I've been a poster on Jeffrey's Mr. Landlord site for a good number of years. During this time; I've received some great advice on LLing as well as all sorts of other matters.

I've seen a lot of posters come & go. I've seen some posters be a one & done never to be heard from again. Some who disappear & reappear as their circumstances change. Some regulars who are always willing to offer some sound advice & a word of encouragement on a daily basis.

I've enjoyed meeting numerous posters in person. I've shared personal as well as business matters with my fellow posters. I've been pleased by how well some of my fellows LLs have succeeded.

I've wondered how & why some people stayed in the business. I've wondered what happened to some of the former posters & where are they now. I've read some amazing stories as well as some questionable ones.

I've learned what to do & equally as important what not to do. I've read some posts that require us to try to figure out what the heck is going on & others that leave little to the imagination. Through the magic of the internet, I've been able to connect with like minded people striving to reach similar goals.

I've been able to draw on the expertise of LLs who are amazingly well organized & extremely professional. I've seen some newer less experienced LLs make postings that make me smile as I think, been there done that myself.

The one thing that pleases me the most is the willingness of "my AXE wielding" imaginary friends (as my DW calls them) to share their LLing expertise with in most cases complete strangers while expecting to receive nothing in return.

I know throughout my entire life others have helped me without expecting anything in return. I'd like to think that along the way I've also helped a few myself. I don't believe that any of us did this because we had to but did it because we could.

Now the real reason for this post is that over the last couple of years I've noticed that when some questions, issues, problems, business methods, experiences, etc are brought up, some postings seem to dump on the poster rather than offer helpful suggestions.

As I've seen this on FB as well as some of the other sites I visit, I don't think it's a LL exclusive. Unfortunately I think it's more of a reflection of today's society. Perhaps we all should try to think twice about our real reasons for posting a comment before we hit submit. I would like to say thank you my "my AXE wielding" imaginary friends" for being here 24 /7/365 to assist me in my LLing endeavors.

Sometimes that advise to sell is warranted.

When you're here long enough you tend to see the patterns and know what to expect and from whom.

If you're new here, should you be warned at all or take it all in as good advise not knowing any better?

Steve VA, maybe a ratings system for posts would be a big help. Like you say, some stuff is good, some is great. On the other hand, some is so-so and not so good. Then we get stuff that is total GARBAGE and can put a newbie in a very precarious position were they to follow it. Some sort of rating system would be nice, without it, you get what you see as attacks or passionate discussion.

Then some posts have absolutely nothing to do with real estate or LLing at all and happen constantly.

Some posters, here and probably in real life, tend to shoot first and ask questions later. Others might be a bit more thoughtful "tell me more!" and others, once you "know" them (their posting style) are simply trying to add humor sometimes.

Some posters tend to have the same problems over and over again, ask the same questions about different circumstances until you DO think "perhaps this biz is not for them!"

Good point, but sometimes it's hard not to be direct when a post is really ridiculous, blatantly wrong, obvious fiction, or otherwise should not have been posted. There are many people who own rental properties who would best be advised to sell. That's a fact. I can tell you what causes me to be less than neighborly to a poster:

- Those who respond to posts here from tenants. After all, this is a landlording site.

- Folks who treat landlording as a hobby and not a business.

- Property owners who haven't received rent in a few days or weeks and ask then what to do next.

- Landlords who always try to find the cheapest solutions rather than the best ones.

- Landlords who view tenants as the enemy.

- Landlords who view tenants as their friends.

- Cash-for-keys, which is a very controversial practice.

- Asking state-specific or complicated legal questions that should be directed to a professional.

- Asking questions that they should know already or should be able to accurately find elsewhere. Example: It's amazing that so many don't know the difference between insurance endorsements additional interest and additional insured. All it takes is a call to the agent.

In my opinion, intentional landlords should have schooled themselves on the basics before they bought their first property. By "intentional" I mean those who made the decision to do this, as opposed to those who have inherited property. And those who inherit properties would be well-served by reading a few good books on the subject.

I admit to being harsh sometimes. But I do try to help most of the time. What gets me the most is when people ask for advice and then, when they get good advice from lots of experienced LLs here, they basically do their own things anyhow.

They didn't come asking for advice. They came expecting confirmation of what they had already decided. When they don't get that -- and instead get GOOD advice that conflicts with their original decision -- they proceed to defend their original position and ignore the good advice.

When that happens, I feel like telling them how it really is might be the best response. Sometimes people need a little bit of a slap of reality. I don't consider that "dumping on the poster."

