property manager: Maintenance at Rental Properties
- 03/29/12 05:47 AM
Everyone has their idea of maintenance emergencies. A maintenance emergency can lead to destruction of the home, personal property, and other valuable items. As a property management company with a 24 hour maintenance line that tenants can call, we often must use our best discretion to decide what calls are emergencies, that owners and tenants would agree, and what items may just be a panic'd phone call. That is why it is necessary for us to be able to speak to tenants at all hours of the day, talk them through any quick fixes like shutting off water, or resetting breakers, … (2 comments)
property manager: Rental Reference
- 03/29/12 05:43 AM
A key part of our screening process at HomePointe Property managment is to check on a tenants rental history. We need to know certain pertinent items like time in the rental, rent amount, if paid on time and how many times they were late if applicable. It is necessary for agents and agencies to be truthful with eachother so we may protect ourselves and our clients. Asking for rental references and filling out rental references are two seperate subjects. It is necessary for us to disclose the information that is asked for on the rental verification but to the pertinent infomation … (1 comments)
property manager: Showing Rental Properties
- 03/29/12 05:38 AM
In the business of rental homes, where commitments are not necessarily as serious as buying and selling a home, it is important to advertise the opportunity for prospective tenants to see the home, but not to waste too much time. The showing schedule completed by HomePointe Property management is a schedule of listed properties that will be shown for short sweet and to the point open houses. We want to give the opportunity for a renter to see the inside, but not have to drive out to the home to show every Tom, Dick, and Harry that calls. This way a … (1 comments)
property manager: Relationships
- 03/26/12 09:46 AM
A lot of business is based on relationships. How we relate to one another will help us in our every day lives. As licensed real estate agents, property managers should carry themselves as professionals and work on the relationships between property managers and sales agents. One thing that we try to do at HomePointe is offer an incentive for referring new owner clients that would like to use our services. Then, if the owner client ever wishes to sell their property or buy another we refer back to that agent. After all, nothing says "strong relationship" like a little money incentive! … (4 comments)
property manager: Hidden Fee's??
- 02/28/12 05:09 AM
So, here's a common question: "What hidden fee's does your company have?" As property managers and real estate professionals we are paid to give a service. A service that comes at a price. In any business paying for what you get always go hand in hand. (Its not just a funny saying). As property managers it is necessary to lay out for our clients what they will be paying, and what they will receive for these prices. Disclosure is required and can keep clients happy and coming back. … (1 comments)
property manager: Tax Season
- 02/28/12 04:58 AM
One common excuse I hear about late rent is, "I will pay my rent when I receive my taxes!" Don't be fooled. Rent should always be paid on time, no excuses. It is the dwelling where tenants have clothes, beds, all their belongings, kids, a roof for protection, so they also need to understand top priority in their check book needs to be writing a rent check on time. Sometimes tenants need to be reminded that if they do not pay rent, they will be evicted. If court action is required, then owners should proceed. This will help future owners from … (1 comments)
property manager: Incentives
- 02/28/12 04:52 AM
There are incentives in every aspect of life that attracts our senses, or causes us to make decisions we may not have made otherwise. Well, we try to use these incentives in all of our marketing. Every rental home has an attribute that attracts prospective tenants. Whether we advertise a low price, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, new carpet or paint, or even a lower deposit to move in! There are always ways of attracting clients to our rental homes. We have to use correct wording and get the information out to our audience to be able to rent the … (0 comments)
property manager: Slight Differences
- 02/28/12 04:45 AM
Vacant properties pose many risks to owners, property managers, and neighbors. We do not want properties vandalized, neighbors do not want signs in the yard, nor do they want the wrong tenants to move in. Owners must always consider a price decrease when there are complications advertising their home. Having good quality tenants that take care of the home and pay rent is key to any investment property. The owner trusts a company like ours to find and place this kind of tenant for them. However, the slight difference in $25-50 of rent per/month can mean we find qualified applicants that … (1 comments)
property manager: Save the Money
- 01/31/12 09:52 AM
One key to upgrading a rental property is to research. Researching comparable properties in your area can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars. A foreseable problem a property manager can help with, is choosing how and what to upgrade in an investment property. Owners may pick up a property for pennies on the dollar and think if they install granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, they can charge astronomically more money than other comparable homes. The problem is, the market only allows for so much rent. There is a certain point in every neighborhood that no matter what upgrades … (0 comments)
property manager: One for the Owners
- 01/31/12 09:44 AM
Too too often I see a sad story unfold before my eyes. Its part of the American dream to save money, buy a home, and whether its right away or 10 years down the road, to take that home and turn it into a rental property. Now your investment is working for you, hopefully providing some income, and yet you can maintain the home with the income. My concerns come when the owners of the property put their life savings into a home. They get everything up to code and running smoothly, expecting to find a renter whom will take care … (0 comments)
property manager: Whats Going on With My Application???
