Miami Dade County Housing Authority Section 8 is privatizing their operation starting April 2009. It is official; the plan to privatize day to day operations will begin next month. This move was temporarily suspended but now it started up again. Most landlords and tenants welcome the change.

Most of the employees have already been fired or reassigned to other jobs. The morale is low and there was one employee actually crying. She was worried of not finding another job. The situation is bad as tenants and landlords become desperate to see someone who can help them. Landlords are not getting paid and not receiving rent increases. Tenants are not allowed to move into new dwellings because the inspections and surveys have not been done.

Miami Dade Section 8 should not have fired or reassigned employees until the new private company takes over in April. The line of Section 8 tenants waiting to see their social workers is bigger than ever. The room inside in packed full and the line outside goes around the block. A lot of tenants were complaining that they have been there since 6 am and it already was 2 pm.

I requested two rent increases in April 2008 and in May 2008. I have not received the rent increases as of today. The employee in charge of rent increases is no longer working there. They told me to come back in April. I have proof of all the paperwork submitted and the rent increase must be retroactive to July 2008.

The current system is inefficient and inadequate. You wait in line to see a customer service representative, not the actual social worker handling the case. The representative then emails the social worker your problems and concerns. You are told to go home and wait for an answer to the email. I am not allowed to talk to anyone else. I feel it is a waste of time every time I go to the Section 8 main office in 54 Street.

I think privatizing Section 8 operations is a good move and it should eliminate bureaucratic red tape and stream line day to day operations. The amount of time to receive the first rent check is currently 4 to 5 months. The initial inspection and survey procedure takes over one month. The new private company should reduce the time lag dramatically. Section 8 operations should have been privatized a long time ago. 

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search

 Miami-Dade County will receive over 20 million dollars for the homeless. This is part of President Obama’s overall plan to help foreclosure families in distress. Florida will receive 74 million to help the homeless. The money will go to homeless agencies not individuals.

This money is needed to help foreclosure victims who are living in the streets. Families have lost their homes and have no money to rent. These families have been evicted and are now homeless. Some have no jobs, no credit and no money for deposit. 

Also, there are many renters that have been evicted due to a foreclosure that will benefit from this plan. Only displaced families with children will qualify for this program. Renters who have been paying the rent are being evicted because the homeowner/investor did not pay the mortgage. This scenario is becoming an alarming trend in Miami.

President Obama is doing an excellent job in trying to solve the real estate problem. Although I did not vote for him I am slowly turning around and beginning to believe in his programs. The president’s efforts are very aggressive and needed in order to help foreclosure families and to stabilize the Miami real estate market. This program will help the real estate market overall.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search

 Today I attended the funeral of my good friend and family member’s mother. Nerido (Nick) Mosquera is my bother in law. Nick is married to my wife’s sister and has always been like a brother to me. I have known him for a long time and he has always been straight forward, caring and giving. His mother, Dalia, died this Friday night in Hialeah Hospital. I feel very sad for his loss. 

I went to the viewing and then to the funeral services. Nerido had previously lost his father to cancer in 2001. The whole family was there and the priest said some prayers and uplifting words. Many mail carriers also attended the funeral since Nerido is a mail carrier. He has been a mail carrier for over 20 years and is currently working in Miami Lakes. 

My condolences to Nerido and his family. 

 The stimulus package includes 75 billion dollars to fix the real estate dilemma. The government is preventing foreclosures at the root and this program will help millions of homeowners to keep their homes.  Loan modifications and a reduction in interest rates will allow homeowners to keep their homes and not go into foreclosure. The key is to reduce make mortgage payments more affordable with government backing. President Obama’s program will help millions of people not to lose their home.

This program will definitely help millions of homeowners from going into foreclosure. The plan is exactly what the real estate market needs in order to stop and reverse the current foreclosure epidemic. It is a great incentive for homeowners to keep their homes and not go into foreclosure. Loan modifications and interest rate reduction  backed by government is an excellent plan that will work in a short period of time.

