All Forum Posts by: Cliff H.

Thanks for clarification @Jeff Galak. Reviewing their product page it does appear the $25/month is base with the marginal $1/unit pricing after that. 

https://latchel.com/emergency/

So more economical as the portfolio grows, though very curious Your XP once repairs are triggered since most after hours calls would be “surge pricing” for any contractor they bring in. 

in 15 years I’ve only had a few of the stereotypical “after hours broken toilet” calls, but I know that’s highly variable by location and property class. I’ve also used Home Warranty services (could write a book actually) as a hedge for C class properties I managed in the past so I empathize with the intent. 

Do post back here at a later time with your observations on the repair dispatch process and pricing. Could be something that could really benefit other investors to understand better from a first hand perspective.   

@Jeff Galak no XP with either, but after looking over the sites both appear to be mostly a call line and contractor dispatcher, which many self-managed investors can often handle now via contractor directories like Thumbtack, Angie’s List to start until you find your reliable go-to’s. Put a virtual potential call center at the front line to field calls and this feels like something that could be done cheaper than what appears to be $26/door/mo.

Have you self-managed before? How does this compare? Are you seeing additional value-add from the service beyond just Rolodex contractor dispatch? I could see a value-play here for monthly financial reporting, if not handled directly through PM systems. Genuinely curious, as there has certainly been points where I go away on vacation for a week and just need a temp dispatcher, but here we are talking at least month-month contracts, yes?

Looking to install a new mesh wifi install in a larger, residential 4BR rental to provide a more reliable infrastructure for contractors, lease turnovers, and remote monitoring for all-utilities-included leasing contracts. 

Any of you have personal recommendations/experience with any of the newer mesh wifi systems? If so:

• What type of rental are you using in it (type/sqft/levels/etc)?
• What level of remote admin/functions are you leveraging in your setup? 
• How are you handling equipment failures/replacements (on-site engineers, service contract, etc)?
• How are you handling initial setup/wifi design?
• What things do you know now that you wished you knew before you installed?

Thanks in advance for any experience/insight you can share!

For those interested in this concept, I found show 197 with @Chris Heeren super informative.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/bp-podcast-197starting-10k-buying-52-units-3-years-chris-heeren

Answering my own question, it does appear UploadFiles.io offers a secure, expirable, document upload and share option for this purpose and even the free tier is mostly enabled. Until I find another option will probably stick to this and fax.

Let me know if you all know of any others.

@Rob B.

@Rob B.

@Rob B. just a way for a potential tenant to access a secure drop box to share data they would not want to email. Most do this with credit reports now, but leave open a large gap with additional information landlords and PMs may need to verify income, like paystubs, bank statements, etc. 

From sitting on the other side of the table, I've seen realtors and leasing agents do terrible things with rental application data, including selling me a laptop loaded with bank statements for student co-signers after claiming they had securely wiped the drive of all such data. 

I understand most PM solutions want nothing to do with sensitive data like financial docs, but perhaps an option that encrypts the data on upload, then auto-deletes off the host system (similar to the way many handle credit reports) would be sufficient. 

Hi folks, what services have you used in the past to securely accept documents from tenants? Coming from the tech world, I'm familiar with tools like SFTP, SSH and know there have been a few on the Google Docs and Dropbox side that have offered the ability setup a secure drop box in the past, but all appear short lived and I'd rather not send millennial rental applicants back through faxing paystubs and/or other sensitive information to me over insecure email or text messages. 

This is also not a request for known services like DocuSign or others for secure signatures, I'm already using that. Neither Cozy or other online application portals that perform the easy work of running back credit/background checks, but leave landlords to actually verifying income through paystubs or bank statements. 

Rather, I'm seeking secure upload or transfers of ancillary documents related to their rental applications or a service like the (now apparently defunct) Tenantify. 

Any suggestions? 
 

@Isi Nau having just stayed in an Airbnb outside 10m from Waikiki as a guest I’d suggest some of these STRs *should* be shut down: limited egress, blatantly illegal parking that caused $1500 in damage to a rental car, and a race to the bottom in furnishing and services.

That’s atop the already complicit role Airbnb continues to play in protecting illegal subletting.

There's a place for STR in any area, but the overcrowding of O'ahu atop the high kind of concentration of STRs in small areas can rapidly turn tourist cities into a dark, transient, ghost town if left entirely unchecked.

AirBnB has shown zero interest (financially or culturally) to work with municipalities threatening to limit its profits, as much as it continues to preach about cultural connection and connecting across borders.

Are you seeing other communities who’ve found a more moderate middle ground?

@Henry Centola having Macs, iPads, and Chromebooks on my desk I’d take the iPad 9/10 times. Chrome’s cheap, but I’ve hit far too many challenges with things that should just work, like uploading folders or files over a certain size that simply fail, kicking me back to underpowered apps designed for a phone. You get what you pay for.

Mac/PCs will grant you the full experience: do anything, but sound like overkill for what you need.

iPad, particularly those with a keyboard are increasingly the best compromise for most users on the go. More powerful than most PCs, sharp cameras for capturing/reviewing photos, and some killer apps for real estate. I’ve used mine to create digital floor plans in minutes via MagicPlan, the Apple Pencil or Logitech Crayon are industry-leading tech, and there’s some exciting developments coming in the augmented reality space around real estate that will likely work first and best on iOS.

Hope this helps.

@Pedro Padierna I see now you’re using an agency, which could be half of the problem. Have you worked with them before? What’s their track record of days to rent out their last 20 vacancies? How are they reaching the tenants you’re seeking? How are they sharing back the feedback on your rental? Are they showing prospectives other rentals outside of yours? In San Antonio, are you paying the fee or the renter? In many major cities it’s the renter. And guess who the agents then work for? In that dynamic it is the agent’s job is to find a tenant a place to rent, not yours, just anyone’s.

Yes it could be the price too, but price is also the lowest common denominator when you have nothing better to offer than anyone else. Focus on the value and be sure the intermediary you’ve hired to handle the showings is putting that place in the best light, sharing all feedback, and working hand-hand with you to determine a marketing plan that meets your target market where they are. Traditional shotgun mass advertising on Craigslist/Zillow are great for upping boosting showings, but do little to filter out window shoppers, unqualifieds, and/or those looking for something different than what you’re offering.

HTH