All Forum Posts by: Krishna Chava

Thanks to generous feedback and support from the bigger pockets community, we have developed and are launching our smart home tech package for rental properties. Using AI and edge computing, our systems act as eyes and ears on the ground for the busy property manager or long distance landlord who wants to self-manage. Here is the website, reach out by PM for more details.

https://www.dekk.io/rental-manager

We are inviting property managers and landlords outside the DFW area for trails. It's already deployed in several properties in the DFW area and, if you are local to DFW, I will be very happy to show you one of the installations.

Krishna Chava.

@Chad C. There would never be a possibility of regretting eviction as you don't have a way of knowing what would have happened if you didn't evict. That said, eviction is a costly and inefficient process. There are cases where I am happy I didn't evict because tenant payed the amount after 2 months and there are also cases where I should have evicted sooner. Once you have several units there is also a question of uniform rules. Eviction then becomes a process that is triggered automatically rather than a rational decision.

@Elad Messing I don't see a link to the listing. Maybe was deleted by the system? I have 2 rentals close to Plano, one in The Colony and other in Carrollton. I have furnished colony house for an AirBnB but also put on the market for 2000 rent per month. To my surprise no interest at all. I am running it as an AirBnB, though I prefer not to. Maybe this is the route you can take (run it as STR until demand picks up). Another option is to contact agencies that provide temporary housing for insurance claims and register your property.

In DFW area, I have noticed the pool of renters start decreasing rapidly at 1500 pm. 

@ROGER RAMIREZ Most landlords are not afraid of mold either. Once the source of moisture is fixed, a mold is easy to fix. The hard part is preventing slow water leaks that cause mold. To answer your question, I haven't seen anyone selling their property because of the mold issue.

@Tom Dunivin I am in super hot DFW market and we have the same situation here. I charge my tenants 1/2 month rent to break the lease if they give me 30-day notice and I find next tenant BEFORE they leave. Otherwise, it's 1-month rent penalty. I think it's fair to both sides.

@Ben Leybovich I have read your post about the 98-unit purchase with considerable interest. Thanks for sharing. I have heard that appliance prices have gone up after recent trade tariffs on China imports. You might have no choice but to pay extra. On the flip side, tenants might pay extra rent because you have new appliances and competition might have put off upgrading due to the higher cost.

@Tim Ryan I own and manage 75 units with a partner, no property management firm involved. If I were to have a property manager, I would find a professional management company. Onsite manager or anyone not professional is a bad idea and slippery slope to tenant dissatisfaction. You vest too much power in someone who doesn't have incentive to take care of properties as good as you. I have experienced some of this when I let my onsite maintance guy directly handle tenant calls and some rent collection. I use tech, both software and smart home automation hardware to acts as eyes and ears on the property. Krishna.

Vidoe doorbells improve security but main attraction for my working class tenants is knowing who is home and knocking on the door as they work long hours. There is also novelty value like an iPhone

Krishna.

@Christopher Freeman put in a 3 pack mesh router. Don't use wifi extenders. Wont solve your issue. Use "goolge wifi" or if you want save money search for "Samsung connect AC1300 3 pack". You will have great signal through out and your student tenants will appreciate it more than say, granite countertops. Best 150 you would have spent on the unit. I am an enthusiastic for real estate tech.

@Maurice D. I am using Yale smart lock for my AirBnb. I would discourage anyone from using smart lock without a keypad ( like Kevo) in STR or even long term rentals. Whichever lock you choose, key differentiation is the hub used to talk to the lock and how you control that hub.