Magazine Articles

As a property manager, you have an important responsibility. Building tenants and owners all rely on you to keep the property safe, orderly and functioning. However, there are also many hazards relating to your

Are you sure you want to be a landlord?  I have clients who love to regale me with stories about their fun experiences with tenants.  Like the one who took almost every fixture when moved

As an East Bay apartment owner, you either experienced robust dividends in 2013 or you were left standing at the station. If you think you missed the train, do not fret. The East Bay market is charging full steam ahead into 2014. The Bay Area’s economic recovery was fueled in part by the creation of…

The Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute filed a lawsuit challenging Supervisor John Avalos’ Nonconforming Unit Ordinance on the grounds that the ordinance violates state law and fails to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Nonconforming Unit Ordinance would legalize the practice of renovating and expanding “nonconforming units.” Nonconforming units are…

You get the credit bureau report back on your applicant and the bureau never heard of him.  That will make you think, won’t it?  Of course, you immediately think the worst. There could be several reasons that the credit bureau couldn’t find a record though. The first and most obvious thing that comes to mind…

If you thought that the broken-down-car excuse was a good one, you haven’t heard anything yet.  The level of creativity desperate residents can achieve is only limited by the gullibility of the landlord

Our 2013 year-end apartment round-up shows sustained nationwide rent growth. However, the distribution is heavily weighted towards the California markets. Six of the top ten ranked are in California, as were the top three. Below is the RealFacts annual review of the best performing rental markets of 2013: Metropolitan Statistical Area – (MSA) Average Rent…

The property management profession continues to be more complex and rapid planning seems to be a daily requirement.  When faced with a large project, when pressured to reach tall goals or even when you are trying to fix a reoccurring

Starting the new year is an excellent time for self-evaluation and to modify your investment plan in line with today’s opportunities.  On a positive note; there are great new opportunities for

The latest Associated Press-Times Square polls out last week found that, on the whole, Americans rate their own personal experience in 2013 a little more positively than negatively. Yet when asked to assess the year for the United States or the world at large, the results were worse this year versus 2012. All told, 32%…