I feel like I got very lucky when I owned my duplex down in Somersworth. I worked with the seller (before closing) to select the tenants for the upstairs unit. It made sense to be able to choose these tenants since in a matter of weeks I would be the new owner/landlord.
The downstairs tenants were simply horrible people and the seller needed to involve the sheriff to have them evicted. That simply delayed the whole process and taught me a valuable lesson about screening one’s tenants. Perhaps I can share a few tips and save you from the same frustration (and clean-up).
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