Dallas-Fort Worth Real Estate Investor Club

Terry Hutchison Appliance Repair 817-454-1402
He does a good job and has good prices.

I'm not sure about the vertical slats.  You can call my GC Kenny Powell 682-597-6814.  I bet he would know.

For the smoke smell, I would put carpet powder on the floors throughout (whether or not you have carpet), leave fans on, leave the windows open slightly, leave the AC fan running if it has central AC, and maybe spray some Febreze on the walls.

Won't KILZ remove the smoke smell? 

http://www.kilz.com/products/primer/kilz-original?&gclid=CNzG_vzbotQCFQ-raQodGNsP6Q

And yes, replace carpet. 

• SMOKE SMELL - one pretty good option - OZONE treatment.  (helps for PET ODOR also).  Best price i ever heard was from 'Steam O Way', $50 for 24 hours, but if you do it on a Friday, it can stay on till Monday. 817-849-8933 (tell them Cindy sent ya)  They just did it for a house for me, and it helped the pet odor...they didn't smoke, but i have done it for smoke smells before, and it helped, maybe not PERFECT, but do multiple things for best results.  The Janitorial supply or Industrial Floor Cleaning Supply house might have a one of 2 products.  
• First product i think it is called 'smoke out'.  
• 2nd product is a fogger with a long name - Nilotron Full Release ODOR NEUTRALIZiNG FOGGER - think it's about $15 per can, and use one per floor, i think.  Here's a link online, but it is selling a full case of 12, however, local suppliers will sell individually -that's how i got mine. 
• OVEN DOOR replacement - if Bill is right, and you can find it for half of most other outlets, might be worth replacing.  but, I had to just replace a handle before, and it cost me almost $100 (i forget exactly!) - but maybe it would've been cheaper from appliance parts depot - PLUS almost that much again to install because you had so much stuff to remove to install it!
• CONSIDER STOVE REPLACEMENT!-probably can replace for about $400-500 (any appliance $399 and above at HD and LOWE's has FREE delivery).  This method also increases the desirability of your rental (over the competition!) and you should hopefully avoid repair costs for a while if they don't just 'blow it up' or something similar to what already happened. 
• It just depends on current appliance age and condition whether keep or replace is better.  
• consider your time tracking down the part, the installer etc.
• BETTER TENANT SCREENING- hate to say it, but good screening goes a long way to avoiding horrible tenants. But, sometimes they do slip through!  We are dealing with one now - no criminal record, yet, she is under investigation now for such!  I went back to look at her credit and background check, and nothing out of the ordinary - so, just realize that sometimes it can happen!  
• PS I have experienced BETTER TENANTs since i have used SUZETTE TEAGUE to screen them - she is TOUGHER than I typically was, and she is not afraid to ask for more money up front for any sketchy history that they have.

P Robertson wrote:

I got rid of these deadbeats without too much hassle. My threat of legal eviction worked. But...

• Vertical blind replacement slats - Where does one find such a thing?
  
• Oven door replacement - the front of the oven door is missing. (I suspect a fire...)  Is there such a thing as a salvage yard for appliances? and one that might have their inventory online? (Or with just a phone number, I can inquire with the model number.)
• SMOKE SMELL in my non-smoking property!! (I was fairly certain they were smoking despite the lease terms.) The interior (except for the ceiling) was freshly painted before this tenant moved in. I'm going to have to do a lot of paint prep and touch up because of grime, but is there a remedy for the smell in general without painting everything? Like, if I paint the ceilings, would that provide the best improvement overall? I'm not going to paint the entire interior again after only one tenant.

Never had to deal with this kind of smoke damage before. 

Thanks, Paula

Lou Brown really goes into detail about setting expectations with renters up front and there will be problems if they break the lease or are late with payments. You train them how to act, so start by not giving them 1 inch, or they will take that mile! Good luck with the next one. Also, for rentals, there are plenty of used appliance places that will give you a nice used unit, clean, for a lot less than new...