Stopping the foreclosure nightmare is the first step for the real estate market recovery. This plan is very aggressive and it will work because there is an incentive to stay in the property. Only after the foreclosures and bank owned properties are under control then inventory levels will be reduced. The real estate market will stabilize as soon as the overwhelming foreclosure inventory is eliminated or greatly reduced. The program will stop foreclosures right away and will prevent continuing property value decline. The real estate stimulus package program is a winner.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search

 This ends the Miami real estate rentals – Landlord Story saga. The problem continues for tenant issues in the month of February. My tenant in a Hialeah property has moved out and has given the keys to the neighbor. I found out on the first when I went to collect the rent money.

The tenant is a Miami Dade County Hosing Authority Section 8 tenant from Citrus Care. This is very unusual since Section 8 tenant must give 30 day notice in order for a tenant to move out. The tenant had just signed to renew her lease for another year. I had requested and received a rent increase from the agency.

I am puzzled from losing this tenant. The family had been renting with me for over 4 years. I was not advised of the move. Section 8 was paying rent of $1,350 a month for the Hialeah townhouse. The tenant just disappeared overnight without a notification letter or even a phone call. This is the first time that a Section 8 tenant takes off without notification.

Section 8 is still a great place to rent and the rent money is guaranteed by the government. I will continue to rent to Section 8 tenants and write off this experience as a one time fluke. The property is currently on the rental market and should be rented before the end of the month. February has been a challenging month for my rental properties to say the least. I am optimistic that we can get the properties rented to good paying tenants and forget the month of February.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search

My tenant in a single family home in Miami Lakes did not pay the rent for February and wants to live the deposit. Usually I would start the eviction process immediately. It is not good news when the tenant decides to stay in the property without paying rent. The deposit is supposed to pay for repairs and damages made by the tenant.

Tenants are not allowed to live the deposit due to the fact that there are always repairs to be done after they leave. The landlord has 15 days to inspect the property and make estimates as to have much money will cost to repair all the damages made by the tenant, if any. Sometimes the deposit does not even begin to cover the repairs that must be made due to tenant damage and destruction. It is necessary to take the tenant to court so that they pay for damages done to the property.

I have made an exception with this tenant. She was allowed to live the deposit and move out at the end of February. Let’s hope this is a good decision that I will not regret. The tenant has been with me for two years and recently closed her business. It is impossible for her to keep renting the property. The rent is $2,000 dollars a month. The tenant will be moving to an efficiency in East Hialeah.

The tenant has decided to take the hurricane shutters that she installed last year. Also she is taking the washer and dryer, venetian blinds, ceiling fan. I have reluctantly agreed to all of this since the tenant has paid for these items and it is fair to allow her to take them. I am worried that the house will be damaged when the shutters will be taken out. She has assured me that the holes will be plastered and painted. In the future I will not allow the tenants to make any repairs or improvements to the property without a signed agreement that the items can’t be removed later. Improvements done by the tenant must not be taken when the tenant leaves the property.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search

 The month of February has been particularly hard regarding landlord/tenant issues. My tenants at a townhouse in Hialeah have informed me they are moving out. His mother has passed away and he has inherited a single family house in Opalocka. He is thinking about moving to the house and leaving the Hialeah townhouse.

The tenant rented the townhouse with his girlfriend last year. He was renting another of my properties in Miami Gardens but decided to move to Hialeah for personal reasons. This couple has no kids, no pets and more importantly they pay the rent on time every month. I would hate to lose them.

The tenant has not paid for the month of February and the rent is now due and owing plus late fees. I advised them that the lease is valid and will not end until the end of the year. I could go after them for breaking the lease and there would be liable for about $12,000 dollars.

The couple called me today to say that they will be staying at the Hialeah townhouse and they will honor the lease. They do not want to move to Opalocka right now and have other family members occupy that property. I still have not received the rent for February and I advised them to pay for the current month rent. It is a relief not to lose excellent tenants like them and have the house vacant. Keeping all the properties rented, collecting the rent, repairing and maintaining the homes is a full time job. Sometimes you have to reason and explain to the tenants what the consequences for their actions will be in order to avoid misunderstandings and potential problems.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search

 This month we had a very unusual situation in one my rental properties. The tenant passed away suddenly from a heart attack. The lady was from Puerto Rico and been our tenant for about six months. The tenant’s death was sudden and unexpected. She rented the property with her husband in N.W. Miami.

