property management software: Oregon Treasures - 09/04/13 05:46 AM
While I was not laboring this past weekend, my family and I explored some areas of Oregon we had yet to see.  We are so blessed by the vast beauty in Oregon!  I've traveled around the world and sometimes the most amazing places are in my backyard.  



Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant criminal and credit checks and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers.  You'll find many other useful articles like this on the Rentec Direct Blog.
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property management software: Sky Rockets In Flight! Wordless Wednesday - 08/28/13 08:44 AM

 
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Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant criminal and credit checks and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers.  You'll find many other useful articles like this on the Rentec Direct Blog.
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property management software: "I Can't Believe...Impossible things!" - 08/27/13 09:35 AM
"I can't believe...impossible things," said Alice.  
And the Queeen replied: "I daresay you haven't had much practice.  
Why sometimes I've believed as many as six
impossible things before breakfast."  ~ Lewis Carroll
This quote is on a wrinkled piece of paper, pinned to my bullitin board in my office. I've carried it with me the last 15 years as I've traveled to different offices and different places in my life and it still offers me inspiration.  I think it's important to surround yourself with people and ideas that keep you fresh, challenge you, help you grow.  
What sparks you into motion? What … (1 comments)

property management software: Wordless Wednesday - Summertime And The Livin' Is Easy - 08/21/13 05:14 AM

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Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant criminal and credit checks and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers.  You'll find many other useful articles like this on the Rentec Direct Blog.
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property management software: Hatin' on Fakers - 08/20/13 10:09 AM
Yesterday while taking a coffee break from my tenant screening tasks, I stumbled across a report on counterfeit food products that people regularly consume and the non-profit company that seeks to expose them. The basics are that unscrupulous companies mislabel food products and trusting and unknowing consumers chug them down.  You might think you’re drinking milk and what you’re really dipping your cookies into could be a cocktail of formaldehyde, urea, hydrogen peroxide, machine oil, detergent, caustic soda, starch, non-potable water, cow tallow and pork lard.  Oh my!  

Because I am a avid organic farmer/gardener, authentic and wholesome food is very … (3 comments)

property management software: Work it, baby! - 08/15/13 10:41 AM
Yesterday I blogged about trying to find ways to avoid the proverbial secretary spread and health ills that sitting at a desk all day while I assist customers with our web-based property management software brings.  Today, I did my first test run on the most awesome addition to my office:  THE TREADMILL DESK!  
And folks, it's awesome!  I can't believe I didnt' do this sooner! I've walked for 5 hours today, logged 10 miles and over a 1,200 calories  just cruisin' at a very slow pace.  It took about 20 mintues to get the feel for typing while walking, and only one … (59 comments)

property management software: C'mon, Move That Body! - 08/14/13 10:16 AM
If you’re like me, and a huge portion of the working class, you spend a lot of your day sitting at a desk, in front of a computer and talking on a phone.  Because I work for a web-based Property Management Software company, the lion’s share of my day is spent tethered to electronic devices and as such, I have been classed as a sedentary person.  .  
 
Doctors are declaring that sitting at your desk all day is the new “smoking,” meaning that the health risks associated with sitting all day long are just about as toxic to our vitality as … (4 comments)

property management software: Wordless Wednesday - Squatters? - 08/07/13 09:55 AM

Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant criminal and credit checks and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers.  You'll find many other useful articles like this on the Rentec Direct Blog.
 
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property management software: Neighborly Advice - 07/11/13 07:38 AM
Last night a neighbor stopped by our farm to introduce himself.  Come to find out, he’s an old-time farmer in our area,  however he lives in another state most of the year right now, caring for his elderly mother.  After chatting for a long while about farming,  I learn that he has 11 rental homes he manages himself long-distance - with pen and paper - and that was the reason why he was back in town - to collect rental applications, and try to fill two vacancies.  He tells me “it’s such a headache, managing these rentals long distance.”
Nonchalantly I … (42 comments)

property management software: Tenant Screening Downfalls - Beware! - 06/26/13 10:34 AM
Recently Washington state became one of many states who are churning up lawsuits from tenants over criteria for residency. The ALCU represented a woman who was denied tenancy based on a 1995 drug conviction.  The basis for the lawsuit is that the company used criteria that violated state laws that forbids tenant screening agencies from using criminal convictions more than seven years old.  The landlord who was using the tenant screening service had no idea he received information prohibited by state laws.
Being a landlord is not a job for the faint of heart.  Most turn to professional property managers to handle … (4 comments)

property management software: Tenant Screening? Wordless Wednesday - 06/26/13 10:00 AM

 
Janell K. is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based tenant screening solution, offering tools to Landlords and professional Property Managers.
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property management software: Wacky & Wordless - 06/12/13 04:52 AM