- 01/30/12 05:21 AM
The application process is key in renting any commercial or residential property. A home owner can spend thousands fixing up the property, advertising, hiring a property manager, and ultimately if everyone does not do their job properly, there is a chance of the dreaded Unlawful Detainer. At HomePointe we try to limit the risks an owner would have to take to rent the property, and in a timely manner. Applications should be looked at from a view of the owner (with respects to fair housing). We set qualifications for a property giving prospective applicants an opportunity to review their application and … (1 comments)
property manager: Revving Up the Rental Engines
- 01/30/12 05:10 AM
Here is Sacramento the sun is shining and the heat is coming in waves. Mid to high 60's projected all week long. With the rental market at a steady pace now that the holidays have passed, typically we begin to see the rental market heating up. When the weather is warm tenants like to get out, look at available homes, and start thinking to themselves, "Is there a better property for me out there, and if so can I pay less for it?" It is imperative to be competitive with pricing or the vacant home will lose hundreds if not thousands … (1 comments)
property manager: "I NEED HEAT"
- 12/30/11 07:26 AM
Heat is a necessity, a must have, a habitablity issue. We must supply our tenants with heat by any means necessary. Sure it may be more of an issue in 30 degree weather, rather than 60 degree weather, but homes are still occupied by older tenants, or babies, or even the warm blooded American that likes running the heat at 80 degrees. Sometimes we have to supply our customers with space heaters, or send an emergency technician to repair the HVAC right away. Owners can refuse to pay the costs, say they are too much, or argue the repair. But no … (2 comments)
property manager: No Ones Home
- 12/28/11 04:33 AM
For vacant properties it is important for an agent/home owner to remember it is not summer time, and homes do not need the same treatment or lack thereof. We should make sure the water is either off and pipes are run until all water is out, or we need to visit the home a couple times a week turning on the water and sometimes letting it run in the sink. I can recall when I lived in the midwest, we used to leave our sinks dripping at night to keep a constant flow of water running through the home. This would … (2 comments)
property manager: Home for the Holidays
- 12/28/11 04:29 AM
For myslef, being home for the holidays gives me a chance to unwind, relax, and chat with my loved ones I missed throughout the year. I sit back and remember all of the cozy winter nights by the fireplace at our house in Wyoming. All the family sitting around talking about our seperate lives and our individual jobs. We have experiences that some have never heard of or would never want to go through. But with the help of family we get by and we survive. Have good relationships can help you not only in your personal life but from a … (3 comments)
property manager: Christmas Spirit
- 12/28/11 04:00 AM
As we continue into the holiday season there are memories of holidays past that seem to last with us forever. More recently I was proud to be a part of an act of kindness from one of my clients. He asked me to refund rent to the tenant before the Christmas holiday so they would have a little extra spending money. I was able to drop the check off at her house that afternoon on my way out of town for the holidays. It was an amazing feeling just seeing the look on her face when she couldn't understand why someone … (0 comments)
property manager: A Proper Agent
- 11/30/11 04:30 PM
The title of this blog may be a bit confusing. But an agent needs to be proper in a few ways. They need to consider that their client is the owner of a property, not the tenant. If the tenant has requests that only benifit them, or may hender the home or the business purposes of the owner, the owner should be contacted or the well being of the owner taken into consideration before an agent makes decesions on their behalf. We need to treat each property and each account as if it was our own home, and our own money … (3 comments)
property manager: Screening of Tenants
- 11/30/11 04:30 PM
To ensure proper screening of future tenants an owner/agent must set standards prior to advertising the property. This will avoid any possible claims of unfair screening and unfair denial of a tenant renting the home. This will also tell a prospective tenant up front that if they wish to apply for the property they need to meet certain standards, and these standards must not be altered or bent for any circumstance. Otherwise fair housing laws come into effect and owners/agents can be accused of anything from racism to not renting to a tenant because they are too young, or have kids. … (1 comments)
property manager: Cold Weather Approaching
- 11/28/11 08:46 AM
Here in Sacramento we have to remember that although during the day it may be partly cloudy with a chance of RAIN (not snow) we still have a chance of freezing pipes, window leaks, and any other unknow variables. Heating bills get higher, HVAC units break down, and water heaters are over worked to give us nice hot baths to relax in! We need to remind our tenants to stay on top of any leaks, or abnormal sounds/smells in the homes and to always replace smoke detector batteries, cabon monoxide detector batteries, and HVAC filters to keep the home safe and … (1 comments)
Everyone has their idea of maintenance emergencies. A maintenance emergency can lead to destruction of the home, personal property, and other valuable items. As a property management company with a 24 hour maintenance line that tenants can call, we often must use our best discretion to decide what calls are emergencies, that owners and tenants would agree, and what items may just be a panic'd phone call. That is why it is necessary for us to be able to speak to tenants at all hours of the day, talk them through any quick fixes like shutting off water, or resetting breakers, … (2 comments)
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