Property Management Brainstorm

When a new tenant moves in on the 15th of the month, it is only fair to prorate the rent—charging them only for the number days they occupy the unit. But there is a downside to charging a partial month’s rent at move-in. So, what’s the best approach to proration? How can we be fair to our tenants and meet our own financial obligations?  On this episode of Five Minute Friday, Bob explains the stand...

What does it mean to get a property ‘rent ready’? Are we talking a fresh coat of paint? Replacing the carpet? New appliances? There are a number of things we can do to ensure a property shows well and puts its best foot forward, so to speak. On this episode of Five Minute Friday, Bob explains what it means to make a property rent ready, describing the repairs, cleaning, deferred maintenance and up...

What if you could predict a maintenance issue before it turned into an emergency? Property automation technology gives us the data to catch problems early on and be proactive—before a water heater leak turns into a flooded home! Sean Miller is the CEO of PointCentral , the leading IoT platform for residential property managers. On this episode, Sean joins Bob to discuss the most common property au...

Yes, property owners want to maximize their rental income. But if you set the monthly rent too high and the unit stays empty, no one generates any revenue at all! So, how do you decide on a monthly rental rate that keeps the property owner happy AND competes in the local market? On this episode of Five Minute Friday, Bob explains the importance of correctly setting the monthly rental rate for a pr...

The idea of generating passive income through a rental property sounds pretty terrific. But the reality is, being a landlord is not as passive as you might think. Renting your home is equivalent to running a business, and there are a number of responsibilities that come with it. So, what do you need to consider before becoming a landlord? And what are the best practices for renting your home?  On...

It goes without saying that every landlord dreams of a quick and seamless leasing process that results in a happy tenant and ongoing rental income. But what can we do to make the leasing process run more smoothly? How can we reduce the number of days on market and fulfill our owner’s expectations—without taking on tenants who are not a good fit? Todd Breen is the experienced real estate broker, in...

Lockboxes provide efficiency and convenience, allowing real estate agents and vendors access to a property when we can’t be there. But is it a good idea to utilize lockboxes for property showings? When does it make sense to allow prospective tenants to look at a property on their own? And what can we do to mitigate any security issues associated with using lockboxes for self-showings? On this epis...

Once you start marketing a property available for rent, inquiries come at you from all directions. You’re answering phone calls, responding to texts, and replying to emails—at all hours of the day and night. So, what is the most efficient way to respond to rental inquiries and schedule property showings? Is there a way to automate some parts of the process? On this Five Minute Friday, Bob walks us...

If you own a short term rental property, you want to maximize the return you get from every booking you make. One of the simplest and fastest ways that can be done is through effective pricing practices. On this episode, Bob speaks with Marc Peckler, Senior Account Executive with Beyond Pricing. The Beyond Pricing approach to short term rental pricing is nothing short of amazing. They use dynamic...

In this Five Minute Friday, Bob discusses the proper insurance coverage that a landlord should have at his rental property before placing a tenant. With Long-term Rentals (typically unfurnished, rented under a 12-month lease) there are two types of insurance policies that should always be required. The first type of insurance is a “rental dwelling” policy: The rental dwelling insurance policy shou...

Five Minute Fridays are bonus "mini-episodes" of Property Management Brainstorm in which Bob covers a pertinent topic of property management or being a landlord, every Friday, in about five minutes or less. In this episode, Bob covers two questions frequently asked by landlords - "how is maintenance handled?" and “are there any mandatory property maintenance items performed reg...

Anyone who manages rental properties knows first-hand how much hassle is involved with tenant turnover. From advertising to lease signing, it takes a top-notch team to do it effectively at scale. Bob’s guest today is James Barrett, co-founder of Tenant Turner, a software application that takes the hassle out of tenant turnover in very intuitive ways. Listen to learn about how property inquiries re...

