Hello, DIY landlords! In the challenging world of managing rental properties, tenant screening is a critical task that deserves your full attention and due diligence. Not screening well enough or not screening in a fair housing compliant way is a common and costly mistake made by too many landlords. 

Winter is coming, and your property needs preparing. When the leaves begin to fall, it's time to get your home ready for the winter months ahead—this includes both home and lawn care.

The real estate market is changing.

Thinking of selling your property? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers your home an asset—thus, it's subject to capital gains tax. If your property appreciated in value (and it probably did), you might have to pay taxes on your gains, which could be as high as 20% for long-term capital gains.

Being a landlord is hard work. There's no way around it. 

As a landlord, you want to find the right tenant for your property. Whether you realize it or not, you probably have a picture-perfect idea of who you want to live there.

Americans love their pets. Simple as that.

"Normal wear and tear"—it's something you've probably seen in a rental lease somewhere. You may have even thrown the term around yourself once or twice.

HGTV makes landlording look like an everyday vacation. It's always smiles, high-fives, overcoming challenges, and coming out on top. However, real-life home and rental property ownership are a bit different.

Intentionally (or accidentally) becoming a landlord doesn't automatically make you an overnight master of the trade. There's a lot to learn, and you're bound to make mistakes along the way.