All Forum Posts by: Brianna Reynolds

 North Kansas City also does their MAREI meetings once a month in person, not sure if it's worth the hour drive from St. Jo though. 

Welcome to BP @Barry Truong! 

I am a property manager in Kansas City and most of my owners are out of state. This is an excellent market and there are several blog posts by members for you to read through. Explaining the different goals you might be looking for and how different sides of town can help you meet all of those. 

If you're looking for any advice on KC my inbox is open, good luck!

You're welcome! I've come across every situation imaginable at this point, everything from single family to multi-family, so if you ever have questions please feel free to reach out. I don't mind a bit!

 I believe if you contact Cozy's support team they will provide an adverse letter. (Of course this was years ago that I used it, so I'm not sure if that is still the case. However, it's worth a shot)

I like your notice to all leads, although I think ending it after "greater response than anticipated" and following up with "We will be going through the applications at this time. The unit will be available for viewing *insert date* and will let you know if it is still available at that time."

Perhaps generate a separate one for applicants and to touch base with them regarding their move in date. Maybe sending something like... "Thank you for your application on our property. Please know that we are reviewing applications at this time and due to the response generated have temporarily pulled the ad. The property will be available for viewing **insert date** and move in **insert date**. Once approved we will expect a deposit and the move in date. Please let us know as soon as possible if the criteria does not work for you"

Just my thoughts :) 

Personally I like to wait until the unit is available for viewing before I have it listed for the public to see and would pull it until then. When you have a unit not 100% ready prospective tenants are not always going to see the property for the potential vs what is available. So having it rent ready is a huge plus and will save yourself the headache of tenants getting combative over things you already plan on fixing.

As for responding to denials, please be very careful with this and I would seek legal advice. When a denial is due to the screening: What are you using to screen applicants? Most of them have adverse action letters they provide as a guideline. Refer the applicant to whatever source and let them know which of your criteria they did not pass. But avoid getting into specifics for legal purposes. Let the company handle that since the applicant can request a copy of their screening from them. Now when it comes to denying someone due to their behavior towards you so far you don't need to provide a reason as long as the reason is not one of the protected classes or discriminatory. 

Always get a release signed by your applicants giving you permission to verify employment & rental history. I always call both and request their email address to send over a verification form. Typically employers are going to be verbal, speak with HR and verify they work there, their dates if allowed and income. Not all companies allow this to be done for free though. So I also request 2 months worth of paystubs to verify income as well. 

I hope this helps, good luck with everything @Cory Lucas

@Patrick Reagan I believe it varies by state. California for example refrigerators are an amenity rather than a necessity. Although, you are likely to limit your applicants, as the amount of people interested in purchasing their own appliances is not high among rentals. It does however save you from being responsible, so it is personal preference. 

We provide a range & refrigerator at minimum for our rentals, some have a built in dishwasher or microwave. The condition of any appliances are heavily documented prior to occupancy and there is a clause in the lease holding tenants responsible for damages. 

@Michael McClearn Zillow can be used for both of those. The screenings will be free to you and charge the prospective residents. I believe there's a free option for rent collection using the rental manager, but I don't personally use that portion so I'm unsure how it works. 

 Ahh, I gotcha. I would use that website I linked above to google them directly and see reviews and if they have listings available. Property management companies listed on there must pay the yearly fee to be associated with the National Association of Property Managers. 

Most of my traffic comes from Facebook marketplace @Chris Collins

We also list on:
Zillow
apartments.com
zumper
Craigslist

I've been in property management for about 3 years now, so I can absolutely lend a hand if you need any additional ideas. 

Do you have good pictures to advertise with? 

Also, I recommend giving this website a go on finding a management company if you don't wish to do it yourself. 

https://www.narpm.org/find/pro...

Definitely a +1 for painting vs staining.