An apartment showing or an open house – which is better? Find out how to show an apartment and why this is the better option to bring in quality renters. Scheduling an apartment showing is the next step after prospective tenants reach out to you. Understanding proper apartment showing etiquette is vital, as this encounter…
If you are looking for a way to protect your assets, eliminate or minimize estate taxes, ensure your spouse is taken care of during your life and after your passing, and provide yourself indirect access to the trust assets, a Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) might be what you need. What is a SLAT?…
The filing of ADA lawsuits in California is still on the rise against commercial property owners, retail strip centers, tenants of retail business and apartment buildings with 15 units or more that have leasing offices. Often owners attempt to make corrections without expert advice or direction which often leads to the possibility of multiple lawsuits.…
With utility costs continuing to climb while rents and unit demand are dropping, the best way to improve your bottom line is to implement a ratio utility billing system (RUBS), an inexpensive and easy way to make tenants financially responsible for their usage and incentivize conservation. Housing providers who use RUBS often enjoy double-digit decreases in costs in…
Real estate investment has long been a cornerstone of wealth building, and for landlords, the pursuit of financial security through property ownership is a rewarding endeavor. While many landlords focus on optimizing rental income, property management and tenant relationships, another critical aspect that can greatly impact their financial well-being is estate planning. One effective tool…
This is NOT tax advice; it is LIFESTYLE advice. It started with a phone call from an old neighbor, across the street from my old office building. He wanted to get the contact information for a commercial broker that I had given him some years back. He intended to sell his La Crescenta commercial property…
Many owners ask us whether they should invest in installing video cameras for surveillance of the common areas of their properties. There are several reasons why we recommend doing so if the owners have the financial means to do so. Crime First, while we as landlords cannot guarantee our tenants’ safety, it does help when…
This article covers some of the most damaging bills and ballot measures that are currently being considered that would absolutely wipe out a portion of the existing affordable housing stock, including one senate bill (SB567) that would impact ALL TYPES OF RENTAL UNITS. This one bill alone could be responsible for the withdrawal of THOUSANDS…
We’ve seen this before. Whenever taxpayers qualify an initiative for the statewide ballot that brings fiscal sanity to a fiscally insane California, local government interests respond with unhinged hysteria, claiming that empowering voters to approve tax and fee increases will bring about the end of Western Civilization. Well, cue the theatrics because here we are…
The below information was obtained from SVN’s Economic Outlook dated April 28, 2023. NMHC Quarterly Survey of Apartment Conditions As of the NMHC’s April 2023 survey, apartment investors across the US continue to report a challenging financing environment, with the availability of both debt and equity continuing to shrink. A majority (51%) of apartment…