Property Management Brainstorm

We have some big plans to relaunch Property Management Brainstorm, with a renewed definition and a sense of purpose, coming in August of 2023. In the meantime, we are producing some reruns of the best podcast episodes, called PMB Classic Rewind.    In this episode, Bob Preston tackles the homelessness issue with Todd Gloria, Mayor of San Diego.  A crisis is emerging in which many US citizens canno...

Can you imagine turning units without having to leave the office? In today’s episode, we find out how property management software can do just that. Joining Bob today is Kobi Bensimon, Founder of Showdigs – the only property management software with on-demand showing agents. It has completely disrupted the residential property management industry by providing a network of actively licensed real es...

Is California in a housing crisis? This is a rhetorical question because the answer is an astounding YES!   In California, an estimated 150,000 citizens have become homeless or live in shelters, while over 7 million Californians have been impacted by gentrification and are living in poverty.  The median home price in California has eclipsed $800,000.  Meanwhile, California remains one of the most...

In a property management company, recruiting and maintaining staff members who fit within the company culture is one of the biggest business challenges. Most of us in the post pandemic world are running hybrid if not fully remote work routines so there is no reason to be tied by geographic boundaries. On this episode of Property Management Brainstorm, Bob speaks with Pete Neubig, CEO at VPM Soluti...

On this episode of Five Minute Friday, Bob brings his excitement about the upcoming CALNARPM Conference, April 20th - 22nd, in Napa Valley, CA! This is a must attend property management conference, especially if you are a property manager or landlord practicing within the State of California. No kidding, it is the best state chapter conference every year and registration is only $295. Hurry and ge...

On this episode of Five Minute Friday, Bob is talking trash! No, not the smack talk variety, but rather new California legislation which has taken effect regarding the disposal of organic waste. This is something for CA landlords and property managers alike to be aware of, especially for multifamily buildings and apartment communities. Why is California doing this? California throws away more than...

The California legislative session for 2021 has come to a close and there is some important information to share about new California laws for 2022 pertaining to Covid 19 and tenants who may have suffered an impact. On this Five Minute Friday, Bob reviews the current status of the Covid Tenant Relief Act  and what California landlords and property management companies need to consider before takin...

Let's go back to some of the best guest conversations from  last year in the “Best of Brainstorm 2021”, soundbites and highlights from leaders in the property management industry. Topics Covered [3:28] Episode 61 featured Mark Scott of Encore Realty in Bonita, CA and Daniel Rogers of All Seasons LLC in Colorado Springs, sharing their thoughts on moving away from the term "landlord"....

From our experience at North County Property Group as a landlord and property manager, it seems that for as many hours as there are in the day, there are three times as many interruptions that take you away from work that needs to get done.  In the office, you can easily lose your train of thought with everyday interruptions and if working from home you’ll find lots distractions too.  In small dos...

At North County Property Group, we just love the month of January. No, not because of setting new year resolutions or starting yet another failed diet, but because it is the best time of year to kickoff new strategy and plans for our San Diego property management company . In this episode of Five Minute Friday, Bob shares his five ways to kick off 2022 with a bang at your property management compa...

Pest control in rental properties is a challenging topic for any property management company. Treating for ants, termites, mice and other unruly pests is likely to come up in almost any residential property. And determining who is responsible for treating a rental property for pests can also be a sensitive topic. Is it the tenant's responsibility that a property may have a huge ant problem, o...

There is no denying that Property Management can be an all-consuming profession. Once a Property Management business is established, however, it can be a fun and fruitful enterprise. For those who are considering starting a property management company, will 2022 be a good year and is the timing right? On this episode of Property Management Brainstorm, host Bob Preston is joined by Kathleen Richard...

Happy New year and welcome back to Property Management Brainstorm podcast and the first Five Minute Friday in 2022!  We are back for 2022 and ready to go for in the new year with renewed energy and enthusiasm to bring you great content from the Property Management industry. In this episode of Five Minute Friday, Bob shares some of the topics he plans to cover in 2022 starting with how to kick star...

As a real estate investor or property manager, it’s imperative that you have great representation regarding tax considerations. This is true, not only for running our own businesses, but also to provide the best possible advice if you have investment partners or investment property clients for your property management business. The key is planning to successfully and legally reduce tax liability i...

Property Management Brainstorm host, Bob Preston, wrote an article for the December issue of NARPM’s Residential Resource Magazine, titled Ten Best Practices in Relationship Management . We thought it would be good to spend todays FMF on a quick review of those 10 best practices:  Online Presence – This is where a cand interacting with your company digitally through your website or social media. ...

As a landlord or property manager, do you ever feel like the word “landlord” comes with a negative connotation? The word has been in use for over 1000 years, dating back to an Old English concept, in which tracts of land were owned by a single person who came to be known as a "lord", and those occupying the land became bound and dependent on their lords for protection and of course oblig...

We are very proud that North County Property Group has been awarded with the CRMC designation by the National Association of Residential Property Managers ( NARPM).  CRMC stands for Certified Residential Management Company and we are the only property management company in San Diego County to have this honor, only one of four in all of California, and one of less than 50 nationwide.  So what is th...

Hello and Labor Day weekend!  As the Summer winds down and we move into Fall, Property Management Brainstorm wants to say thank you for your trust and confidence as a listener of the podcast. Our objective, and Bob Preston's as well, is to be a trusted source of information for you as a real estate investor, landlord, or property manager. Counting you among our listeners is something for whic...

As a landlord or property manager, do you ever feel like you just can’t take a break from your property management job? Keeping your eyes on the ball so nothing falls through the cracks at your rental properties can be a never-ending concern. Maintenance requests, property viewings, leases to review and sign, tenant move ins, rent collection. Yikes! Research shows that many small business owners e...

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, often referred to as Section 8, is federal government assistance, administered by HUD, for very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled. The purpose of the program is to provide participants with affordable, decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Participants are provided with financial assistance, in the form of a voucher, so...

Hello Brainstorm faithful!  We are happy to be back on the air with more Five Minute Friday and Property Management Brainstorm episodes, refreshed and invigorated after a month long hiatus for vacation, family time, and clarity breaks!  In this FMF, Bob makes the announcement  that he is now a NARPM® MPM®!  That is, the Master Property Manager designation from the National Association of Residenti...

Hello Brainstormers!  We hope you all had a very happy and safe 4th of July holiday and are enjoying your summer! It is great to have things open again for the beach, BBQs, and fireworks, wherever you may be. We needed a day off on the 4th and we are sure those of you in the property management business did too!  It’s been tough to keep up with the show that past few weeks as we’ve been making som...

As a property manager or landlord, do you ever worry that you are not truly getting the full financial picture when screening tenant applications? A rental application may look quite good and complete, but in reality, some of the aspects that would be helpful in making a decision may not be visible. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could verify renter's income, payroll, past rent payments, NSF &amp...

Bob Preston, host of Property Management Brainstorm, discusses the topic of relationship management in property management with Zach Williams of the Partnerships and Business Development Team at Podium.  Several of the best practices in relationship management involve connecting with customers through ongoing messaging touchpoints and online reviews. Podium is a customer messaging platform that ca...

As a landlord or property manager, do you ever worry that a maintenance vendor you send to a property might not have the correct insurance coverage? Dispatching a repairman with insufficient or expired insurance could create a liability on your property management business. Further, its a big job to track all of the insurance policies from vendors to make sure they remain in compliance with your s...