PropertyManager.com

Top Reasons To Be Optimistic About Real Estate Market In 2012

Posted on 16. Jan, 2012 by Aaron Bosshardt.

Every agent I have has positive feelings about the year 2012. What’s even more shocking is that bank executives I have been talking to are positive for the first time since 2008. If you are a looking to perfectly time a long-term purchase of real estate, then this might well be the year to do it.

Continue Reading

Rental Housing and Apartment Rental Market Trends for 2012

Posted on 04. Jan, 2012 by Marc Courtenay.

The year 2011 will go down in history as the year when the rental housing and multifamily apartment rental markets began to tip in favor of owners and landlords.

Continue Reading

What Property Managers Need to Know Now About the Real Estate Market

Posted on 30. Dec, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

Property managers need to streamline the application and screening process of filling vacancies. Finding good renters in this economy is becoming a numbers game. The better you know the condition of the housing market in your area, and the more potential renters you can reach and process, the more you’ll succeed.

Continue Reading

Rent vs. Buy

Posted on 15. Nov, 2011 by Mary Girsch-Bock.

It’s been a tough economy particularly for housing these last few years. Only in recent months have there been any concrete signs of recovery. It’s a buyers market for those looking for housing with record low mortgage rates and record low prices. But for some, renting makes much more sense economically, particularly for the short term, which is generally less than five years. So how do you convince someone that it’s in their best interest to rent?

Continue Reading

Winterizing Your Property

Posted on 07. Nov, 2011 by Jennifer Newton.

Frozen pipes. Drafty rooms. Broken tree limbs. Ice dams. These are just a few of the potential joys winter offers to the unsuspecting property owner — in addition to, of course, regularly shoveling and de-icing sidewalks and driveways.

Here are a few things to put on your list for winterizing a property so you stay curled up on the sofa with a cup of hot cocoa instead of trudging out into the cold to fix something at your rental property.

Continue Reading

Renting vs. Owning: The Rent Ratio

Posted on 03. Nov, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

The buy-versus-rent question is particularly relevant right now as we see home prices continuing to decline and interest rates on new mortgages also going down to the lowest levels in 60 years. Back in April of 2010 The New York Times did an impressive job of explaining the ratio that helps define whether it is economically more sensible for residents to buy or rent their housing.

Continue Reading

Grow Your Property Management Business with New Investors

Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

These are the “better times”, when interest rates are their historical lowest and the number of people needing rental housing is growing exponentially with each passing year. As one publication stated it, “However, in real estate, the right time, the most advantageous time, is always the present.”

Continue Reading

Let Your Owners Know You’re a Source for Real Estate News

Posted on 03. Oct, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

Give owners some ideas on how they can take advantage of today’s real estate and financial trends. Impress them with your creativity and business acumen.

Continue Reading

Bulldozer-Style Foreclosures and Their Hidden Potential

Posted on 29. Aug, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

There are many ways for a lending institution to handle a foreclosure, and there are apparently many ways to deal with the foreclosed property after they have it in their possession. There are close to 1.7 million houses in the U.S. in some stage of foreclosure. Banks already own a large number of these houses and will soon repossess many more. Housing economists worry that a near constant stream of home sales by banks could keep housing prices down for years to come. But what if some of those homes virtually “disappeared” and weren’t sold?

Continue Reading

Who Doesn’t Want Residential Income Property Right Now?

Posted on 26. May, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

Owning and managing residential income property is not for the faint of heart. Dealing personally with residents, filling vacancies, collecting the rent and maintaining the properties are the reasons many owners hire professional property managers.

Continue Reading

Will the Cost of Renting Rise in 2011?

Posted on 24. Mar, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

Even though the Federal Reserve Board and the U.S. government keep telling us that there’s virtually “no inflation” and little if any “inflationary pressures”, most Americans know otherwise. Major financial news channels like Bloomberg and CNBC are reporting that in many regions around the nation vacancy rates are going down.

Continue Reading

Property Values Still Plunging, Great Opportunity for Property Managers

Posted on 02. Feb, 2011 by Marc Courtenay.

Back in November 1997 I purchased a 3 bedroom condo in Santa Barbara, California for around $265,000. Less than 6 years later I sold it for $749,000. Now I’ve learned that in many areas around the country it’s 1997 all over again.

Continue Reading

If Rent Rates Rise Will More Renters Buy Houses?

Posted on 22. Dec, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

In some areas and regions in the U.S. rental rates are actually increasing along with demand. “As rents rise and the cost of home ownership declines, owning is becoming more attractive,” notes California real estate analyst John Burns in a recent CNBC report.

Continue Reading

Housing Crisis is an Ongoing Regional Opportunity

Posted on 14. Dec, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

The facts and statistics speak for themselves. The number of people losing their homes is soaring. Lenders seized more U.S. homes this summer than in any three-month stretch since the housing market began to bust in 2006. But many of the foreclosures have been challenged in court.

Continue Reading

Five Easy Ways to Give Your Rentals More Curb Appeal

Posted on 09. Nov, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

If your rental properties make a great first impression then potential residents will want to see what’s on the inside. This article will focus on rental properties with five units or less, and is especially applicable for rental houses.

Continue Reading

The Future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Will Impact the Rental Housing Market

Posted on 21. Sep, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

Let’s face it, there would be no market for housing today without the federal government. Over the past 24 months, Washington has taken extraordinary steps to keep home loans available and affordable. That caused a tentative housing recovery last year. Home sales perked up after their four-year decline.

Continue Reading

Are Foreclosures a Great Property Management Opportunity?

Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

On top of recent news that housing activity is at it’s lowest since WWII comes the latest news about foreclosures all around the USA. This is what those of us watching the mortgage reset schedule have been anticipating, and it could spell unequaled opportunity for the property management business.
The number of U.S. homes lost to [...]

Continue Reading

Good News for Property Managers…Carpe Diem!

Posted on 13. Apr, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.

These challenging times present many bargains, discounts and some exceptional opportunities for property managers. Although rental rates have dropped and vacancies soared in many areas of the country, there are many reasons to believe we are at or near the bottom.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

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 [...]

Continue Reading

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, [...]

Continue Reading

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 [...]

Continue Reading