Planning to self-manage an STR, but city ordinance requires a designated local contact to physically respond to neighbor complaints within 30 mins. We want to handle the day-to-day ourselves and don't need a full property manager. For those who do this, how did you find your local contact? Also, ...
He's an experienced broker-owner. He wasn't allowed to build what he wanted on a piece of land he owned. The town's letter said it didn't conform to their zoning. He brought it to me instead of just accepting it. I took the town's own zoning matrix — 365 pages — along with the denial letter and t...
Hi all, I realize this is a broad question but I just wanted to get some general input. Do smart investors generally avoid HOA properties? WSJ had a article over the weekend about how HOA foreclosures are on the rise. Thanks!
Used to do a full walkthrough once a year, check the roof, peek at the HVAC, look for anything obviously wrong. Felt responsible. Then I realized once a year tells you almost nothing about where a system actually sits on its lifespan, it just tells you it hasn't failed yet. Switched to checking i...
I have been doing a lot of research into how to get into real estate, the best strategies, market analysis, and more. There is a lot of information out there about strategy, finding deals, and what the next best thing is, but lately I have been asking myself: What happens after I actually acquire...
I am having trouble with unresponsiveness, not getting distributions, and random people saying I need to send them money due to my account being below zero, which it's not. I'm trying to give the new owner and team time to get business in order, but I can't help but wonder if I need to move on fr...
Four properties in, and I caught myself last week trying to remember if the water heater on Property A or Property C was the one I replaced last year. Had to actually go check instead of just knowing. Wasn't always like this. With one property everything's obvious, you remember because there's on...
What's Your Best Tip for Reducing Vacancy? Whether it's better marketing, faster maintenance, competitive pricing, or tenant communication, what's made the biggest difference in keeping your units occupied?
Is it possible to hire property managers on an "as needed" basis? For example, can I hire them to handle emergency maintenance requests for just a few weeks while I'm on vacation?
From a management perspective: What tends to create the most operational challenges? • Tenant turnover • Maintenance issues • Property type • Poor initial underwriting Curious what others are experiencing.
Hey BP! We are deep into the summer season, and I'm curious to hear how things are going for everyone active in the Cleveland market. I want to pass the mic to you all: The Wins: What went exactly as planned (or better!) at the beginning of the summer? The Challenges: What unexpected hurdles or h...
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Most advice I see is generic ("save 1-2% of property value per year") but that never accounted for the actual age of my systems. A roof that's 3 years old and a roof that's 22 years old shouldn't have the same reserve treatment, but most of the rules of...
I’m curious how other landlords and rehabbers are handling flooring in rentals, especially in units where durability and fast turnarounds matter. A lot of investors default to LVP now, which makes sense in kitchens, baths, basements, and high-moisture areas. But I’ve been looking more at commerci...
Had a buyer s inspector ask when the roof was last replaced on a property I'm selling. I knew the rough year, but couldn't put my hands on an invoice or date to actually prove it. Ended up having to track down the old contractor's records, which took longer than it should have. Made me realize I'...
Property managers — quick question. What’s the most frustrating part of handling maintenance right now? Is it: Vendor coordination Tenant communication Keeping up with tickets inside AppFolio/Buildium Or something else I’ve been talking to a few operators and hearing the same issues come up, curi...
Every property manager needs to be managed. PMs are the most frustrating thing about the business, because even the best PM won’t be as effective as a skilled owner-operator. In a tight market where cashflow can be tough to come by, it’s the PM factor which puts most deals out of reach for invest...
I've been thinking a lot about how property owners and managers decide when to put a major project out for competitive bid versus when they just call "their guy." We all have vendors we trust. The handyman who knows your buildings. The HVAC tech who answers at 10 PM. That relationship has real va...
Tenant just gave notice on one of my units and I'm realizing my turnover checklist is basically all cosmetic: paint touch ups, deep clean, check the appliances work. Nothing on it actually looks at how old anything is. feels like the gap between tenants is the one time you can actually get eyes o...
Hey BP, I own a rental property out of state (I'm based in California) and I'm considering dropping my property manager and self-managing remotely. Before I make the switch, I'd love to hear from people who are actually doing this. A few things I'm trying to figure out: - Software/systems — What ...
I’m curious how this works in real life. Say you send a plumber or handyman out during a turnover, and once they’re there they find something else that needs to be fixed. The cost is now above what you’re allowed to approve, the owner isn’t answering, and the vendor needs an answer or payment bef...
Had a conversation with another landlord last week who doesn't reserve for anything, just keeps cash on hand and handles repairs as they come up. Works fine for him, three properties, healthy cash position. Made me think about when that approach actually breaks down. for me it stopped working aro...
So, I used to do everything on a spreadsheet, and I got kind of old. Any ideas for record keeping or anything? I was able to test a managing app, does anybody have anything comparable?
What's One Process Every New Landlord Should Put in Place Immediately? If you could give one operational tip to someone buying their first rental, what would it be?
As investors scale, property management gets more complex. I’m seeing better results when funding strategies and property management planning happen together early. How are others preparing for operational stress when growing beyond 10+ units?
Hi! To all my commercial property owners, what app/service do you like best for rent collection? And why?