All Forum Posts by: Cliff H.

Have to agree with @Justin Tahilramani: age, gender, and experience are irrelevant, if you are not comfortable dealing with this tenant get a PM in there to do it for you. Dealing with uncomfortable tenant situations is part of the business of managing properties, unless you're hiring someone else to manage properties (in which case you're still managing the manager). 

@Matt Nico makes an interesting point @YiBing T., focusing on the main entrance as your primary security with dynamic codes could eliminate the need for changing the codes on the bedrooms for every guest, allowing you to go with a more affordable per-room access system. That could certainly be traditional basic key locks, key locks with a master key through a service like LandlordLocks.com, Schlage SmartKey system, or even the more basic, non-smart lock variations that most of the major lock companies offer as a parallel to their full Z-wave/Zigbee variants, often at 1/2 the cost. 

Unless you have repeat guests where your concern is having them copy keys and access others' bedrooms at a later date it seems like securing the front door would be a good way to save cost and more easily manage access. 

Just in case any other geeks out there know what this means: 100% packet loss in pinging AirBnB.com. Unreal for a service that considers itself the 900 lb gorilla of the industry. 

@Luke Carl FYI "fix" appears to be logging out of and back into the AirBnB mobile app, which appears to clear some kind of corrupted cache on the app that's not cleared even when you uninstall/reinstall the app. 

Still does nothing to address to significant lags in viewing my AirBnB inbox on the web, but since State of NH is still not permitting STR bookings even after their lodging task force recommended they open today, it's all a fairly moot point anyway.

@Adam Sankowski just stumbled on this thread and running a STR in the White Mts, after working with @Richard Dale-Mesaros on purchase. Happy to chat more, if still an investment you are considering. Not nearly as profitable as other investments I've leveraged like college rentals or anything like the kind of automatic appreciation that Boston metro has seen over the last few years, but a fun, different approach to the market, so long as you don't fall too far down the arbitrage hole.

Anyone that has self-managed has also seen that what makes a great maintenance team is not necessarily what defines a great leasing team and that that leasing team is often the lynchpin in the entire assumption that professional PM reduces vacancies. 

In some cases, professional PMs have multiple teams/personnel with expertise in both contractor and marketing fields, but many smaller PMs just fall into the field by starting as GCs that see an opportunity for more a more recurring revenue stream of 8-10% in exchange for housing an on-site super or hiring their spouse as a receptionist to route calls to the applicable local plumber, electrician, handyman, or landscaper. 

What I see in the response of many of us who self-manage is the aftereffect of having experienced enough bad PMs to simply create own system that often functions at a lower cost, provides more consistent/reliable results, and (yes) accomplishes a similar goal of avoiding having to fix toilets at midnight.

In short, let’s stop creating false dichotomies so we can get to the more interesting conversations around what your great PM, my great system, or your great VAs are doing for you, how you found them, and how you keep/support them. 

@Maggie Ratner confused about the first part of this: "scammers gain access either copy your keys or leave a door unlocked then copy your add to FB at approximately $200 cheaper."

How do individuals you don't know gain access to a set of keys they can copy or leave doors unlocked? Are these non-realtors/agents or are owners actually trusting a lockbox / set of keys to a complete stranger sight-unseen?

Hi @Troy Winkler I hear you man. This is a challenge we have all been asking myself for many years, even before the current pandemic put the kibosh on occupied showings. However you still have a few options here that balance tenant safety with vacancy reduction: 

1. If/when possible, use a video walkthrough and floor mapping software to help tenants know if their stuff will fit in the space. 
2. Don't rely just on photos, which rarely capture a sense of "space" versus a video (even a basic one) that walks someone through a space.
3. If you must rely on photos, hire a professional photographer to capture them for you that has the ability to order the photos in a sequence that replicates an actual physical walkthrough. This is such an overlooked practice, with many listings throwing up photos in a random order where someone unfamiliar with the space has literally no idea what room they're looking at. 
4. If photography must occur while the tenant's occupying the space, offer them a financial incentive if the space rents while they're living there, grant them time to stage the space, remove anything they don't want shown online, and (most importantly) only do this if your tenant actually keeps a clean space (can't believe I have to say that but you have seen some of these rental photos PMs put online?!) 
5. Lastly, please, please, please don't offer a "virtual tour" that's a series of bad photos crossfaded by outdated software tools with SNL Deep Thoughts piano music in the background. That's not a tour, it's a slideshow and often a very annoying one that rarely even works on the mobile device that 80% of renters are using to view your listing. 
6. I've also started looking into some of the newer 360 degree cameras, which can make some interesting (if often overstated) opportunities for further communicating a good sense of space to prospective tenants. 
7. Use the time between now and the actual vacancy to look into options that would allow you to systematically screen, book, and show your space, even if you cannot be there. Since we have no idea how long the current restrictions and COVID-19 concerns will continue, it's imperative to plan now for what's (potentially) to continue for months to come. 

