All Forum Posts by: Nathan Miller

@Sam Faas We don't use Zillow for applications but instead publish an application online through our property management software that we manage our tenants in, which then automatically publishes our vacancies Zillow (and all the other listing sites).  Tenant fills out our application (and that does include all the dob/dl/ssn info which we use for ordering our own credit, criminal, eviction reports.  If they pass, we click MOVE IN, and the information populates to the tenant in the software.

@Cameron Green I ran into that same problem after a few properties and found that managing properties and trying to remember everything with spreadsheets and notepads just wasn't cutting it.  Back in 2007 it bugged me so much I looked for a software platform to help, but nothing existed that supported smaller landlords so I created software to handle and automate all those tasks called Rentec Direct.  It's still around today, but there's also many similar options like Rentec that you'll find mentioned all over BP that work very similar.  

My advice, pick a software designed for landlords and plug your tenants & properties into it.  Many offer a free trial so you can just try it out and see.  You will start saving time, stop forgetting tasks, and you'll be able to provide your tenants the same features they can get at big property management firms like online payments, an app, etc.

@David Hathaway yes indeed, it's one of those nice little hidden features that comes with google docs (even the free version).  I use it all the time and just set up multiple shortcuts in a folder on my phone depending on which business's receipt I'm scanning. Here's their howto: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/3145835?hl=en&co...

Raven scanner is a physical scanner that is very fast, does OCR, flips pages as needed, scans both sides, and uploads to a google drive folder.  Super handy.

1. Google Workspace -  Docs / Storage, Email, spreadsheets, docs, and terabytes of storage.  You can also scan documents into PDF with google drive and your phone - use this all the time.

2. Calendly - Scheduling

3. Rentec Direct or comparable for property management software, rent collection, esignatures, maintenance, etc.  

4. Canva - fliers, graphics, etc

5. Raven Scanner - fast document scanner scan directly into google drive folder which is then sync'd to all necessary workstations.

@Sarah Atkins You are off to a good start getting advice here.  The other Nathan provided an excellent list of software to try out.  Some recommendations I would add:

- For any platforms that offer a free trial, take advantage of it.  There's no substitute for hands on access to a platform to plug in your own sample data and get a feel for it.  

- Try out the customer service.  All these products are SAAS products.  The last S stands for "Service" and you pay monthly not just for the product but the service that goes along with it.  Some customer service is terrible, some is amazing!  The best way to find out is to call them during your trial and ask for help with something (even if you've already figured it out, ask for help anyways to see what the support is like).

It shouldn't take more than a couple hours of research to try out the top platforms and identify which feels the best for you. Those couple hours of research will save you hundreds of hours of time down the line, so it's well worth the effort.

My PM checks with me before any expense over $500.  That's built into the contract and I would recommend you check your contract for something similar.  It amounts to about 4 calls a year on 30 properties, so it's not overwhelming.  If the repair is already done, and if it needed to be done you would have approved it anyways, so I'd recommend asking for the invoice and move on and remind them to contact you first next time for anything over $x.

@Clayton Coombs I would try to get away from any p2p apps right away if she's using them for colleting rent as those can be trouble.  Most property management software solutions are going to include ACH payments and some even have cash payment options where the tenant pays at 711, Walmart, CVS, etc and it electronically deposits into your account.

Here's some software options that I commonly see recommended on BiggerPockets.

The more mature platforms that are designed for landlords include Rentec Direct, Buildium, Appfolio, Propertyware, and Rent Manager. These platforms typically have billing policies where you pay a per unit fee per month to the software and you get regular updates and support each month.  For 30 units, which is a substantial portfolio of properties, you will probably be looking at this group first.

There are a number of low-cost platforms available that are able to offer you a lower price by passing along some of the costs to your tenants (payment processing fees, applications, tenant screening, etc). These platforms include RentRedi, Stessa, Avail, Innago, Apartments.com (formerly Cozy), and TenantCloud.  

Pretty much every platform mentioned contains the features you are going to need. It boils down to which platform's processes, pricing, and support works best for you. The best way for you to figure this out is visit the platforms and explore their free trial (if offered). Run through some of the features you will need like setting up a property, moving in a tenant, receiving rent payments, and publishing online applications.

Pay attention to which platform feels the best to you as you perform these functions. Each platform does it a bit different and you are going to like some more than others. While trying it out, call their customer service and see how they treat you and how knowledgeable they are on their product. Ask their customer service to walk you through the above options if needed.

It shouldn't take more than a couple hours of research to try out the top platforms and identify which feels the best for you. Those couple hours of research will save you hundreds of hours of time down the line, so it's well worth the effort.

In our market property managers do the job of showing and listing vacancies.  Realtors rarely deal with rentals.  If you can find a PM to do that job, I suspect it might be even lower overhead for you.

I believe most PMs operate in the city they are doing business.  It would be rare for a property manager to manage a property in another city, because just as you mentioned the time lost in driving to/from.

I've always been a fan of utility responsibility by having the tenants always pay their own utility bills.  If you pay it for them, or include it in the rent, it's more common for utility waste.  Windows open while AC blowing full blast for example.  When they pay for the power bill, you just don't see that kind of behavior.  It's only practical when there's physical separation between units and separate utilities can be delivered or metered though.  Often not practical in a retrofit space.

David - no bashing intended, just information sharing as BP forums are designed for.  Members here share a lot of good information.  Nothing wrong with doorloop being new, every platform mentioned here was new once.  Startups are actually very fun - I hope you are enjoying every second of it.