Business
Swamp Coolers Versus Air Conditioning Part II
Posted on 12. Jun, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
In my last post, I talked about the advantages and disadvantages of continuing to use swamp coolers in your properties. In fact, business is booming for many HVAC companies touting the advantages of converting evaporative cooling systems to conventional air conditioning systems.
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Swamp Coolers Versus Air Conditioning Part I
Posted on 10. Jun, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
I never heard of swamp coolers until I moved to Las Vegas, NV. As I was touring my friend’s new home, he explained that instead of air conditioning, his home was cooled by a swamp cooler. If you currently manage properties in the West or Southwest regions of the U.S., chances are you’re familiar with these evaporative cooling systems that are typically referred to as swamp coolers.
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Summer Preparations For Property Managers
Posted on 31. May, 2013 by Jennifer St. James.
Isn’t summer everyone’s favorite time of year? As the song tells us, it’s when the living is easy, and many people are out enjoying the long days, the warm weather and activities that just aren’t possible during the fall and winter months. For property managers, there can be one drawback to that bright summer sunshine.
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Having The Courage Of Your Convictions As A Property Manager
Posted on 29. May, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
We just finished celebrating Memorial Day. It’s helpful for me to remember that’s the day when Americans honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. I want to pay my deepest respect to their memory and to their loved ones. Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official, very significant federal holiday in 1971.
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Spruce Up Your Properties For The Big Moving Season
Posted on 22. May, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
As we all know it won’t be long until school is out and summer arrives. That is traditionally the beginning of the time that owners and renters are more likely to move to new locations. It’s also the time when the vacancy rate can fluctuate and the turnover rate increases.
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The Secrets Of Successful Property Management
Posted on 21. May, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
Now that’s a title that should make all property managers very curious. Actually it’s the title of a webinar that was offered on Thursday May 9, 2013 and can be listened to at this link. These free webinars and podcasts should be a regular part of a property managers’ month.
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What Do You Bring To The Table?
Posted on 15. May, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
If you’re just starting your own property management business, it’s important to identify what you bring to the table. Is it your expert customer service? Affordable fees? Years of property management experience? Whether you’re planning on managing multi-family units, rental homes, or commercial properties, the skills and experience you can identify and later offer potential customers plays a large part in building and retaining your customer base.
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How To Cultivate New Clients In “The Garden Of Property Management”
Posted on 09. May, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
Seldom has there been a better time to cultivate and “plant the seeds” for new clients for your property management business. The need for rental, single-family housing has never been greater, and the financial climate is most advantageous, so let’s get started!
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Avoiding Craigslist Scams
Posted on 03. May, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
Despite the warnings that are prevalent around the country, potential renters, property owners and managers continue to be scammed by Craigslist. These scams have evolved as the criminals have become more devious. Today, both renters and property managers are the frequent victims of these scams.
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Property Management Benchmark Survey Partnership With Software Advice
Posted on 30. Apr, 2013 by Bryan Ives.
AppFolio has partnered with Austin-based Software Advice to sponsor a property management benchmark survey. The purpose of the survey is to identify common property management challenges and find out what additional things property management professionals are seeking in products.
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Why Property Owners Should Consider Micro-Apartments
Posted on 25. Apr, 2013 by Holly Aker.
For the longest time, property developers have had a “the sky’s the limit” mentality when it comes to building new rental properties to keep up with America’s rapidly increasing population. That mindset is beginning to change now with the emergence of micro-apartments.
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Spring Is Finally Here
Posted on 23. Apr, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
Spring is finally here. If you’re in a cold climate, it’s likely you haven’t spent much time outside. But once the snow melts and the ground is visible again, you’ll likely spot some areas that have become weathered from the elements. With the last freeze likely over, now is the time to get outside and take a good long look at your properties.
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Embrace Apartment Rating Sites
Posted on 11. Apr, 2013 by Jennifer St. James.
For years now, restaurants and other service providers have used Yelp as their local review site. They’ve learned how to not just take the good reviews with the bad reviews, but also figure out how to manage those bad reviews so that people will still trust them and try them out.
