landlordwhisperer: Who Put Those CRIMINALS in Your Rental Home? OH! You Did? - 05/16/13 05:56 AM
Our local media is buzzing about a raid local authorities made on an UPscale home in an established neighborhood adjacet to the University of Virginia.
On the heels of the Boston Marathon Bombings * seeing SWAT teams in this quiet area was chilling for local residents.
What is even more chilling is that the rental residents of the home - several single/UNrelated males with multiple vehicles with differet state license plates - were making FAKE IDs and that the authorities had had them on their RADAR for almost 6 months based on a sting of faux IDs being mailed from a … (46 comments)

landlordwhisperer: YES! You are a PROFESSIONAL - however your SERVICE is often the Quality of your NEWEST employee - 05/06/13 03:40 AM
I have a recently departed resident (left her rental home I manage) who forgot to organize for the unit keys and entry for her house and carpet cleaners.
The unit has a gang key box on it; however, since I did not know the cleaner staff member who contacted me to arrange for a unit key, I did not give him the keybox code. I have organized for a unit key to be in the drop box outside of my office door for him to pick up.
He needs to return it to the same place this afternoon so that the … (13 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Lake Monticello Home * One Level w/2-Car Garage * $1,395 * Available July 1 - 04/21/13 04:26 AM

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landlordwhisperer: One-Level Lake Monticello Homew/Fenced Yd * 1 Block from Main Beach * $1,275 - 04/21/13 04:20 AM

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landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part 25 * OH! By the way......This should have been mentioned EARLIER - 04/18/13 03:09 AM
I am in the process of amending and adding to my SPRING HVAC service list.  It will go with new property keys to my HVAC service firm on Friday.
This AM, I received a call from one of my new clients that she has a service contract for her HVAC and that her firm needs to arrange entry.
When I was searching for a new HVAC service firm several years ago, I called HER HVAC maintenance vendor about bidding my clients' properties - 85 to 100 properties serviced 2x annually....AND I NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK.
I even had my attorney … (16 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part 23 * DIY Landlord AD says SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY! - 04/16/13 03:06 AM
During my aggressive Craigslist posting marketing routine, I click on the DIY listings that frequently appear and as they return over and over * usually on Monday because they forgot to post on the weekend * more are featuring SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY!
Now...in my CINDERELLA Chronicles series, this makes sense - DIY landlords only NEED one SERIOUS RENTAL PROSPECT to rent their home whereas I and other property managers want A LOT of SERIOUS INQUIRIES so that we can PUT A LOT OF FEET in our GLASS SLIPPER.
By putting SERIOUS RENTAL PROSPECTS ONLY in their ads, DIY landlords are saying … (22 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part XXII * Bottom Feeders Think ALL Rental Homes are for SALE - 04/15/13 03:57 AM
One of the pitfalls of my frequent use of Craigslist for marketing my clients' AVAILABLE rental properties is that they are EASY to FIND....by rental prospects AND listing SCAMMERS and LAZY Agents and BUYERS.
Several of my clients have been contacted by UNknown persons indicating they want to BUY their property.  This is not a NEW issue - just has a twist.
My listings appear VACANT in my online postings so my clients are not loosing any $$$....they are getting rent.  Also, I start advertising EARLIER when I know that residents are leaving so that I have a MUCH WIDER net … (3 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Beach Book Season is coming! Are you READY for some JACK DANIELS on the Beach - 04/13/13 04:21 AM
I'm not sure how I found out about Jack Daniels....the character in JA Konrath's thriller series that are named after Jack Daniels bourbon drink recipes...and I am VERY GLAD I did.
Jack is a Chicago police detective formally known as Jacqueline until she married her husband * Alan Daniels * then she became JACK DANIELS.
Since I listen to books on cds in my car, I was pleased to find that the various character voices are read by male and female voices which really helps with the continuity of characters and locations.
Reading (listening) to them in order his very helpful … (4 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part XXI * YES! I need ALL OF THAT INFORMATION, please - 04/10/13 09:43 AM
My rental application is only 1 page and one-third of that is boilerplate Q&A about filing bankruptcy, being evicted, having a criminal history so completing it is fairly easy; however, for some reason, some rental prospects are curious why I require some of the information I am requesting.
This ONE PIECE of PAPER may be the ONLY time I get valuable information on rental prospects and this ONE PIECE of PAPER gets them a new home.  
Mortgage loan qualifications often take a ream of paper and hours of compiling financial, stock, retirement, liability balances and income figures...and then the BANK/mortgage … (4 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part XX * I Do NOT Think your Out-of-Office Reply is Helping - 04/05/13 04:13 AM
I am in HEAVY renting mode with only 2 VACANT/Available NOW homes.....so when I get a rental prospect inquiry for one of these propertie - I want to schedule a viewing ASAP.
I have been in communication with a rental prospect attempting to set up a viewing on Saturday and I keep getting her Out-of-Office e-mail reply when attempting to get a confirmation of the showing time.
It is unfortunate if she only has her WORK e-mail to use during this process and if she is truly UNAVAILABLE to respond.
 

