way to a real estate success. Includes:

•rental agreements
•preparing the rental property
•assessing personal responsibilities
•working with a management company or by one’s Self
•evaluating potential renters
•collecting rent
•insurance coverage, and more.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592578071
• ISBN-13: 978-1592578078
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #387,029 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lacking Content and a lot of Promoting LPA, August 26, 2009

By	K. Carson "Kelly" (Irving, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

About a year ago, I became an "Accidental" Landlord and I survived by talking to a few people who had rented out homes and finding free forms on the internet. As my first tenant's lease is expiring, I thought I should really read up on being a landlord to see what if anything I should do differently.

The book, however, was a big failure to me because it seemed thrown together and more about advertising the LPA (Landlord Protection Agency) considering she mentions the site more than 50 times in the book (not including the forms she lists at the end of the book that came from them). There were some other things missing in my opinion, a method to analyze whether renting is the correct option for someone and when to get out, and the correct process for renting. Considering this is written for landlord who didn't necessarily plan on it, I would have really liked to have seen some simple checklist of what someone should make sure they have covered as they rent the property out and what forms should be used at what times. These things would have been very simple to include and would have provided a lot of use to an "accidental" landlord. The book also failed to go into much detail on many of the subjects, particularly tax deductions. As an example I looked at 3 other beginning landlord books and two of the three had an additional 100-200 pages, so there was definitely more information she could and should have included.

In the end, I found that there were some good references which have led me to some valuable information that has given me some new ideas of how to approach being a landlord, but I expected a little more and I am now going to have to pick up a few additional books to find what this one was lacking.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Information and Tools for New and Existing Landlords, March 5, 2009

By	mspicala (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This is a great book if you are stuck in that unfortunate position of needing to leave and rent out your own house like I was. I found this to be an excellent source of information providing different perspectives on how to rent out a property depending on your individual situation. She points out some of the normal pitfalls people run into and how to avoid them as well as whether or not becoming a landlord is for you. Danielle does a great job of not only providing usable information but she also includes credible online sites and tools relevant to the needs of a landlord. With all the random information available out there it was extremely helpful to not only get the facts but also the tools to be successful. With the information Danielle provides in this book I was able successfully market my property, screen potential tenants (extremely important!!) and provide binding lease agreement to my tenant. I am now a successful landlord and I would highly recommend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is no accident when it comes to creating wealth...., March 5, 2009

By	Bill Nazur "Real Estate Specialist" (Newport Beach, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent first step in creating wealth as a result of not so favorable circumstances in the mortgage markets today. As relocations and moves occur through no fault of your own, this book provides an easy to understand framework of what needs to happen in order to become a successful landlord, whether intentionally or as the title indicates, by accident. It is clear that the author speaks from a position of authority and experience.

Admittedly, this last move, I became an Accidental Landlord and personally followed much of the advice in the book as it applied to my personal circumstances.

It is a great read!