All Forum Posts by: Amy Davidson

I love Cozy and reading this thread made me realise that I can use it for reporting both positive and negative credit payments.  From the very next lease I sign, I'm going to make it a REQUIREMENT that tenants turn on the rent payment reporting feature in Cozy.  That way they know it's being reported either way.  I'll write again in 18 months to say if this increases the on-time payments.  

I use Rently.com to do all my showings.  I has made my life so much easier.    I live in Europe most of the year and manage 20 houses in Florida, using Rently when it's time  find a new tenant.     Ideally, I would like to sign the lease and do the initial walk-though in person, but that's not always possible and I either have my handy man do it for me,  or just let the tenants go through the checklist on their own and scan it to me.  

I've just heard of a service called hemlane.com that offers a la cart PM services for a small monthly fee.  I'm exploring that at the moment for C/D class properties where the tenants aren't generally into financial technology.  I can say that Hemlane's pre-sale customer service is excellent, but I haven't signed up yet so can't give any real review.  

I self-manage my Florida AirBNB from Switzerland by having 2 cleaners at the ready and my usual HVAC, electrician, etc team in case there's a problem.  I have a keypad on the front door and I admit that I have someone physically present who changes the code for me after every guest, but the cleaners could probably also do it.  You could try Rently.  For $30 per lockbox per month, the lockbox can be accessed by anyone you give a code to.  I use Rently for property showing for regular tenant turnover and , but I think it would work just as well for AirBNB.

I started using Cozy about 6 months ago @Tim Kaminski   Cozy sends you an Email anytime there is a deposit made by a tenant, so you know it's processing.  You can also log on anytime to see who has paid when, and the expected deposit date.  

I especially like Cozy.co because I don't pro-rate my leases to have rent due at the end of the month, so every tenant has a different due date, and Cozy.co really helps me keep that straight.  

Hey @Robert Curls

Sounds like your guy is exactly what I might need for a few of my properties that I'm currently self-managing.  I'd love the recommendation and to hear more about what's so good about him.  Does he help select the best of the tenant pool in your market or is he prompt with the 3 Day-Notices if necessary?  Is he diligent on the walk-throughs to make sure the property is fairing well?  I'd love to hear everything you're happy to share?

Thanks,

Amy

Hi Pavel

I would highly recommend @DougMerriot -- just do a search for him on BP if he doesn't chime in. He's an RE agent, but also an investor himself and he has great connections to off-MLS properties, too. And seeing that you're from CA you might appreciate the fact that he also does property management.

Hi@Bob Ebaugh 

Thanks for taking the time with your recent detailed post. I would never have thought to put the inspection and insurance quote on the MLS, but I think it's quite clever. Everything is out in the open is the best way to make sure no one wastes your time going forward.

Looking forward to hearing about a big, fat, sale coming up, and a happy family moving in soon!

Hi Chris,

Most of your responses are from Orlando, but you also said that you're interested in Tampa, which is my area although I do also have a few places in Orlando, too. I've never actually partnered with anyone before, but I've been considering it lately as there are more nice deals on the out there than I have money for!

I have a few Tampa properties in my sights that need some fix-up before they'd be good rental properties, and I thought that I might be a good partner for someone who wants to be hands off, and let me do the rehab and property management after it's done.

If that sounds interesting to you, please send me a colleague request and we can talk further. Of course I'd be happy to hear from anyone on BP about this. I've found the best people to work with on BP!

Amy

Hi @Ashley Bearden

Welcome. I've also been looking at vacation rentals, and I think that cash buyers are going to be able to pick up some real deals as the flood insurance goes higher and higher. The banks will be requiring insurance which will turn many people off, but cash buyers won't be obligated.

If you have the reserves to handle a small flood, or are disciplined enough to set aside that money that you would have sent to the insurance company every month, you may come out OK without it. (Looking forward to a "flood" of people commenting on that philosophy.)

At the moment I'm setting up a vacation rental in Largo -- 4 minutes from the beach, but not in a flood zone. From what I've seen on VRBO, etc. it should still be popular with people who come for longer stays, or who are looking for something with a more local feel. I'll post again and let you know if it works out like I have planned!

Hi @Account Closed

I'm also watching this thread closely for some good advise from the BP community. Ever since getting majorly burned by an incompetent idiot in Orlando, and an outright thief in Tampa, I've been reluctant to take on a new PM.

Obviously, I have no practical advise to offer, but don't be too hard on yourself for choosing them. It seems that finding a decent PM is a daunting task.