PropertyManager.com

Apartment Vacancies Hit 30-Year High and That Can Be Good News

Posted on 16. Feb, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

Just as the number of apartment vacancies reached multi-decade highs, the number of homebuyers who are about to need apartments to rent will skyrocket. Reis, a New York real estate research firm, says apartment vacancies hit a 30-year high in the fourth quarter of 2009. Vacancy rates hit 8%, the highest level since Reis started tracking 79 U.S. real estate markets in 1980.

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The Bottom Line: Rents Now Cover Mortgage Costs!

Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

Few investors have noticed that rents are finally covering mortgage payments again in residential real estate. In many regions for the first time in years, rental income can pay the mortgage on smaller residential properties. We’ve waited a long time for this opportunity.

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Rental Housing and Real Estate Market Trends for 2010

Posted on 06. Jan, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

If you thought 2009 was an unforgettable year for real estate, property managers and residents, wait till you see what unfolds in the year ahead. Here are two of the trends.

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5 Inexpensive Ways to Improve Your Rental Properties

Posted on 16. Dec, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

If you had an unlimited budget for upgrading your properties you wouldn’t need an article like this one. In the current economic reality, we have to be creative and financially careful when we are trying to make our units more appealing.

As a property manager, you know what it is like to have a tight schedule and an even tighter budget, so I thought I’d share with you some simple and “cheap” ways to spruce up your inventory to attract new residents.

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What Current Home Prices and Foreclosures Mean for Property Managers

Posted on 23. Nov, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

The median home in San Francisco sold for around $800,000 at the market top three years ago. Then prices collapsed, falling 45% according to the Case-Shiller home price index.
But an interesting thing has been happening lately. Home prices in San Francisco appeared to have bottomed in March. According to the same Index, they’ve been up [...]

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Why Becoming Credentialed In Green Property Management Is a Good Idea

Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

The smartest tip I can give to a “green” property manager is to let all your residents and prospective residents know that you’re an environmentally-thoughtful manager.
This sends the message that you care about the properties you manage and the well-being of the people who rent or lease those properties. It also tells the community that [...]

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Renting vs. Home Ownership in the Current Market

Posted on 27. Oct, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

Allow me to cut to the chase. Two million people have lost jobs since January 2008; and many economists say that only two-thirds will return to work by 2013. This year’s shocking 12% decline in manufacturing production underscores this reality.
For many workers whose jobs were tied to housing, autos, textiles, plastics, fabricated metals, furniture, appliances, [...]

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More Green Incentives For Residential Property Managers – Part 2

Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

The “science” of being an effective Residential Property Manager changes with the times and the priorities that our society establishes. Part 1 of this article covers ways in which property managers attract and retain residents with green incentives.
Today’s homeowners and home-renters are motivated to save energy and be “earth friendly.” That is why the “Green” [...]

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Green Incentives For Residential Property Managers – Part 1

Posted on 31. Aug, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

There has never been a better time for creative ways to attract and retain the kind of residents you want to rent or lease your properties. Appealing to thoughtful, conscientious and responsible people is actually easier than you think.
When I was a practicing counselor (I have an M.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage, [...]

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The Dawn of Outrageous Opportunities for Property Managers

Posted on 06. Aug, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

Interviewing property managers these days has been a very interesting experience. That’s because these are “the best of times and the worst of times” for property managers.
After all, on the west coast of the U.S.A. vacancy rates are up sharply. One Portland, Oregon property manager said he can’t remember a time when he has placed [...]

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Challenges and Solutions for Residential Property Managers – Part 2

Posted on 14. Jul, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

What an exciting time for residential property managers! As successful people well know, a crisis can equal an opportunity.
In Part 1 of Challenges and Solutions for Residential Property Managers, I discussed how property managers can attract and retain residents, even in today’s economic climate. For this article I’ll turn my attention to owners.
One of the [...]

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Challenges and Solutions for Residential Property Managers – Part 1

Posted on 10. Jul, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

If you’re a property manager in today’s market you know you’re facing conditions that you may have never faced before. Those who are proactive and innovative will prosper, even in today’s economic conditions.
Currently in markets like Southern California, vacancies are at levels not seen in over 15 years. One property manager there told me, “Competition [...]

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The Credit Crisis and Its Impact on Rental Housing

Posted on 02. Jul, 2009 by Marc Courtenay.

“When it comes to property management and the credit crisis, things are changing all the time…this is unprecedented in our 40 years of experience.”
This is a quote from an interview I conducted with a partner of a prominent Southern California residential property management company. She is also an owner of both single family and multi-family [...]

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