Property Management Brainstorm

As a landlord or property manager, do you ever feel like the word “landlord” comes with a negative connotation? The word has been in use for over 1000 years, dating back to an Old English concept, in which tracts of land were owned by a single person who came to be known as a "lord", and those occupying the land became bound and dependent on their lords for protection and of course obligated to pay rent for that privilege. Even though our culture has moved well beyond this ancient system, the lingering negative essence of the word "landlord" remains for many. For some in the industry, we need to change the narrative away from the term 'landlord" with a preference for "housing provider". On this episode of Property Management Brainstorm, Bob's guests are Mark Scott, of Encore Realty, in Bonita, CA and Danielle Rogers, of All Seasons LLC,  in Colorado Springs, CO. Both of our guests are involved in national, state, and local government affairs and action committees and have been advocating such a change in terminology.  Topics Covered[3:10] Mark and Danielle introduce themselves, tell us about their companies, and what they are doing to advocate changing this narrative from landlord to housing provider.[5:15] Mark explains his inspiration behind writing his recent article in Residential Resource magazine about this topic.[8:20] Is there a stereotype that landlords are bad guys and where does that come from?[10:55] Might this perception of landlords change now that the CDC has backed off on the eviction moratorium?[20:10] Should we as property managers and housing providers be more involved at the local level with our city councils and local leadership? [29:40] Mark and Danielle share their closing thoughts and how you can reach them to learn more.Connect with Mark Scotthttps://www.encorerealtysd.com/Daniel Rogershttps://www.propertymanagementincoloradosprings.com/Connect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

We are very proud that North County Property Group has been awarded with the CRMC designation by the National Association of Residential Property Managers ( NARPM).  CRMC stands for Certified Residential Management Company and we are the only property management company in San Diego County to have this honor, only one of four in all of California, and one of less than 50 nationwide.  So what is the big deal and why are property management designations important?  The CRMC and other designations such as the Residential Management Professional (RMP) and Master Property Manager (MPM), shows the world and your local market that you are experienced, educated, have good processes, and have subjected yourself to an outside party for evaluation, audit, and certification.  Would you want someone who is not a CPA to handle your tax return?  I doubt it!  Likewise, why would you want someone who does not have a designation to manage your property? Designations are an endorsement of the property manager's systems, processes, policies, and compliance with state and national landlord/tenant law.Connect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

Hello and Labor Day weekend!  As the Summer winds down and we move into Fall, Property Management Brainstorm wants to say thank you for your trust and confidence as a listener of the podcast. Our objective, and Bob Preston's as well, is to be a trusted source of information for you as a real estate investor, landlord, or property manager. Counting you among our listeners is something for which we are especially grateful.We are also proud to announce that our podcast host, and CEO of North County Property Group, Bob Preston, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM®). We thought our listeners would be interested to know that Bob will be serving NARPM at the national level for a two-year term as the Southwest Regional Vice President and board member, having been nominated and elected by NARPM members who are a group of property management peers within the industry.  If you are not familiar with NARPM, it is the industry association, trade organization, and lobbyist group for the residential property management industry. The organization currently represents more than 6,0000 property management members nationwide. So, it is a distinct honor for Bob to be serving in this capacity!TGIF, Happy Labor Day weekend. That’s it for today's FMF and we will catch up with you next Friday!!!Connect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