 
Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant criminal and credit checks and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers.  You'll find many other useful articles like this on the Rentec Direct Blog.
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property management software: WWII Vet Being Evicted Gifted $134,00?!? - 05/16/13 10:51 AM
Yesterday, while reading through some details of our tenant credit check and eviction report, I stumbled upon a crazy story of a 91-year old WWII vet being evicted out of his own home he built 56 years ago, after his creepy daughter pulled a sneaky move and used her power of attorney to sign over the deed to the house to herself when pa wasn't lookin'.  When the old fella discoverd his daughter's covert move, he tried to contest it in court, but due to a statute of limitations, he was up a creek and basically the legal owner - now … (7 comments)

property management software: Keepin' Up With The Joneses - 04/24/13 10:43 AM
 
I am officially jealous.  
 Why didn’t my grandparents build me this most amazing tree house?  
And I am not showing my daughter this thing. NO WAY. I had plans to build her a tree house this summer and let's just say I was thinking more along the lines of this...
 
It goes without saying, there is always someone who can show you up, and possibly make you feel as if you’re not really hitting the mark. The trick is to think about what it is you envy/admire and why and work with what resources are within your reach.  
I have slick customers … (9 comments)

property management software: Your Property Lost In Outer Space - 04/23/13 09:50 AM
I hear from our property management software customers everyday saying “I can’t believe how quickly the syndication links brought me rental traffic! It was driving me crazy how my rentals use to get lost in the online listing sites!!”  Truly, I am surprised at times, too.  I mean, it’s a big, big world with a monstrous highway on the interweb. Tons of available rentals!  How on earth is one going to get their rental noticed in the sea of rentals?  Well, it starts by using the right tool to get the results you need.
Here’s my layman’s explanation. My husband is a … (5 comments)

property management software: At Risk For Being Hacked? - 03/19/13 10:18 AM

Recently I was assisting one of our customers reset his password in our property management software and when I asked him to pick a new password that follows our security protocol, he said "but I want to use the same password I use on all my accounts!"  Wow!  With the most recent hacking of Evernote, the popular online note-taking app, and other big dogs such as Apple and Facebook, we know that hackers have gained access to a wide net of usernames and passwords.  And if a huge majority of people are using the same usernames and passwords in multiple programs … (3 comments)

property management software: HELP! It's an EMERGENCY!!! Yeah, right... - 01/23/13 04:38 AM
Over the last few years working in property management software, I haven’t had the joy of getting called in the middle of the night with an “emergency” situation (which, 9 out of 10 times were never emergencies.) Although, I do get a chuckle when I get to hear my customers tell me their war-stories. When I was a site manager, I had a rule I would try to enforce that an emergency is “FIRE, FLOOD or BLOOD.”  Anything that could wait until business hours, should. Nevertheless, I would get calls from frantic tenants and those who I felt were simply bored.
My … (6 comments)

property management software: Do You Have An Emergency Plan? - 11/08/12 06:12 AM
 
As a community dealing in property management on a variety of levels, we are reminded by Hurricane Sandy how crucial it is to have emergency planning in place before it is required.  Understanding your properties and the unique risks they have is crucial for successfully navigating disaster.
 
In the wake of Sandy, New York City's Housing Authority still has 21,000 tenants spread out in 114 building without power and in serious danger.  Many of these tenants are elderly and disabled and are stranded without the ability to get food, water or medication.  Without the loud voices of volunteers and concerned neighbors, … (1 comments)

property management software: Big Stuff, Little Town - 10/03/12 12:10 PM
Everyday I wake up, I am so grateful to live in beautiful Grants Pass, Oregon!!  Its natural beauty and diverse ecosystems are what drew me here - BIG trees, BIG mountains, BIG rivers, long growing seasons with lots of sunshine, expansive wild spaces and the proximately to the BIG Pacific Ocean.

I had no idea that the little corner of the world I moved to would sport amazing art, music, wine and BIG minds.  But why not?  It is easy to find BIG ideas and BIG success in a large city, as the odds are that someone in the masses will come … (2 comments)

property management software: Crucial Smoke Alarm Safety & Compliance - 09/28/12 08:03 AM
Each year, roughly 3,000 people die in house fires in the US.  2,000 of those deaths are in homes with absent or non-functional smoke alarms.  
2,000 preventable deaths.  
How many of the homes you manage can you guarantee would notify the sleeping occupants of a fire?  According to National Fire Protection Association,

Cooking is the #1 cause of home fires and injuries. Smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths. Heating is the second leading cause of home fires, fire deaths and fire injuries. Electrical failures or malfunctions are factors in roughly 50,000 reported fires each year. Roughly 30, 000 … (1 comments)