It happens as a Maine real estate broker, the occasion to rent out a Houlton home.
While the house is on the market flirting with buyers, before a Maine real estate sale closing can happen.
Or when an apartment house rental unit comes up that needs to be filled. So do we discriminate, ask pointed questions?
Maybe just let the first person who wanders into the real estate office, or calls, emails rent the place needing a tenant? Heck no.
Questions without a polygraph needle swinging wildly. Or get asked under one harsh bright swinging light overhead.
Without sleep deprivation or bathroom breaks.
Trick questions like where were you renting, what were you caught doing on the night of the 32nd?
No water boarding. No finger nails pulled out. Have never shot a person in the knee to get them to talk. To spill the beans on their past rental history. To get to the truth. Answers to why are you moving, needing a place?
Where did you live last and the series of probing inquiries about what kind of renter have you been so far in life help avoid turn over. Or evictions when in a short time the unit or Maine home rented suddenly looks like the set of Chainsaw Massacre. Whatever number. And if you did not know what kind of renter you were getting, you do now after they are in. And not so easy to evict.
When the tenant or renter for a Houlton Maine, or area house balks at needing a month of rent in advance, another month for security deposit, we ask why? Little short on cash but will catch it all up next month does not work out so happily ever after. 
Spending money a person does not have today does not work when it comes tomorrow.
Taken, allocated, earmarked from down the road funds that will be needed for groceries, electric bills, gas for the car and other luxuries like insurance, dentist, entertainment, etc bills signals why the last move happened.
The tenant does not pay their bills, always spending future monies that should be reserve for obligations, fee bills that will come up in the future right on schedule.
Lack of rent payment is the number one problem when the home owner, apartment landlord has financing obligations. Like his monthly mortgage payment, property taxes, insurance, maintenance and repair.
That like dominoes, if the rent does not come in like clockwork, he can not pay his bills. His credit, reputation gets tarnished, black and blue happens. And it puts a crimp in his wallet to reallocate, shift, struggle and race to meet the bills he has a different, more difficult way.
The number two problem is wear and tear. If the guy’s last two landlords give high marks, if he or she work for a living,just sleeps in the place, bonus. If they are not using the place a lot, or like a WMCA for their buddies for a recreational center. As a laundromat because the landlord pays the water, sewage, power and no coin operated but a help yourself washer and dryer.
When the house or apartment unit renters says Joe Smoe, his last landlord is a jerk, my ears perk up.
Do tell. Please go on. Listening to know why, knowing Joe runs a tight ship. Will toss a tenant that causes problems for the others apartment renters in the complex. Will not stand for chasing for the rent, or abuse, damage to the property. The tenant needing a rent today. Because of eviction papers have finally run out and move is going to happen with the help of deputy 
sheriffs, snarls and shares more.
Besides wanting his rent paid of time, Joe will not stand for garbage piling up in the garage. The renter says he only goes to the transfer station, the landfill or dump once a year. That the kids love playing, shooting bee bee guns at the rats as they run in and out of the smelly garage full of rotting garbage.
Joe is not a jerk and when we talk to him as a reference, he also brings up other crazy stuff that happens during the occupancy by this tenant that does off his meds.
Damage, theft, accident reports and police rap sheets about crimes committed at the property. The meth lab did not go over well when blue lights and a yellow do not cross police tape was strung to and for all around the property perimeter. And the property made the nightly news as a hot crime spot.
Causing other tenants to move for fear of what their kids are learning is normal day to day that is far from it. Other landlords echo what Joe shares for past rental history for the don’t know much about him tenant wanting, needing the keys to move in today.
So not moving in. If the tenant flunks a credit check, does not pay rent to his other past landlords, is not able to come up with the first, last in rent, and extra month for security funds. It is a lot of money but that add up front insurance. Getting started right, business like.
Ahead of the rental curve that all helps find a tenant that pays and stays. Because if they don’t they won’t. Nothing about the race, religion, sexual persuasion is under scrutiny. It’s how do you pay your bills, what were there for problems learned, documented in background checks. In the last rents you enjoyed or got booted out of…that is all we want to know. It has to be a good fit too. The place for rent has to match the needs of the tenant too for a win win marriage. Maine, learn more about living in the Pine Tree State.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com | MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730