As a landlord or property manager, do you ever feel like you just can’t take a break from your property management job? Keeping your eyes on the ball so nothing falls through the cracks at your rental properties can be a never-ending concern. Maintenance requests, property viewings, leases to review and sign, tenant move ins, rent collection. Yikes! Research shows that many small business owners either don’t take vacation, or when they do, it’s a “working vacation”. On this episode of Property Management Brainstorm, Bob's guests are Kathleen Richards of PM Made Easy and The Property Management Coach in Santa Cruz, CA; Liz Cleyman of Grace Property Management in Thorton, Colorado; and Kellie Tollifson of T-Square Properties in Bothell, WA. Bob and the panel discuss the top five reasons why, even property managers, should take a vacation from their business. They will also share their own personal tips and secrets on planning that occasional escape and how it benefits their companies when they do find time away.  Topics Covered[2:40] Kathleen, Liz, and Kellie introduce themselves, tell us about their companies, and how they spent their most recent vacation.[10:15] Kathleen explains the inspiration behind writing her recent article in Residential Resource magazine about the importance of taking a vacation.[12:50] #1 Brainstorming New Ideas: this may at first seem counter intuitive when trying to get away from it all.[16:12] #2 You've Earned It: it is not selfish to take a vacation, it’s a necessity![23:00] #3 Work/Life Balance: getting back in touch with the "why". [30:55] #4 Improve Productivity: achieve a happy, more satisfying life.[34:40] #5 Show Your Team You Trust Them: let your team demonstrate they’ve got things under control.[40:00] Summary with Kathleen, Liz, and Kellie sharing their closing thoughts and how you can reach them to learn more.Connect with Kathleen Richardshttps://www.thepropertymanagementcoach.com/kathleen@thepropertymanagementcoach.comConnect with Liz Cleymanhttps://www.rentgrace.com/aboutlizcleyman@gmail.comConnect with Kellie Tollifsonhttps://tsquareproperties.net/ktollifson@tsquaremanagement.comConnect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, often referred to as Section 8, is federal government assistance, administered by HUD, for very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled. The purpose of the program is to provide participants with affordable, decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Participants are provided with financial assistance, in the form of a voucher, so they can find their own housing within single-family homes, condominiums, townhouses, or apartments in any geographical location. The goal then, of the Section 8 program is to deliver on the promise of housing choice and opportunity for participating  individuals.Bob  discusses Section 8 and some of its challenges. Joining the show on the panel is Tyler Craddock, the Governmental Affairs Director for NARPM; Patti Robertson of Property Management Inc (PMI)  Virginia; and Amanda Han of Cornerstone Properties in Aiea, Hawaii.  Topics Covered[2:15] Tyler, Patti, and Amanda introduce themselves and their companies.[3:15] Tyler explains the Housing Voucher Program and what reforms might be coming in 2021 and beyond.[7:00]  Patti and Amanda comment on why housing security and geographic choice have sometimes proved elusive.[11:05] Is the Section 8 program able to keep up with the ever tightening housing market?[16:15] Why the market pressures can sometimes make placing Section 8 tenants challenging. [20:55] The screening process for Section 8 participants.[23:00] Is HUD aware of these challenges and is there bipartisan support in Washington DC for reform?[24:05] Common misconceptions of Section 8 and the Housing Choice Voucher program.[30:00] Summary with Patti, Amanda, and Tyler sharing their closing thoughts on Section 8.Connect with Patti Robertson PMI Virginia https://www.virginiabeachpropertymanagementinc.net   Connect with Amanda HanCornerstone Properties Hawaiihttp://www.cornerstonehawaii.comConnect with Tyler CraddockNARPM Government Affairshttps://www.narpm.org/legislativeConnect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

Hello Brainstorm faithful!  We are happy to be back on the air with more Five Minute Friday and Property Management Brainstorm episodes, refreshed and invigorated after a month long hiatus for vacation, family time, and clarity breaks!  In this FMF, Bob makes the announcement  that he is now a NARPM® MPM®!  That is, the Master Property Manager designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers. Bob has worked hard over the past year to achieve this designation and honor and describes his journey to obtain the award. At this time, Bob is the only MPM in all of San Diego County property managment and one of only about 270 nationwide, so it is definitely a distinction to be proud of and is kind of a big deal! An MPM® designation is the highest that an individual member of NARPM can achieve. Obtaining the MPM sets a property manager apart due to the extensive education requirements, managing a minimum of 500 properties over a five year period, and giving back in the form of volunteer work and service to the NARPM organization.   Another update, North County Property Group has submitted its application to be considered for the CRMC® by NARPM. That is that is the Certified Residential Management company designation.  This designation is given to the company, not an individual, and requires an audit the day-to-day processes, accounting and legal practices, and confirmation of compliance with all landlord/tenant laws in the state of California.  We've not yet been informed of the outcome, but we are optimistic we have passed, and will keep you all posted.That’s it for today's FMF, we are glad to be back on the air, and will catch up with you next Friday!!!Connect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

Hello Brainstormers!  We hope you all had a very happy and safe 4th of July holiday and are enjoying your summer! It is great to have things open again for the beach, BBQs, and fireworks, wherever you may be. We needed a day off on the 4th and we are sure those of you in the property management business did too!  It’s been tough to keep up with the show that past few weeks as we’ve been making some changes at North County Property Group to pivot back to a full reopening scenario in the State of California and at our company. Just like when the pandemic started and we had to put new policies in place to adjust to the stay at home orders, we are now rolling back some of the policies we had put in place and opening up our office in full again. June was an interesting month as we determined the rules implemented here in California and where we needed to pivot to adjust to full reopening. Bob is going to be taking some clarity time during the rest of July to enjoy time with his family, so we will be pausing our Property Management Brainstorm broadcasting for the rest of the month.  Property Management Brainstorm full episodes and Five Minute Fridays will back be back on the air with great content again as of early August, 2021. Thank you so much for subscribing, listening and supporting Property Management Brainstorm!  I’m going to be recharging  by batteries and will catch you soon in early August!Connect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