The tenant past away early in the month. We received word on the first day of the month when I went to collect the rent money.  The husband is unable to pay the rent since he is not working. We allowed him to stay 30 days for free and arranged for storage and moving expenses. We let him out of the one year lease early and returned all his deposit even though the property needed some repairs. He went to live with a relative in Homestead.

I rented the place on Friday to a single lady who works for Publix and has good credit and good references. The tenant also receives additional income form her mother’s retirement check. We did a thorough background check which included police report, credit report and eviction record. The new tenant was clean. She moved in right away and so far everything is working out very well. The house is small, only about 500 square feet but this is a single lady with no kids or pets. The property has a fenced big yard with central air conditioner and iron bars in the windows.

We feel very sorry for the loss and offer the family our deepest condolences.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search

The stimulus package will be signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday but the $15,000 tax credit was left out of the bill. The bill was approved by Congress Friday night. The tax credit bill would have helped home buyers to purchase a principal residence.

The main cause of the downturn of our economy is the housing problem. The real estate disaster has triggered the downfall. The passing of the $15,000 tax credit bill was the first step for a real estate reversal and would have given a boost of confidence to potential buyers. The economy will rebound only after the real estate market dilema is solved. The government has ignored the real estate market dilemma and thereby delaying the turnaround.

The real estate market stability is the key in order for our economy to rebound. Real estate investing and home ownership must be addressed. The housing market must not be ignored in the stimulus package. Homebuyers need an incentive to buy a house in this current uncertain market. Government however should not give a bailout to investors who purchased a second home and are now in default. Do not reward those who opt to not paying their mortgages because they expect a government bailout.

The real estate market will correct itself. The overwhelming amount of foreclosure inventory must be reduced in order for the market to stabilize. It is always been a supply and demand business. Homebuyers do need incentives in order to buy a house again. The $15,000 tax credit was a great incentive to buyers and would have generated a lot of sales. The credit should not have been left out of the stimulus package at the last minute.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list Property Search

  Today is Valentine’s Day and I still do not know where I am going to take my wife for our traditional Valentine’s dinner. I am searching for a romantic restaurant with good food and live music. I already bought her flowers, chocolate candy and a new Brackberry cellular phone. I also bought flowers and balloons for our wonderful kids.

We would always go to the Tropigala Club in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. It was a great place with excellent dinner, live band, shows, and dancing. We had wine, ate and danced the night away. I took her there the second night after we met for Valentine’s Day. The band had a Cuban beat reminiscing of Ricky Ricardo of I love Lucy. The Las Vegas type show was very classy and exciting and later we saw a show by the featured singer. The Tropigala was closed permanently due to the sale of the hotel and building the magnificent Fontainebleau II and III Towers. In recent years we have been to Casa Juancho in Miami, Norman’s and Christy’s in Coral Gables. Once we took a Valentine’s cruise. We have been experimenting with different restaurants and clubs but it is not the same as the Fontainbleau experience.

I met my wife at Stephano’s in Key Biscayne. It was love at first sight. We started dating immediately and would see each other daily. We got married two months later. We have been married for 15 years already. We waited four years to have children. I was selling foreclosures for the government and was investing heavily in real estate. In the beginning we would travel a lot. Everything changed after we had our wonderful kids and most of the traveling we do now is to Disney World and the Disney Cruise. I do not mind as our kids take priority in our lives. Happy Valentine’s Day to my lovely wife Grisel. I love you.

Hector Lesende is owner/licensed real estate broker in Miami real estate  Serving Miami, Miami Lakes real estate, Coral Gables real estate, Hialeah Real Estate Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We offer a South Florida foreclosure list  Property Search