Hi, there! Joe White here from Grow Property Management, your trusted property management company in Philadelphia.
I run a property management company in Philadelphia, and recently, one of our contractors flagged a rental property that looked “a little crazy.” So, we scheduled an inspection, and another contractor confirmed that we needed to check it out ASAP. When I finally got to the property, I realized the issue wasn’t structural – the tenant is just a pack rat. There were piles of stuff everywhere, wall to wall. At first glance, it looked chaotic, but not necessarily damaging. Sure, it could be a fire hazard if it got worse, and it’s definitely not easy on the eyes, but from a property condition standpoint, things weren’t as bad as they seemed.
Now, this is where experience and perspective come in. A contractor – or any property professional – needs to look past the surface mess and assess the actual condition of the property. In this case, the tenant’s excessive belongings actually created a sort of buffer. The walls weren’t damaged because everything was stacked in front of them. It looked like this tenant may have downsized suddenly – maybe due to a divorce – and now she’s crammed her whole life into a smaller space. It’s not ideal, but it’s also not a crisis.
When you’re in this business, whether you’re a landlord, investor, or property manager, you need to develop “dollars and cents” vision. That means being able to see beyond the clutter, the cracks, or even the damaged sections of a home and understanding what repairs actually cost – not just reacting emotionally. For example, say you find a giant hole in a wall from a roof leak. That looks terrible, right? But the fix is straightforward: patch the roof, repair the wall, repaint. It’s not cheap, but it’s also not catastrophic.
I’ve personally bought properties that scared other buyers off. My wife and I once bought a place where bricks were literally falling off the front of the house. Most people would walk away or slash tens of thousands off their offer. But that issue ended up being a $600 repair – we just had to replace the headers above the windows. Because it looked worse than it was, we got a deep discount and picked up a great property.
So the lesson is – don’t get emotional. Don’t panic when you see mess, damage, or something that seems big at first glance. Always ask yourself, “How much is this really going to cost?” Nine times out of ten, it’s less than you think, especially if you know what you’re doing or have the right contractors. And that mindset – keeping investor eyes on – gives you a real advantage in this business.
At the end of the day, I’m just a humble property manager here in Philly, trying to share what I’ve learned. Real estate investing doesn’t need to be dramatic – just logical. Stay focused, think in numbers, and keep investing smart.
As always, happy rental property investing!
