All Blog Posts (594)

No, we’re of course not implying that being a community manager is a waste of time. The  question is are you wasting valuable time in your day-to-day responsibilities as a community manager? Are you falling further and further behind because your methods and protocols are unwieldy and out of date? Are issues that arise taking twice as much time to resolve as they should? Well…

There’s been plenty of talk in the news lately about the rebounding housing market, leading  many in the apartment industry to wonder how they’ll be affected. The good news is that experts conclude they won’t be affected much. Here’s what those in the know know:

Few people are leaving their apartments to make a home purchase

A Chicago-based research company that…

When you're collecting information from a new prospect, do you ask how they heard about you? Does your contact form have one of those drop-downs with a bunch of pre-populated options?

If you're like a lot of companies, you probably get a lot of people who tell you that they found you through your property website. As a marketer, you might be thinking, "Our website is outperforming all of our other online marketing." Yep, heard that one before. Great news,…

When you first visit a property as a potential tenant, everything is designed around you seeing the best that the property has to offer. The management office (hopefully) is spotless, the staff are friendly and helpful, and there’s usually a candy dish for you to enjoy while you look over lots of…

How often are you and your apartment staff in communication with your local police department? If and when something undesirable happens on your property, how involved are you and your staff with the police afterwards? Is your Police Department overwhelmed so with calls, that it takes time to make it to your property, and sometimes not at all? If the only communication your property staff has with the police is at your mandatory crime watch meetings, consider the statistics on how crime-free…

When you’re a landlord in search of a tidy, responsible tenant one thing is always in the back of your mind, or the forefront. What if this person turns out to be a nightmare tenant? Many landlords have have sized up and background checked a lovely married couple with decent credit that seems respectful. But, after a few months - or years-  they realize that they’ve underestimated the wild and reckless ways in which people can treat their…

By Colin McCarthy, J.D., Robinson & Wood, San Jose, CA

From time to time, a property owner or possessor will give permission to others to use or rent out parts of her property and put…

By Linda Day Harrison, theBrokerList, Chicago, IL

Whether you like it or not, online marketing is here to stay. Don't think that tomorrow you'll wake up and not have to deal with it or worry about it, like a fad. No such luck. Burying your head in…

By Colin McCarthy, J.D., Robinson & Wood, San Jose, CA

"The childish propensity to intermeddle was the characteristic which the [property possessor] should have taken reasonable precautions to…

A guest post by Sara Thompson, Gresham Sanitary Service, Gresham, Oregon

You have probably seen these homes on TV, or maybe you’ve seen them in person. People known as “hoarders” compulsively accumulate any and all kinds of things…

The Rent Rite Directory, a nationwide tenant screening and rental history database company has partnered with CSD Collections Specialist, a full service collection agency in an effort to assist property managers recover amounts lost to them from previous tenants.

The Rent Rite Directory (RRD) is a full service tenant screening company that offers property managers, landlords, and owners a free rental history database of tenants who have…

By Colin McCarthy, J.D., Robinson & Wood, San Jose, CA

One of my practice areas is insurance coverage work. I represent people and help businesses work out issues with insurance companies…

A guest post by Brooke McDonald, Apple Valley Property Management, Minnesota

As we all know, outsourcing is a risk that can turn out to either be the best decision you ever made…

With a new wave of foreclosures imminent, housing affordability at its highest level ever, and rental rates at an all-time high, one could argue that there has never been a better time to become a property investor. No matter where you are, opportunities exist all across the nation.

A recent report published by HomeVestors of America named the best 100 U.S. markets for investing in rental properties for the third quarter of 2012. It shows California taking the lead as…

By Colin McCarthy, J.D., Robinson & Wood, San Jose, CA

That's not the quote, is it? No that's right, it's not. The quote is "With great power comes great responsibility." Notwithstanding, we…

By Steve Boudreault, Buildium, Boston, MA

In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy are found guilty of assassinating the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council and are sent to the penal colony known as Rura Penthe. Upon arrival, the…

If you’re a landlord, whether you have one rental unit or 500, you probably perform some type of tenant screening in an effort to protect your finances and your property. Some landlords perform credit checks, and some simply “go with their gut” when choosing a tenant. However, statistical information suggests that landlords aren't doing enough to prevent rent default action, nor are they taking the steps to help protect them in the event a default does occur. Landlords who aren’t…

By Colin McCarthy, J.D., Robinson & Wood, San Jose, CA

I like insurance law. Not many people do, but I do. But then again, I like heavy metal and not many people like that either. (Their…

A guest post by Joe Dawson, PrintingPeach.ca, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

If you run your own property management company's website, you have likely heard of search engine optimization (SEO). One popular scheme that low-rent SEO companies use is to add blog comments or send unsolicited emails to website…

We all know that safety is a top priority for Real Estate Agents because of their vulnerability in secluded or abandoned homes, but Property Management Leasing Agent safety has been a real focus in light of recent events (for example: the woman who was molested while showing an apartment at her complex in Houston).

In response to this –…