And, yes, when someone that is just LEARNING asks a legit question and is told to "SELL!", I agree that is unfair and inappropriate. But I admit that I suggested recently (somewhat jokingly, somewhat not) that an experienced LL here might want to sell soon -- because he did exactly what I'm talking about above: asked for advice and then when he didn't like it, backpedaled and ignored it. So, he gets a bit more of a reality check as opposed to "helpful suggestions" because it turned out he wasn't looking for "helpful suggestions" at all. :)

- John...

This forum is pretty mild mannered compared to what some forums are.

I don't know how to protect newbies from getting bad advice from strangers online. All that can really be done for them is to present the good advice and hope that they can sort it out.

But honestly, anyone who goes into an expensive business without having a clue about how it works, and then thinks the best way to run that business is to take advice from strangers on the internet instead of doing research, is kind of beyond helping.

I too appreciate the advice I receive. We have to remember that each of us are different, we approach things differently, we learn differently, we process differently, we come from different backgrounds. It is the differences that make this site useful. I can get different opinions on how to proceed. But they are just that, opinions, and not everyone will have the same one.

As I'm currently painting a barn door on a flip house, I'm thinking more about this thread. Maybe a ratings system isn't a good idea for this forum. Because if someone would've just simply come and give a thumbs down to something that didn't make sense or is bad advice, you wouldn't get the feedback that is necessary to those kinds of comments. So the back-and-forth banter is necessary to make this form what it is. Sure some of it gets heated, I'm definitely guilty in part of that. Whatever. Tomorrow's a new day.

Another thing too Steve as far as "attacks", we don't fully know what we're getting here. Personally, I will analyze something to death until I can get it to make sense.

I was talking to another landlord about things that I've read on here before and he brought up an excellent point. (He posts here occasionally.)

The point is, is that someone can lurk on this site for months on end reading everything and seeing the different interactions and then start posting and giving advice on their own and they may not even own a single rental property.

How do you ever know? You don't.

So if you see something that doesn't make sense, by all means I think it needs to be addressed and beat to death until it's either resolved or proven to be nonsense.

If the readers only want to take the gentle, hand-holding advice they always have that option of ignoring everything else. I think the different perspectives and the way they are presented differently is what makes the site so good.

What one person might see as an attack, someone else might see as direct, on-point, advice. This forum is mild. I was in the Casio G-Shock section of watchuseek.com recently and saw battles there - a WATCH forum!

I also see more wars of words and keyboard warriors on the Denver Post web site.

Some people just have really thin skin.

This forum can be the singular most effective tool for landlords to keep abreast of changes in marketing, styles, preferences, technology, tactics, etc.

Sometimes, posters come asking for advice, sometimes the same questions over and over, looking to avoid the cost of professional services, such as an attorney.

If a poster obviously cannot comprehend the right answer or the broad scope of the question, but insists on searching for a simple answer to a complicated question, sometime they NEED to be told bluntly and directly that they should get (and pay for) a lawyer. There is not always malice intended in a sharp response, but sometimes a poster won't accept that what they are asking is too complex for them at this stage, and it is in their best interests to be informed of this before they make larger and more expensive mistakes.

No reason to be rude or argumentative.

I'm disappointed when I see a post has many replies only to see it's 2 people arguing.

I appreciate and learn from the open discussion but

Please take your arguing elsewhere.

BRAD

Oops, I just returned to this site & noticed I posted this as Steve [VA] my bad it should have been Steve [MA]

Delving deep - yes.

Petty arguing - I instantly loose respect for the poster.

I've gotten some "sternly worded" replies a few times.

And I soundly deserved it.

I try to be diplomatic, but sometimes fail. I keep coming back because this is a great site offering great advice.

I sometimes got "sternly worded" responses on the day job too...

If the shoe fits... fix the problem!

If it doesn't... duck, water, back.

So, Brad, I don't mean this as insulting -- I'm really just curious. There have been several threads where you've mentioned something related to Service Animals or ESAs -- and I've replied that I think you are incorrect or confused (usually I mention that you seem to be mixing the ADA with the FHAA when they are very different). EVERY time I've done that in a thread, you've not replied to it. EVERY time.

So, is it because you consider that "petty arguing"? Because it seems to me like we should be "delving deep" into those kinds of discussions. Especially because I sometimes feel that you are repeating the same incorrect information over and over again in different threads. But, again, when I tried to "delve deeper" into it, you just vanish from those threads.

I feel like you've put me into the "lost respect" category and, therefore, we never resolve what appears to be some ongoing differences (which often directly affect advice given to other users here). It's just not a good thing. :(

I think part of the problem is that what is an "attack" to some is really just intended as a criticism or correction that others don't want to deal with. :(

- John...

Guess who holds the record for multiple (same) threads ?

(Hitting the send button more than once)