As a property manager or landlord, do you ever worry that you are not truly getting the full financial picture when screening tenant applications? A rental application may look quite good and complete, but in reality, some of the aspects that would be helpful in making a decision may not be visible. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could verify renter's income, payroll, past rent payments, NSF & overdrafts all in one, easy to pull, screening report? On this episode of Property Management Brainstorm, Bob speaks with Craig Schoen, CTO at Rentify.  Rentify is a company dedicated to helping property managers and landlords utilize a new approach to get that full picture of a tenant's financial strength during the screening process.Topics Covered[2:40] Craig introduces himself and the concept of "open banking technology" in their solution to tenant screening during the rental application process.[3:45] What is open banking technology and how long has it been around?[5:30]  Streamlining the rental application process.[6:15] Craig explains what is contained in the Financial Resume Report which is the output of the Rentify application process.[8:45]  How about landlord verifications and credit reports? Are these part of the Rentify solution?[14:00] How to make sure your process remains with Fair Housing guidelines.[15:30] Craig describes the entire flow of a prospective tenant submitting their rental application through Rentify.[18:30] Who pays for the Rentify application screening, the tenant or the property manager?[20:20] Craig describes the discount program Rentify offers to NARPM members.[21:00] Craig shares a personal story about his grandfather's success in the auto industry.Connect with RentifyRentify Discount for NARPM MembersConnect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

Bob Preston, host of Property Management Brainstorm, discusses the topic of relationship management in property management with Zach Williams of the Partnerships and Business Development Team at Podium.  Several of the best practices in relationship management involve connecting with customers through ongoing messaging touchpoints and online reviews.Podium is a customer messaging platform that can help property management companies achieve these ongoing touchpoints, ultimately bolstering their customer relationship management and loyalty. Zach joins Bob to tell us more about Podium and their messaging platforms.Topics Covered[2:15] Zach kicks things off by introducing himself and provide the quick elevator pitch about Podium.[5:30] Bob asks Zach to explain the difference between relationship management and interaction management for property managers.[6:20]  What specifically is meant by "messaging tools"?[8:08] Managing the messaging tools through the Podium software as a service dashboard.[9:45] Relationship management is over the entire “customer journey” of stakeholders with your property management company.[11:48] Getting specific: how Podium handles online chat and review management through text messaging.[13:50] With texting as the main communication interface, can you expect a higher response rate, say compared to email or phone messages?[17:11] Does it take additional staffing to handle the Podium platform? (ie, dedicated personnel to online chat and reviews).[18:45] Making the cultural shift to digital communications.[21:37] Podium's pricing and the partnership program discount for members of NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers).[24:55] Zach shares a personal story.Connect to Podiumhttps://www.podium.com/Podium Discount for NARPM Membershttps://try.podium.com/narpm/Connect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.

As a landlord or property manager, do you ever worry that a maintenance vendor you send to a property might not have the correct insurance coverage? Dispatching a repairman with insufficient or expired insurance could create a liability on your property management business. Further, its a big job to track all of the insurance policies from vendors to make sure they remain in compliance with your standards for coverage. On this episode of Property Management Brainstorm, Bob discusses the topic of tracking certificates of insurance with Dave Bixler of Thimble. Dave explains a service called Certificate Manager that helps landlords and property managers make sure vendors and contractors have the right policy in place and provides for tracking Certificates of Insurance in one online location.Topics Covered[2:55] Dave Bixler introduces himself and Thimble.[4:15] Why it's  important to make sure that those vendors have proper insurance coverage. [4:55]  What type of insurance should a landlord and property manager make sure their vendors have in place before sending them to a property? [8:20] What should landlords and property managers obtain as proof of insurance from a vendor or contractor and how Thimble Certificate Manager can help keep these documents organized?[11:00] Recommended insurance levels for various types of contractor trades.[12:45] Best practices for utilizing Certificate Manager for tracking Certificates of Insurance.[16:15] Are certain contractor trades risker and require higher insurance limits? .[22:30] Obtaining insurance policies for one-time vendors or contractors who may be too small to afford annual insurance policies.[28:30] Thimble's program for members of NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers).[30:00] Dave shares a personal story about how he came up with the idea for Certificate Manager.Connect to Learn More About Small Business Insurance From ThimbleThimble Certificate Manager for NARPM MembersConnect with Bob Prestonhttps://www.propertymanagementbrainstorm.com/This episode is always available for listening, sharing, or download at Property Management Brainstorm. Subscribe to Property Management Brainstorm on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and YouTube.