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Changes likely for the Cleveland lead safe certification

Please see the link below.  City Council has made some recommendations to their lead safe certification process.  Originally passed in 2019 and implemented in a rollout fashion in 2021, the city has found less than ideal compliance with landlords.  The changes are meant to make it more enticing for landlords to comply. Personally, I see this as the city's failure to prosecute the original legislation.  But I digress. https://akronclevelandrealtors.com/news/cleveland-proposes-changes-to-lead-safe-ordinance-what-housing-providers-need-to-know/ If you are needing a lead risk assessor, feel free to contact me at (216) 325-8505.  We are running a special pricing thru the end of the calendar year. For 1 - 6 units scheduled, the rate is $550/ea. For 7-12 units, the rate is $475/ea. For 13+ units, the rate is $400/ea. For buildings with more than 6 units, this pricing can prove even more favorable for the owner because in many cases, not all units need to be initially t...
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Fall pricing for lead safe certification

Bostwick Environmental Services is happy to announce special fall /early winter pricing for lead safe certifications.  Schedule your Cleveland rentals between now & the end of the calendar year and we will honor these rates:. For 1 - 6 units scheduled, the rate is $550/ea. For 7-12 units, the rate is $475/ea. For 13+ units, the rate is $400/ea.   Units must be scheduled at the same time to receive this fall discounts. Units can be several different properties. In some cases, larger sized buildings do NOT need every unit tested.  Which can provide additional savings.   Karen Bostwick Bostwick Environmental Services (216) 325-8505 (call / text) BostwickLeadSafe@gmail.com
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City of Cleveland Short Term Rental Regulation

The city of Cleveland has recently passed legislation regulating short term rentals within the city borders.  Short term rentals being defined as 30 days or less. Sigh. We've all heard those nationwide 1 off horror stories of the parties going out of control at a local AirBNB.  I get it, totally!...and I'm not a fan of those situations.  But what I've seen with the City of Cleveland's attempt to regulate (long term) rentals in the city (the Feb 2024 resident's 1st legislation), I just question how much excessive regulation the city is looking for.  We'll have to see...this legislation will go into effect late Aug. Here's more info: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/cleveland-city-council-approves-legislation-cracking-down-short-term-rentals/95-d8be0a9d-c8ee-42f4-957d-db54cac01807 https://akronclevelandrealtors.com/news/cleveland-adopts-comprehensive-short-term-rental-regulations/ https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/06/cleveland-approves-airbn...
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Investing in real estate in the Cleveland area

I work with investors who mostly live out of state.  They own properties in all areas of the greater Cleveland area.  A trend I continue to see is investors who are unaware of the areas where they are purchasing properties.  This is NOT an attempt to tell you where you should or should not invest.  Rather, I'm advocating about educating yourselves as to the who, what, where, when, why, & how of buying that investment. While I understand it's not always practical, I highly recommend visiting in person to see the properties (plural) you're interested in.  You are not just buying the property, you're buying the neighborhood.  Are you aware of the condition of the properties around the target property look like.  Property pictures are great but does it really show the full picture of the condition of the property?  Is the 4plex you just spent 300k on located in the worst part of the city next to a property obviously falling apart with drug activit...
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Responsible Ownership as Investors

I know I'm preaching to the choir.  But, somehow I feel this still needs to be said. Buying an investment property has financial implications in many ways. More than the obvious ROI and property appreciation, my big question is did you get an appraisal?  I cringe when I saw a recent out of state investor pay $300k on a 4 plex on the east side.  The person she bought it from had just recently (within the prior 6 months) paid 1/2 that amount to get it himself.  In a matter of months, he doubled his $ selling it.  It certainly wasn't an issue of the seller buying, flipping it, then selling; he did NOTHING to the property.  AND...the state of the property was beyond disrepair.  I'm of the belief the out of state investor didn't know about the seller's quick profit but also the buyer had no real clue as to the fair market value of that property.  Can I tell you how valuable an appraisal would have been.  A retorical question, but what if this buye...
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Knowing who you're renting too...

More importantly, know how you're being represented by. 1 of the investors I represent as property manager reached out to me because the city scheduled a hearing for a code violation.  This is for the city of Cleveland. Context:  in late summer (it's early Oct when he got the notice), he had 2 representatives who helped him buy the single family house also helped him rent it out.  The tenant was wanting to use it as a residential treatment facility.  She presented her business plan, bank statements, etc as part of her application process.  From what I saw after the fact, I don't know how much more info she could have been given and what she did give was obvious what her intent was.  These 2 representatives signed her a 2 year lease. Apparently there's been a complaint by a neighbor or someone in the area as to this being a code violation because there's another residential facility near by...too close to this newly set up facility. The owner asked what he s...
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Section 8: the good, the bad, and the ugly

There are a sub group of investors who mandate only going Sec 8 for their properties.  I get it...it's guaranteed income every month.  No excuses of why it's paid late.  No chasing down tenants for rent money that never showes up. There are others who refuse to deal with Sec 8 given their initial inspections and their annual inspections.  The thought being there will always be maintenance work to be done. As a property manager, if an owner tells me they want to go Sec 8, I will comply.  But can I illustrate perhaps reasons why you might be better off using private pay tenants? 1)  Section 8 tenants put a lot more wear and tear on their units than private pay.  Sec 8 tenants are home a greater amount of time than a private payer who has to work to keep a roof over their head and put food on the table.  Starting as early as month 4 of occupancy, I've seen significant more wear & tear with a Sec 8 tenant than a private pay.  Every.  Sin...
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