Should I get a P.O. box for my tenants to send their payments to?
If possible, never let tenants or anyone, if business related have your home address. A P.O. Box is maybe $22 to $26 per year.
Last week I had a subcontractor that was getting me an estimate for new storm windows. He asked for my address and I gave him my business address. He stated that he likes to mail estimates to people’s home address. I stated that I do not give out my home address for business related matters. He got all weird and started mumbling about how weird I was and in all his years he had never heard of someone not giving out their home address. Now everytime we speak, he makes a snide comment about only faxing or mailing docs to my “business”. Go figure.
I agree 100% I not only get a P.O. box I also foward all my mail from there to my address so I don’t have to check it all the time!
Definitely a PO Box or business address.
Early in my career, I used my home address because I didn’t want to have to go and check a PO box everyday (wish I knew then about forwarding mail, right reo?).
About the first of the month a tenant knocked on my door. He just wanted to get me the payment before it was considered late. However, it could have been a tenant with a not so good reason for tracking down my house, too.
Raj
Now that sounds like a winner. Rog, I was thinking along the same lines, not wanting to have to go to a p.o. box all the time. I will definitely get one now that I know the mail can be forwarded. The issue with the crackheads made me rethink my decision to allow my home address to serve as my business address.
Another tip go for a little drive and get a P.O. Box 25 miles from your house that way they really don’t even know what area you are in example I live in an area where the home values are 450k most of my rentals are 200k. There is a a ton of mental psych. there I learned that people that were mailing me rent to a higher end zip code got jelous and would make comments like you don’t need the money!! Also that way they will not call you to fix little stuff they will handle it!
Or just hire a manager! for 10%
I thought about hiring a manager, but I only have two properties. I think that hiring a manager right now would be a little premature. Once I get a few more propeties under my belt, I know I’ll go that route.
Use your home address. Everybody has your home address anyway. If I they a computer hooked up to the internet and know your name, they know you home address anyway. http://www.zabasearch.com/
I just went on that site and there was just too much info available. I had my addresses going back almost 10 years, along with my date of birth. Great site!
I use a p.o. box exclusively for rentals—no exceptions. when you have your first eviction you’ll feel very safe knowing that they don’t have immediate access to your address. yes there are sites they can look it up, but many people that we rent to don’t have cars, cell phones let alone computors. we are in a lower middle class suburb–a far cry from the ghettos yet many people still don’t have the access to what we consider every day conveniences.
Blue,
IF someone has your FULL name and IF they are computer savvy enough to know you can do such searches and IF they hate you so much so to actually go through the trouble of tracking you down, then, yes, they can find you.
However, that’s not how it usually happens. What I want to prevent is the pissed off ex-tenant, in a drunken bout of confused brilliance, deciding to find the address listed on his former “send payment to” notice, to “show the landlord a lesson.” Coming home to a trashed house or worse would not be my idea of a particularly good day.
Raj
Good point RAJ.
Also keep in mind that I do not have any houses in my name have a manager and no one knows me rent is paid to R.E.O. Properties!
They do not need to know you just pay your mortgage!
also if you happen to move, you don’t have to go through the hassle of calling all the mortgage companies and county tax departments and insurance companies and your tenants telling them to change their address book!
BLUEMOON,
I will send you my full name and State I live in search for me I can not be found I promise you that I am STEALTH!
GET A P.O. Box
please be advised I sent it to him lets see!
Also try these name’s
O.J. Simpson
Bart and/or Homer Simpson
Tom Cruise
Jay Leno
Robert Allen
If you know how you can hide!
REO,
What state should I enter for Bart and Homer? 
So whats the secret? Trusts?
I found myself on that site for an address where I rented a house 10 years ago. Not sure how that makes it to public records. My name on a utility bill maybe?
Everything I own including my cars are in a different Trust!
My phone bill is in a company name!
My eleitric bill is in the same name!
I looked up my own name and found nothing at all!
thats coz you don’t exist. you are a figment of your own imagination.
;D
The other thing to keep in mind is if you are going to do a p.o. box also never give out your home number www.reverseaddress.com
you can either get a phone number off of a address or a address off of a phone number
Having a great time WHERE AM I!!!