PropertyManager.com » Aimee Miller

New York’s Bedbug Disclosure Act

Aimee Miller — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:50:52 +0000

This is one of those things that you need to know….but don’t really want to know!

In New York Gov. Paterson just signed into law the Bedbug Disclosure Act which requires landlords to tell prospective residents if there is a one-year history of bedbugs – now New York renters have the right to know about past bedbug infestations.

Bedbugs have been in the news quite a bit this year, but bedbug-related calls (reports / complaints to New York’s 311 non-emergency hotline) are down about 13% compared to last year. It is still a staggering number – from Jan-Aug 2009, New York tracked 22,459 bedbug related calls. Bedbugs are so tough to solve, but everyone is taking the problem very seriously – in July city officials appropriated $500,000 to fund anti-bedbug programs.

Do you think legislation will help? What else can be done?

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/30/news-bedbug-law-forces-landlords-to-reveal-past-infestations/

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Battle Over Smoking In Condos

Aimee Miller — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:29:58 +0000

A hot topic is coming to head in Florida (keep reading….it’s a very clever pun!).

Condominium owners are debating the right to smoke vs. the neighbor’s right to breathe fresh air. Across the country lawsuits are being filed and some lawyers representing Florida condo associations say it could be argued in Florida court very soon. It is especially difficult and contentious in condominium complexes – when the walls are shared there is a chance for the smoke to seep into a neighbor’s apartment…and smoke is expensive to keep out of your condo!

The big question is if it is legal for the condo association to enact a smoking ban?

Source: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202470996520&Battle_Over_Smoking_in_Condos_Catches_Fire_in_Florida

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NYC Short-Term Apartment Rental Ban Approved

Aimee Miller — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:38:32 +0000

The New York legislature passed a bill in early July that eliminates New York City apartment rentals that are less than 30 days. Many thought Gov. Paterson would veto this bill given his comments leading up to his decision. But in the end he did not. Critics say that the new legislation will harm tourism and really steps on property owners’ rights to do what they want with their properties.

Why did they pass this bill? It is targeting New York City apartment owners who erect temporary walls (which are illegal) in an attempt to attract tourists. The proponents of the bill argue that these short-term rentals are just not right during a city wide housing shortage. There aren’t many great options for budget minded travelers in a city where the average cost of a Manhattan hotel room is $210 a night.

Source: http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/07/new-york-governor-approves-short-term-apartment-rental-ban-in-nyc/101054/

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Indoor Garage in SoHo Turned Into Luxury Apartments

Aimee Miller — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:23:39 +0000

$6500 for a 1-bedroom apartment in what used to be an indoor parking garage! The apartments do sound amazing – much larger than the traditional NYC apartment and many have terraces, large glass windows and 10-foot ceilings. Even a few of the bathrooms come with a view of the Empire State Building. Once you get to the 2-bedroom apartments, the rents start at $12K/month and $18K/month for the 3 bed-room units.

The historic Tunnel Garage was built in 1922 to prepare for (what they expected) would be a large amount of cars coming across the Holland Tunnel from New Jersey. This was New York’s first purpose-built indoor garage and until this time most of the garages were converted horse stables.

Even if you aren’t in the market for these pricey lofts, check out the photos.

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Property Management Law with Daniel Bornstein (July 22 Webinar Recap)

Aimee Miller — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:34:23 +0000

Daniel Bornstein, experienced real estate attorney, shares the top 10 property management pitfalls that cost business money and can potentially get them into legal trouble. Complete video below.

There were too many attendee questions to address during the webinar but Daniel took the time to answer more questions over at the AppFolio blog.

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Housing Activity Lowest Since World War II

Aimee Miller — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:09:19 +0000

Today we read some depressing news about housing activity on the WSJ.com blog – the “lowest level of housing activity since World War II.”

The US economy is creating housing at about 1/3 the rate it was in 2007. Analysts had more optimistic predictions last November but sadly more than 4 years since the boom of residential building in 2006 the industry is only building about 30% of the homes it was building at its peak in 2006.

For property managers this will mean more renters – do you view this as good or bad news?

