Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxske
Hi all,
We are thinking about bying a property in TV, but we have got some questions.
Since we are europeans and we can only spend a maximum time of 6 months in the usa, our idea is to come in winter for a copple of months.
As we have already guessed, summer period is hard to rent out , so our question is :
1. if the property is NOT occupied , is there a possibilty to switch off CABLE Television / SATELITE DISH ? So you dont pay for the months that the property is empty ?
2. Is there a possibility to switch off INTERNET ? So you dont pay for the months that the property is empty ?
3. Do you have to pay for sewer and trash collection when the property is not occupied ?
4. How about the water and electricity ?
Can anyone , maybe in the same situation give us a answer to tese questions, based on their experience please ?
Thank you so much .
Fox & Tania ( Belgium )
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Hello Fox and Tania,
My husband and I had the same thoughts and queries before buying a property at TV. And we did so back in April 2007, and we are not retired yet.
It is true that it may be hard to rent for the summer time and we can only go during vacation time. So, the way we consider is to try to rent for the snow birds and be able to afford the mortgage and monthly basic expenses. We are only able to cut the cable and internet. But since last year, we don even connect internet for the summer when we spend vacation there. This is because as residents, we can use the wireless from the regional rec centers (high speed) and we don't have to pay any extra. so based on our experience, which has been superb! (so good I recommended my sis and her family that lives in London do invest in a property at TV as well), here are my answers to your numbered queries. Good luck and all the best!
1. I just answered this. We disconnect cable service when no one is in the house.
2. We only order the modem for the renter and for the months rented. We have a very nice property manager that helps us a lot and with several maintenance care, for a reasonable share of the rent amount.
3. Yes, this is something you need to pay all year round, part of the amenities fee.
4. You also need to pay them, but could keep to a minimum. Recently, I belive you may be able to disconnect electric for a few monhts. don't quote me, but you may have to pay a fee to connect/disconnect. So , what we do, we leave the settings at a minimum (like fridge, AC and the kind).
Ah, you should also plan to pay for yard maintenance and eventual bug care etc. But all-in-all, we find it very useful. We initially rented for Jan-Mar in 2008, and , since Jan 2009 we kept the same renter that keeps on coming. He likes it so much we now rent our house from November to May, which has been excellent and fits our initial purpose. so it helps us to offset the mortgage and we have from June to September to visit and still get a tax break on depreciation and maintenance. THis means, when we go, we can apply transportation costs to offset costs to the maintenance of the rental property. We love this arrangement, and we love TV! Hope this helps. I will leave it like this… as I am about to get a Belgium beer -- very tasty!
Bon-weekend.