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Why Property Managers Should Use Google+
Posted on 01. Apr, 2013 by Jennifer St. James.
Yes, I heard your collective sigh of frustration when you read that title. Yes, I know that every day seems to bring another form of Internet marketing that you just “have to” be using. But trust me when I say that this one is different. Who hasn’t heard of Google by now? Probably even people living under rocks have used Google to find out exactly what type of rock that is overhead.
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Always Get It In Writing And In The Lease
Posted on 26. Mar, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
Sometimes the owners of rental properties are too trusting for their own good. You, as the property manager, undoubtedly know what I’m referring to. But that’s why the owner hires you to begin with. They don’t want to have to deal directly with the resident-tenant, right? For this article I wanted to share a true story that demonstrates why it’s imperative to protect your clients from situations where the resident says something like, “We don’t need it in writing. I have great references and my word is as good as any document.”
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How to Survive an Audit
Posted on 19. Mar, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
They’re the words that strike fear in most of us. “You’re being audited.” First, don’t panic. Many IRS audits are simple requests for information that you can provide by mail. Providing the information requested on a timely basis typically satisfies the IRS.
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Processing Security Deposits Part II
Posted on 06. Mar, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
You’ve done your homework. The condition of every unit or home you rent is carefully documented, with pictures to support your findings. The tenant lease clearly states what your tenant is responsible for, and they have read and agreed to the responsibilities listed. Your tenant signed off on the list, and any subsequent problems found during the walk-through were addressed and noted on both copies of the move-in sheet.
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Adequate Insurance for Landlords and Property Managers
Posted on 27. Feb, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
With all the media hype about the so-called looming fiscal cliff, it’s a good time of the year to remember how to avoid financial disasters and to do what we can to prevent losses. Property Managers with experience know how costly the process of eviction can be, as well as the expense of repairing damaged rental units that have been “trashed” by destructive former residents.
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Processing Security Deposits Part I
Posted on 20. Feb, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
Security Deposit processing continually challenges property managers across the country. In theory, this should be one of the easier things that property managers are required to do. The tenant provides management with a security deposit that will be held during the life of the tenancy.
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Insurance: A Must-Have or No Go?
Posted on 05. Feb, 2013 by Jennifer St. James.
Some days it feels like companies are pushing for every kind of insurance, and it’s hard to imagine shelling out any more of your hard-earned dollars for something you’re not sure you need. But at the heart of it all, insurance is about one thing: Protection.
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Leasing Best Practices for Property Managers
Posted on 15. Jan, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
Leasing up your apartment community can be challenging in the best of time. But for smaller property management companies or those managing smaller properties, it can become even more difficult to compete with larger companies with a more robust marketing budget.
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Meetings Between the Resident and the Owner: More Cons than Pros
Posted on 11. Jan, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
This thoughtful topic came to my attention as I was reading the PropertyManager.com discussion page at LinkedIn. My first reaction was, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a world where these kinds of people-to-people discussions could be mutually beneficial and rewarding.”
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Are You Up to Speed on Your Customer Relations Management?
Posted on 20. Dec, 2012 by Marc Courtenay.
Everybody’s talking about it and there are some big, publicly-traded companies that specialize in Customer Relations Management (CRM). I had no idea how big of a topic this was until my associates at Casey Research brought me up to date.
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New Year’s Resolutions for Property Managers
Posted on 17. Dec, 2012 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
The end of the year is always a time of reflection; what we’ve accomplished, what we would like to change, what we need to improve.
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Technology Trends: What Residents Want (eBook)
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Always Get It In Writing And In The Lease
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Avoiding Craigslist Scams
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How To Cultivate New Clients In “The Garden Of Property Management”
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NARPM Florida State Chapter Property Manager Conference 2012
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Marc Courtenay: Thanks for your comment. Please consider sharing t...
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Ryan @ Green Bay Commercial Real Estate: At least in our market (Green Bay) it seems to be ...
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Tammy Davis: Great Advice!...
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Sandy: I have strong doubts that this was a professional ...