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2010/07/20/analysts-react-to-starts-lowest-level-of-housing-activity-since-ww-ii

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Live from the 2010 National Apartment Association (NAA) Convention in New Orleans!

Aimee Miller — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:09:06 +0000

Can you go to Bourbon Street and not have great Cajun Food? The AppFolio team (Marie, Brian and Jason) has a great dinner the night before the convention starts.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy plays at the Opening Party.

NAA attendees are entertained by the band after listening to former President George W. Bush speak.

Joe gives a demonstration of AppFolio’s web-based property management software to Ramona and Walter with Terona Management from San Jose, CA.

Bill visits with a friend on the NAA show floor – Anand from the RentPayment team. Get back to work Bill!

Elvis makes a surprise appearance in New Orleans….Did he save his costume from last year’s event in Las Vegas? Is this a brand new Elvis? So many questions!

Molly McGuire – artist and onsite property manager next to one of her paintings.

Jason, Manager at Columbia Parc, answers a question on the biggest management challenges they face.

People are packing the room (even sitting on the floor!) to hear Lisa Trosien as she gives ideas on Apartment Leasing and marketing. Lisa is always filled with great energy and ideas!

Daisy Nguyen, CEO of Rent Soda came all the way from from Minneapolis to network with her peers.

Jon Walker CTO and Founder of AppFolio chats with Ed Javier and John Hanger from Contact At Once providers of website chat solutions.

NAA Property Tour: Columbia Parc after Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact.

NAA Property tour of Columbia Parc, rebuilt after Katrina and featured in Units Magazine – Rebirth on the Bayou.

NAA Property Tours Continued…How do you market a property for 100% occupancy? Example of a resident referral program that is working. They also have a very active Facebook page – check it out.

Touring Bywater Arts Lofts, a 37 loft apartment community that was renovated at the site of a former garment factory.

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Contest Winner: How Much Does It Cost To Process A Rent Check

Aimee Miller — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:00:19 +0000

In a recent contest we asked property managers to guess the true cost of processing a monthly rent check. Property managers from all over the U.S. submitted their best guess and were automatically entered into a drawing to win a super cool Flip Video Camera.

The lucky winner is Keith from Real Property Management & Realty in sunny Orlando, Florida. He is the proud new owner of a very fun Flip Video Camera. Congratulations Keith!

To learn about the true cost of processing a rent check, head on over to AppFolio Property Manager’s blog.

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Obama’s College Apartment For Rent: Greatest Marketing Opportunity

Aimee Miller — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Not many apartments for rent make national news! And it is true, you probably won’t get the chance to market your residential properties like this:

“President Obama lived here and you can too!”

With Barack Obama’s 1981 2 bedroom/1 bath college apartment on the market for $1900/month [ABC News Video] it got us to thinking about new ways to help your apartment or house stand out from the crowd.

Most advertisements for apartments or houses for rent sound pretty similar – how many different ways can you say a modern kitchen? Remodeled, all new appliances, upgraded, stainless steel etc. But it isn’t feasible to write a creative, unique description for every single listing.

Here are some angles that are (kind of…go with me…maybe it’s a stretch…) like the “President Obama lived here and you can too!”

Advertise the neighborhood too. Are you close to the best coffee shop? In walking distance to a family park?

Go Green: People care about the environment….have you made any improvements to your rental properties that are ‘green’? Market them!

Market your community, not just the unit: Include info on your recent fun community activities, link to your Facebook page – show the fun that comes with living in the community

Play around with your photos: Yes we definitely want to see that the house or apartment looks good, but what could you do that would be memorable? Take pictures with real people living in the apartment? Hide something funny in the photos?

Try some video too: We like video! The Flip Video camera can give you a quick way to show a walking tour of the neighborhood, the house or just about anything you think of!

What are other creative angles for marketing your properties?

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How Property Managers Use Social Networking to Grow Their Business (Apr. 22 Webinar Recap)

Aimee Miller — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:53:16 +0000

In this April 22nd webinar video recording, Mike Whaling, social media expert for the residential property management industry, talks about how property managers can incorporate social media (think Facebook, Twitter, blogging) into their marketing efforts and to connect with current and prospective residents as well as prospective owners.

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