| 1. Find out who it is that's renting/buying your | | | | resume. Hiring the wrong person can be a very |
| property. | | | | costly experience and can be avoided. |
| If you have rental property you know what a | | | | 3. Find out about the number who is calling but |
| risk it is when you get new tenants. It's hard | | | | doesn't leave a message |
| enough to make rental property profitable these | | | | Most of the time, it doesn't matter who called and |
| days, what with high taxes, insurance, | | | | didn't leave a message. We've all seen on our |
| maintenance on the property and the like. You | | | | caller-id's a phone number we didn't recognize, but |
| certainly don't want to have tenants in there that | | | | so what? The times you would want to |
| will trash YOUR house, not pay their rent or | | | | investigate are when someone calls and is making |
| move in with their cousins, friends, grandmother | | | | some sort of harassing or threatening phone calls. |
| and extended family in your two bedroom place. | | | | It makes sense to find out who it is and where |
| When people behave badly, they leave a trail of | | | | they live so that it can be reported to the |
| bad credit, lawsuits, bankruptcies and civil and | | | | authorities. The other reason you might want to |
| criminal judgements. Even though Mr. and Mrs. | | | | know is, sadly, to confirm suspicions. Have you |
| Smith look like nice people, wouldn't you want to | | | | noticed that your spouse has been receiving a lot |
| do due diligence and find out everything you can | | | | of calls from someone he or she is reluctant to |
| about them before you let them inhabit your | | | | talk about? Trust is essential in any relationship, |
| house? The answer is, of course, yes. It's the | | | | but so is truth. You need to know. |
| sensible thing to do. In the case of buyers for | | | | 4. Find out if that guy or gal you're dating is |
| your property, you run the risk of taking your | | | | already married |
| property off the market, making all sorts of | | | | Sounds silly, but you need to know these days |
| improvements and losing other potential offers | | | | that what someone says is true. There have |
| only to find out that Mr. and Mrs. Jones don't | | | | been a lot of broken hearts simply because |
| qualify for a mortgage, don't have the income to | | | | someone believed a lie. It is no shame or dishonor |
| buy in your neighborhood or have defaulted on | | | | to verify facts. You only want to be involved with |
| other loans in the past. If you knew, you would | | | | someone who will tell you the truth. Why not |
| simply have declined their offer in the first place. | | | | make sure? |
| 2. Find out about help around the house or about | | | | 5. Find out if the people who want the loan have |
| prospective employees | | | | declared bankruptcy. |
| If you are in a position to hire someone to help | | | | Do you lend money? There are a lot of private |
| around the house, or someone who will be in your | | | | capital venturists, hard money lenders and friends |
| house for a time when you are not there, or if | | | | who loan money to others in need. Don't be |
| it's someone to watch the kids it would be really | | | | burned, and don't feel ashamed for checking. Do |
| smart to take the time first to check out that | | | | your due diligence. If not, you will have only |
| person's background. Haven't we all heard stories | | | | yourself to blame. You need to know if the |
| about that person down the street who seemed | | | | person to whom you are loaning the money has |
| so nice, but then turned out to be some sort of | | | | ever declared bankruptcy before. If they have, |
| monster? Before you let somebody into your | | | | guess what? Now you are in a position to make |
| house, make sure they have no felonies, no drug | | | | better decisions. Maybe you'll still go ahead with |
| convictions, dui's or any other myriad of personal | | | | the loan, but perhaps you'll loan less (thereby |
| problems from which you'd rather spare yourself | | | | risking less), or maybe the collateral will be |
| and your family. If you are seeking to hire an | | | | greater, but whatever the decision you make, at |
| employee to work at your business, then it | | | | least it will be an informed decision. |
| makes sense to know if what the prospective | | | | Make the decision to be informed of the facts. |
| employee says about themselves is the truth. | | | | The truth hurts less than a lie. |
| You want to know if they are lying on their | | | | |