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Chris Brogan’s Social Media Ideas for Realtors (That Also Apply to Property Managers)

Posted on 29. Dec, 2009 by Aimee Miller.

I love Chris Brogan’s articles and have been reading them for quite some time now. Chris is a renowned social media expert with a history of helping businesses create online relationships with their audience. So it was with great pleasure that I read his most recent post, “If I were a Realtor.”

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SoftwareAdvice.com Survey: How Are Property Managers Using Technology?

Posted on 23. Dec, 2009 by Aimee Miller.

SoftwareAdvice.com recently sent out a survey to learn more about how property managers are using technology in their business.
A few interesting highlights:
1. Almost half of the companies surveyed grew their business last year – either growing by increased revenue or more units. This is great to hear in a struggling market! But how did they [...]

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10 Tips for Property Managers Using Facebook

Posted on 21. Dec, 2009 by Charity Hisle.

Facebook is opening doors for property managers to engage in conversation with residents and their local community. The question everyone wants to know is, how? It’s easier than you might think! Here are 10 tips for apartment communities using Facebook.

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Preparing Your 2010 Property Management Marketing Plan (Dec. 15 Webinar Recap)

Posted on 17. Dec, 2009 by Aimee Miller.

On December 15 AppFolio hosted a joint webinar with Multifamily Insiders and brought in a special guest speaker, Lisa Trosien. In the video below, Lisa shares her perspective on marketing trends, social media, tips and creative ideas from around the country to help you create a great plan for marketing your vacancies and property management [...]

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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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4 Quick December Gathering Ideas for Residents

Posted on 10. Dec, 2009 by Heather Blume.

Whether it’s the food, time of year, or the weather, there’s something about the holiday season that makes people more social. That makes this a great time for property managers to bait some resident retention by using smaller gatherings or groupings. Here are four ideas to get you started.

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Live from the 25th Annual TRENDS Conference and Trade Show

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Jonathan Brownfield.

Welcome to PropertyManager.com’s live coverage of the 25th Annual TRENDS Conference and Trade Show. 200 exhibitors and over 1,500 attendees will be filing into the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle, WA to attend the 2009 TRENDS show. Check back here often for updates.

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4 Year-End Property Management Accounting Best Practices (Nov. 19 Webinar Recap)

Posted on 03. Dec, 2009 by Aimee Miller.

In a recent webinar, we reviewed four accounting best practices property managers should be doing to close out 2009 and prepare for 2010. We talked through these best practices and demonstrated how to enact them using our web-based property management software but they are definitely applicable if you’re using a different type of software.

Below is the full recording of the webinar

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“Try Anti-Depressants,” and Other Ways Not to Respond to Resident Feedback

Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by Heather Blume.

We used to ignore sites like Apartment Ratings and tell our people to try to just forget they were there and not take things personally. In the last two years though, the shift of the social media model has required a reexamination of our silence, and it’s been decided, by pretty much everyone out there, that it’s time to respond to online public resident feedback.

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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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Top 10 Property Management Pitfalls (Presentation by Daniel Bornstein, Landlord Attorney)

Posted on 17. Nov, 2009 by Aimee Miller.

On Thursday, Nov 12th we hosted a seminar in San Francisco. Daniel Bornstein, Landlord Attorney with Bornstein and Bornstein (www.bornsteinandbornstein.com) presented an insiders view on how to avoid common property management mistakes that cost your business money and result in potential liability.
View more presentations from AppFolio
Top 10 Property Management Pitfalls

Failure to draft and execute outstanding [...]

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The Right Way To Evict A Resident – Learn the Correct Process Before You Need It

Posted on 12. Nov, 2009 by Daniel Bornstein.

As a property manager and landlord attorney, I know firsthand how stressful it can be when terminating a tenancy. The loss of rent, cost to retain an attorney and a resident “gaming the system” to delay the eviction can create incredible anger for the unfortunate landlord.

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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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Cover Your Eyes! A Selection of Entries from Our “Worst Move-Out Photo” Contest

Posted on 05. Nov, 2009 by Jonathan Brownfield.

We recently held a contest here at PropertyManager.com asking property managers to submit their worst move-out photo(s) to be entered into a drawing for an iPod shuffle. We thought it best not to disclose any names because these photos are just too gross. So, if you’re having a hard day remember that it [...]

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Reasonable Modifications for Disabled Residents

Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by Lynn Dover.

Do any of these questions sound familiar to you?
“I have a resident who wants grab bars installed in her shower. Are we required to install them for her?”
“Our property was built in the 1970s. Today, one of our residents came in to the office and said that he needs a ramp built over some steps [...]

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Top Marketing Trends in 2010 To Help Property Managers Capture More Market Share (Oct. 29 Webinar)

Posted on 30. Oct, 2009 by Jonathan Brownfield.

Lori Snider, Property Management Marketing Expert and Professional Speaker, explores the current trends affecting marketing, sales, employees and business. In the below video recording (and slide deck) of the Oct. 29 web seminar, learn what’s coming in 2010, understand how these trends affect the overall business climate and learn creative ideas on how to grow [...]

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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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Live from NARPM’s 21st Annual Convention and Trade Show

Posted on 21. Oct, 2009 by Jonathan Brownfield.

Welcome to our live coverage of NARPM’s 21st Annual Convention and Trade Show in sunny Orlando, FL. This year’s theme is “Let the Magic Begin” (event website) and begin it does October 21st at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa. Check back here often for updates.

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2009 NARPM Northwest Conference Video – Growing Up I Wanted to Be…

Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by Jonathan Brownfield.

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5 “Spooky” Suggestions for Property Managers This Halloween

Posted on 15. Oct, 2009 by Heather Blume.

I adore Halloween. I love it almost as much as I love Christmas, and I am one of those weird people who has multiple Christmas trees in their house.
I started decorating the other day for Halloween, putting up my glow in the dark skeletons and using that black light sensitive spider webbing to coat the [...]

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2009 RHA Multifamily Conference and Expo – Boston, MA

Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by Albert Oaten.

GET CONNECTED! Last month I attended the 2009 RHA Multifamily Conference & Expo (event website) in Boston, MA (Hynes Convention Center). The theme for the show was all about getting connected. With speakers such as Bob Slater (COO of Bell Partners) and Wes Ball (founder of The Ball Group) the conference focuses on growth and [...]

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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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Does Size Matter: Revisiting Your Pet Policy

Posted on 07. Oct, 2009 by Heather Blume.

Let’s play a game. I’m going to show you two pictures and I want you to pick which dog you think would be a better fur-resident in your community, bearing in mind your current pet policy and your own personal prejudices and biases to certain dogs.

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Challenging Times, Creative Solutions and Fair Housing

Posted on 29. Sep, 2009 by Jamie Sternberg.

Vacancy rates are rising; rental rates are falling; resident retention is becoming more difficult; water, sewer and trash rates are increasing; and the overall economic forecast looks bleak – there is no doubt that these are challenging times for the rental housing industry. Competition for residents is stiff, and property owners and management companies are [...]

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