Tag Archives: business
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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An Analysis and Review of AppFolio by Michael Levy, Author of “50 Interviews: Successful Property Managers”
Posted on 14. May, 2013 by Bryan Ives.
Michael Levy, author of “50 Interviews: Successful Property Managers,” recently updated his review of AppFolio. In the review, Mike analyzes the responses to a question that was posted on a property management LinkedIn group (Property Management Professionals). The question someone asked was, “What property management / accounting software is everyone using?”
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When Screening Applicants Remember The Fair Credit Reporting Act
Posted on 10. May, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
Property Managers know how important it is to prevent problems with residents through careful screening procedures. The old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is as important in today’s society as ever. That’s why experienced property managers don’t cut corners when screening applicants.
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Five Steps To A Successful Property Management Blog (eBook)
Posted on 08. May, 2013 by Bryan Ives.
A recent study revealed that business blogging leads to 55% more visitors to your website. In this complimentary eBook, we worked with a blogging expert to provide you with five easy steps that lead to an effective blogging strategy for your property management business.
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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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Broker/Owner Retreat Presentation: Top 5 Property Management Software Features
Posted on 08. Apr, 2013 by Bryan Ives.
Recently at the NARPM Broker/Owner retreat Brian Deignan, Regional Sales Director for AppFolio, was asked along with other software vendors to present the “Top 5 Features” of their respective software solution.
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Housing Rebound Continues Unabated With New Home Sales Soaring
Posted on 05. Apr, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
Believe it or not the housing industry is making a stellar comeback. After a collapse in residential construction during The Great Recession which began in 2008, new home construction is leading the housing recovery. The Commerce Department reported on March 19, 2013 that housing starts rose in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 917,000.
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Do You Appreciate Your Tenants?
Posted on 21. Mar, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
As property managers, we’re all aware of the multitude of issues that frequently arise with unreliable tenants. Late rental payments, disturbing the peace, illegal activity, and a general disregard for the property are all problems that typically arise in the property management industry.
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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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A Property Managers Dream: An Expanding Number of Rental Houses
Posted on 22. Jan, 2013 by Marc Courtenay.
It’s official! Home prices are on track to have their first yearly gain since 2006. This would make it the strongest year of price growth since home prices began to plunge, reaching their nadir in 2009.
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Demand for Bike-Friendly Housing on the Rise
Posted on 18. Jan, 2013 by Bryan Ives.
Studies show that in many cities the need for bike-friendly housing is on the rise due to the increasing popularity of bike commuting.
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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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‘Tis the Season to Show Your Clients and Your Employees Some Good Cheer
Posted on 12. Dec, 2012 by Marc Courtenay.
Hope this article reaches you on time, because this is the #1 time of the year to let your owner-clients and your staff know how much you appreciate them. Don’t be alarmed if you’ve put this off or forgot, because here’s two easy ways to keep from being The Grinch.






