Magazine Articles

Whether you intentionally purchased an investment property or you became an “accidental landlord”, be prepared to wear many different hats. Being a landlord isn’t for everyone, but the vast majority of home owners are

As a landlord, it’s easy to overlook minor issues.  Performing regular maintenance on your property can help you catch a small problem before it turns into a large expense.  Here are some property maintenance tips that can help save you money in the long run.

Some owners are passive. They inherited those 8 mortgage-free units over ten years ago, when Aunt Mitochondria passed on. The buildings are located in an established area but hadn’t been properly looked after during her long illness, and in the decade since her

Q:  I have two tenants and they are in the middle of a one year lease.  One tenant has a family emergency and has to move out temporarily.  The other tenant would like to stay and find a new

As a rental property owner myself, I am often faced with the same issues most income property owners are. It becomes difficult at times to concern ourselves with addressing parking lot issues, when our focus is mostly geared toward the actual unit/dwelling with attention on paint, appliances, carpet, plumbing, electrical, etc. and we disregard the…

When “The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012” (“ATRA”) became effective in 2013, estate planning for most apartment owners turned upside down. Before ATRA, fear that expanded estate tax exemptions (beginning in 2001) might expire lead many planners to emphasize

As Baby Boomers age, they realize that things may need to change with how they handle their real estate investments. First of all, they may be tired of dealing with the details that are involved with the day to day operations of real estate investments; secondly, they start having to come to grips with their…

If you’ve never heard of Jessica Carde, consider yourself lucky.  She’s the now infamous “nightmare tenant” who, although apparently near penniless, preyed on homeowners by finding high-end homes for lease and giving the owners a heart-wrenching story about her circumstances to convince them to rent to her – then

California is currently facing a water shortage problem and some municipal utility agencies (“utility agency”) are imposing restricted water allotments. Exceeding the allotment may result in a steep penalty assessed against the landlord.

I recently helped a client with an evaluation of her property, a well-located two-unit building with approximately 3,000 square feet of living space. She purchased in the Richmond area because of the district’s large units and appealing location – between the