Overall, the most important thing here is creating virtual assets that you can use over and over for the next time, when hopefully we all won't have to be concerned about physical contact and basic human interaction.

Hope this helps and feel free to reach out directly if I can help further. Good luck!

Hi @Trenten Ward same boat as you, having self-managed my properties across state lines with similar frustration in leveraging PMs that often present themselves as glorified GCs. As @Nathan Gesner points out, there are many amazing professional PMs out there that can level up your business as you scale. Those PMs will absolutely handle any/all turnovers scenarios like rekeying and showings, potentially at a cost of first month's rent. 

On the flip side I have found it can be helpful for some investors to self-manage for at least part of the time to better understand how to "manage the manager" if/when that time comes that the professional PM makes more sense. 

I use Cozy for the basic rental application as well and, like you, looked into a variety of remote management solutions, before effectively rolling my own custom system for remotely screening, scheduling, and access/follow-up on remote showings. Been refining the process for ~10 years and it's honestly saved me a ton of time, energy, and frustration. I can also get great data on needed adjustments in pricing, decor, and amenities for slower markets by automatically surveying every person that comes to a showing. Since I'm already collecting basic screening info like income levels and credit before they walk in, that allows me to make some pretty great data-driven decisions on any needed tweaks to reduce vacancies over time. 

More importantly here in the northeast, I'm out of the game of handing over 1-2 months commission to a leasing agent for what is often one stop on a trolley tour of other properties the agent showing a prospective tenant. The fact that many agents here in the Boston area are simply paid to open a door and get a tenant to sign a lease (any lease) creates a very real concern that agent's goals are not aligned to mine. 

In the absence of a more sophisticated system, take a look at LandlordLocks.com or solutions like Kwikset Smartkey that even your basic hired-gun handyman can quickly rekey on your behalf after turnover (since you'll need someone onsite anyway to handle basic turnover tasks like painting, repairs, etc). 

Feel free to drop me a note any time if I can help/advise further. good luck!

Cliff

Hi @Sarah Good you don't have your home state listed in your profile so impossible to say what the laws are in your neck of the woods, but check your local state court sites. Most have easily accessible PDF pamphlets on landlord-tenant regulations, which clearly outline standard expectations (which it sounds like you also have outlined in your lease). 

I'd also highly recommend picking up a copy of NoLo's Every Landlord's Legal Guide. This is seriously one of the most useful resources I have ever purchased as an independent landlord, helping me avoid high legal fees on simple questions and breaking out many states' regulations in simple, easy to understand language. 

In short, chances are you are well within your legal right in normal circumstances to show the place, but your tenant also will have legitimate concerns with the current pandemic to avoid strangers trouncing their place and not following protocols that keep them safe. It can be helpful to reverse the shoes and ask yourself what you'd want if a landlord were renting out your home/apartment? Maybe everyone's required to wear a mask? Not touch anything? Only see it in person 1 day/week? Reminding your tenant of the responsibilities you both agreed to in your lease is a good place to begin, then finding an appropriate middle ground that works for both you and her/him. 

Second, while it may not do you any good for this round, I highly encourage you to capture a video walkthrough of the space when empty so you have something to show tenants for your next vacancy. Take measurements of all rooms and consider a basic floor mapping tool so tenants can gauge how well/if their furniture will fit before booking a viewing. 

Third, if you end not renting it out before the current tenant moves out, consider setting up a standard process for screening out tire-kickers and handling scheduling and viewing of the space remotely (if possible) out of respect for social distancing needs or at least with an eye to minimize contact with applicants (to protect both you/your PM and them). Many landlords fail to realize that the way you handle your showings, application, etc are often the very things that attract those more self-sufficient tenants down the road. 

Feel free to drop me a connection request if I can help further. Good luck!