Five Minute Fridays are bonus "mini-episodes" of Property Management Brainstorm in which Bob covers a pertinent topic of property management or being a landlord, every Friday, in about five minutes or less. This is the very first episode of Five Minute Friday. Bob covers the question most frequently asked by landlords when speaking with him about property management - "what charges...

Plumbing, heating, and air. It's a topic that can be confusing for property managers, tenants, and the property owner because of many of the changing California building codes.  On this episode, Bob is joined by John Padilla of John Padilla Plumbing, Heating and Air to highlight some common issues faced in the plumbing and mechanical systems of homes. They focus on water heaters, low flow fix...

Rental property maintenance is no small issue and is typically a challenging aspect for property owners, property management companies, or tenants. Bob’s guest on this episode wants to help drive the world towards the new and believes that "maintenance shouldn't be so hard". On today’s episode, co‐founder and CEO of Property Meld, Ray Hespen joins Bob for a conversation about the im...

Real Estate investor property management is a different situation than typical property management. There are many needs investors have that are specialized and require a specialized approach. On this episode, Bob and Brett discuss the ins and outs of investment property management, highlight new services North County Property Group has created especially for property investors, and discuss nuance...

Water damage, mold, and the ensuing remediation work required is something no property owner or manager ever wants to have to address. Water is one of the most common sources of damage to properties and can happen due to failing water heaters, broken pipes, roof leaks, and more. On this episode of the podcast, Bob speaks with Jason Widmer, owner of KIC Restoration, here in the San Diego area. On t...

Property management is a detailed business with many moving parts - but it’s made simpler with the right property management team in place. On this episode, Bob wanted to do something a bit different - by introducing you to the members of his team at North County Property Group. You'll get to know these fabulous team members... Property Management marketing specialist: Ally Kubarych Ally is o...

On this episode of Property Management Brainstorm, interior designer and home stager, Gunilla DeSanto, shares how to create a luxurious and relaxing vacation rental experience. In today’s rental economy, the demand for vacation rentals has never been higher. Rental owners are often asking how to make their vacation rentals pop or stand out online. In this episode, Gunilla explains how to create a...

Today’s episode of Property Management Brainstorm helps navigate a new proposed California state tax. If you are not aware of the California Split Roll Measure, you will certainly hear more as 2020 draws closer. Former California state senate member and local San Diego politician, Joel Anderson, is an expert on this topic and joins Bob to provide great insights into the proposed measure on this ep...

Property management has many moving parts. Even if you are an individual landlord renting a property yourself there are many things to manage - from listing and marketing the property to leasing your property, keeping the property maintained, dispatching vendors for repairs, and accounting… On today’s episode, Adam Feinstein of AppFolio joins Bob to talk about AppFolio’s property management softwa...

Have you ever wondered as a property investor and landlord what would happen if your tenant defaulted, or abandoned their lease? It is uncommon, but it does happen. Every landlord bears some degree of risk and exposure to this area. But, there is a way to protect your rental income if something should occur. Aaron DiCaprio, CEO of Rent Rescue, joins Bob on this episode to talk about this scenario....

California Association of Realtors Deputy Chief Economist, Jordan Levine, joins Bob on this episode of Property Management Brainstorm to talk about the economic outlook for the California real estate market. Jordan’s work for C.A.R. uses data to understand the market throughout the state of California. He not only shares what he has seen so far in 2019 but what the current economic outlook for rea...

Real estate investors are always on the lookout for investment properties. The standard way of doing this has been to research the area, drive around with a realtor, or looking online. However, Don Ganguly joins Bob on this episode of Property Management Brainstorm to chat about a new way for investors to find these properties and to see if they are the right investment. Don is the founder and pre...

On this episode, Andy Wallace joins Bob to talk about an extremely important topic for anyone handling a rental property: the property management inspection. This inspection takes place before a tenant moves into a rental and prior to the tenant vacating a rental. Though the world has gone digital, many of these inspections are still occurring on paper, by hand. With the amount of documentation an...