I'll keep posting these homes online and will schedule … (10 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part 17 * Wallace turns 1,000,000 in Dog (ActiveRain) Years - 04/02/13 03:32 AM
In almost 50 years as a property manager, I have had some awesome milestones....
Obtaining my Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) in January, 1986
Obtaining my Master Property Manager (MPM) designation from the National Association of Rental Property Managers (NARPM) in September, 2000 * first property manager in Virginia to obtain this designation
Being Chair of the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR) Property Management Council for 2 terms * 1998 through 2000
HOWEVER.....I will FOREVER cherish my FIRST 1,000,000 points on ActiveRain.  I wanted to get my 1M badge by the end of … (49 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Forest Lakes South * 4 Bedroom * 2-Car Garage * 1st Flr MBR * $1,995 * Walk to School - 03/31/13 04:13 AM

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landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part 16 * Third Time is a CHARM! - 03/31/13 03:59 AM
I showed a townhouse on Friday to a GREAT applicant * I already had her application PREapproved * and she wants to move in Monday - in 3 days....the unit is ready and I just needed to do the lease packet paperwork ( 6-page lease & 20+ page Resident Handbook) and we agreed to meet Saturday/next day at her work.
When we met and she was reading the lease, she asked * THIS HOME IS NOT GOING INTO FORECLOSURE? Right? * the home she currently occupies is on the auction block mid-April and the home she lived in PREVIOUSLY, had also … (5 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Lake Monticello Home * One Level * Fenced Yd * Available July * $1,295 - 03/31/13 03:40 AM

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landlordwhisperer: Lake Monticello Home * Fenced Yard * Storage * Walk to Main Beach & Pool * $1,295 - 03/31/13 03:16 AM

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landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part 15 * YES, Virginia...I Raised the RENT on that Home - 03/29/13 03:07 AM
For several reasons, I have 3 available rental homes available NOW * OFF Rental Season * and I have priced their rent according to market and the rental prospects have just not been there....fortunately 2 have PRE-paid rent from the former occupants and one of the homes is one that I own and that I am having repainted.
As of April 1 * we are coming into the PRIME rental season so I am INCREASING the rents on the 2 UNrented homes that I have available NOW for occupancy.
I REposted these 2 rental listings on Craigslist this morning and UPPED … (7 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Cherry Hill * 3-Level Townhouse * Sunroom * 4thBR/Home Office * $1,945 - 03/28/13 04:53 PM

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landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part 14 * I'm Making an Inspection * SMILE! My Tenant has CAMERAS! - 03/27/13 04:00 AM
I notified 5 of my current residents via e-mail yesterday that I would be making pre-move-out property inspections to note any MAKE-READY items and alert my owners of costs accordingly.
These inspections are not to be confused with the inspection I will make AFTER the residents move * clean * and THEN return the keys and I make a POST-move-out inspection to determine the return of their security deposit.
Two of my residents are homeowners elsewhere renting their former homes and they have NEVER heard of such a thing....obviously, their agent/property manager is not as THOROUGH as the LandlordWhisperer....and then I … (8 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Cinderella Chronicles * Part DOZEN * Can't find a Home to BUY * Needs to RENEW Her Lease - 03/25/13 03:49 AM
I have a high-end home that I rented late in the rental season last summer to a woman who had sold her home and the contract on her new home had to be cancelled because of too many issues on the home inspection.
We BOTH figured that she would she would start looking for a new home in January with her "vintage" real estate agent and I offered her a lease renewal in February pro forma.  She did not respond so her renewal offered expired and her fixed term lease kicks in...
I received an e-mail over the weekend that she … (7 comments)

landlordwhisperer: Available July * One Level Home w/2-Car Garage * 5 Min to NGIC*CHO*DIA $1,445 - 03/24/13 03:30 AM

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Wallace S. Gibson CPM *

LandlordWhisperer

Charlottesville, VA

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Gibson Management Group, Ltd.

Office Phone: (434) 825-1933

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