Robert S. Griswold

Robert S. Griswold, author, teacher, and a successful real estate investor, is an active, hands-on property manager with a large portfolio of residential and commercial rental properties.

Articles & Books From Robert S. Griswold

Home Buying Kit For Dummies
The top choice among home buyers in need of assistance Home Buying Kit For Dummies is your one-stop guide to navigating the housing market and buying a home. This updated book helps you through the largest—and most complex—purchase you're likely to make, offering a map to navigating the occasionally choppy waters of home buying.
Real Estate Investing For Dummies
Make smart decisions in any real estate market Real estate is always on the radar of investors looking for growth opportunities. Real Estate Investing For Dummies is your no-nonsense guide to adding real estate to your own portfolio. Considered one of the most desirable investment types, real estate is a great way to build wealth—if you know how to navigate the challenges.
Article / Updated 10-27-2023
Dozens of federal, state, and local laws govern the residential rental industry and the landlord-resident relationship. All of these laws are important. The following calls to your attention ten important laws for you to know and follow when you're a landlord. The Fair Housing Act The Fair Housing Act prohibits you from discriminating against applicants or residents based on any of the seven protected classes: Race Color Sex National origin Religion Handicap Family status The Fair Housing Act establishes only the minimum protections.
Article / Updated 10-27-2023
Residents often need or want to take on a new roommate, sublet the rental unit, or assign their rental contract to someone else. To deal with these types of situations, consider this advice when you’re a landlord: Require that all prospective roommates be screened and added to the rental contract. Prohibit residents from subletting their rental units.
Article / Updated 10-27-2023
How you choose to structure your business as the landlord depends in part upon your willingness to share its future and yours with others. Forming a corporation is a fairly complex legal endeavor that involves the following steps: Choose and register a name for your corporation that complies with state requirements.
Article / Updated 09-06-2023
Although the eviction process is rather straightforward in most areas, you still want to ensure you, as the landlord, don’t do anything to jeopardize the proceedings. There is no guarantee that the process will run smoothly, but if you keep the following in mind, you can alleviate many headaches: Do use an attorney.
Article / Updated 08-28-2023
The Internet is an exceptionally popular and productive medium for residential advertising, because many people begin their search for apartments online. However, posting advertisements and listings online is so easy that you need to be particularly vigilant in complying with fair housing law in all of your online advertising.
Article / Updated 08-07-2023
Before you get a mortgage, be sure you understand your personal financial situation. The amount of money a banker is willing to lend you isn't necessarily the amount you can "afford" to borrow given your financial goals and current situation. Maximize your chances for getting the mortgage you want the first time you apply by understanding how lenders evaluate your creditworthiness.
Article / Updated 07-10-2023
When landlords fail to maintain habitable and nuisance-free rental properties and fail to remedy serious issues raised by residents, several consequences may follow. However, for you to be held legally liable and for residents to have a right to take recourse, the following five conditions must be met: The issue makes the resident’s premise uninhabitable or a significant threat to the resident’s life, health, or safety.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-18-2023
Got a property to rent but worried about everything that’s involved with being a landlord? Use this Cheat Sheet for tips on marketing your property, finding the right tenant and managing the rental process from start to finish. Handling a Telephone Call from a Prospective TenantAs the first point of contact between yourself and a prospective tenant for a rental property, the initial enquiry over the phone is extremely important.