Straight Up Chicago Investor Episode 395: Chicago Property Management and Leasing Best Practices with Max Motew
Aug 21, 2025
Max Motew, Director of Leasing at Mo2 Properties, shares his expertise on acquiring and renovating small multifamily properties in Chicago. He dives into essential considerations for renovating landmarked properties and the need for market knowledge to project rents accurately. Tips on screening tenants reveal strategies to combat fraud, while effective marketing practices enhance leasing success. Max emphasizes the value of strong tenant relationships and geographic expertise, highlighting these as key ingredients for thriving in the competitive Chicago property market.
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Own The Whole Stack
- Build operations in-house so you control acquisitions, construction, leasing, and management to move faster and keep margins.
- Train staff across functions so small teams can scale and solve problems without outsourcing.
Plan For Landmark Constraints
- Inspect landmark constraints before buy — windows, facade rules, and historical approvals drive costs and timelines.
- Budget extra holding time and legal/architect fees when a building is landmarked.
Historic Details Drive Big Costs
- True divided light and glazing details matter to historical reviewers even if tenants won't notice.
- Window replacement costs can balloon into six figures and often justify staged repairs.
