Mice Move In When It Gets Cold: How to Keep Rodents Out of Your Rental This Fall
When nights turn cold in the Black Hills, mice start looking for a warm place to spend the winter. Here’s how to seal your rental, who handles what, and how to clean up safely.
Is South Dakota Landlord-Friendly? What Out-of-State Investors Should Know
South Dakota gets called landlord-friendly for a reason. Here’s what the statutes actually say about deposits, evictions, and rent control — and what still costs you money.
Let Tenants Pay to Break the Lease
“They can’t just break their lease!” is usually an owner’s ego talking. Once a tenant has decided to leave, they’re leaving, so the smart move is a paid, clean way out.
What We Find When We Take Over a Property (and How We Fix the Last Manager's Shortcuts)
When an owner hands us the keys to a property another company managed, it usually looks fine from the curb. Then we walk inside. Here's what we typically find, and how we fix the last manager's shortcuts.
What an Eviction Actually Costs in South Dakota
One recent uncontested eviction we handled in Rapid City cost $986.11, and we had possession of the home back within two weeks of filing. In a lot of states, that sentence would sound like fiction.
The True Cost of a Vacant Rental (and How to Keep Your Days on Market Short)
Most owners think of a vacant month as a month without rent. That's only half the picture: the mortgage, insurance, utilities, and snow removal keep coming, and a vacant day can never be made up later.
Is a Property Manager Worth It, or Should You DIY? The Honest Math
Is a property manager actually worth it, or would you be better off doing it yourself and keeping the fee? Here's when self-managing works, when hiring pays off, and how to run the math.
You Don't Want the Tenant Who's Willing to Overpay
Earlier this year, we were hired to take over a small multifamily property that was 100% occupied at rents about 40% over market. On paper, it looked like a home run. In reality, the owner's pursuit of higher rent had cost him $28,000.
Property Manager Not Responding? Why It’s So Common, and How We Do It Differently
Start typing "property manager n" into Google, and one of the suggestions is "property manager not responding to emails." Here's why that happens so often, and how we handle communication instead.
How to Switch Property Management Companies (Without Upsetting Your Tenants)
Most owners stay with a property manager they're unhappy with because they assume switching will be a mess. It doesn't have to be, if you do it in the right order.
Winterizing a Rental in the Black Hills: The Owner's October Checklist
In half of past years, Rapid City has already seen its first 32-degree night by September 26, according to the National Weather Service. If your rental isn't ready for winter yet, the clock is already running.
Late Rent Is Contagious: How One Lax Manager Can Wreck an Entire Property
We took over a 21-unit building where almost half the tenants were behind on rent. They weren’t always behind. Here’s how lax enforcement spreads delinquency.
What to Do When a Tenant Passes Away
When a tenant passes away, it’s one of the hardest situations a landlord can face, legally and personally. Here’s how to handle it carefully, respectfully, and correctly.
The Tenant Horror Story Hall of Fame
Four real stories from our operation. Some are heavy, one is just plain weird, and all of them taught us something about why a real process matters.
The CO Detector That Probably Saved a Tenant's Life
As with every new property, the first thing we did was install carbon monoxide detectors. Not long after, one went off: a faulty furnace was leaking CO into the unit.
Why Tenant Screening Is About to Get a Lot More Invasive
One rental application required linking a bank login to pull 90 days of purchases and balances. It felt invasive, and it is. It’s also a preview of where screening is headed.
Why We Never Let Tenants Attempt Their Own Repairs
A normal water bill for the property: about $175. This one came in at $636, all because of a DIY toilet-handle fix. Here’s why we handle every repair ourselves.
Lawn Care in Small Multifamily: A Bigger Headache Than Most Owners Expect
Lawn care sounds like the smallest detail in owning a duplex or fourplex. In practice, it’s a steady source of drama, because most owners never decide how it’s handled.
Why We Won't Just Hand Out Vendor Referrals to the Lowest Bidder
A client skipped our vendor list for a siding contractor quoting a third of everyone else’s price. He paid a 50% deposit, and the contractor vanished. Here’s how it ended.
How to Actually Price Your Rental (And What Happens When You Get It Right)
The market doesn’t care about your mortgage. How to price a rental by what tenants will actually pay, and how a fast process got one signed lease in six hours.