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.
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.
Why Rent Goes Up Even When Nothing Changed
"Nothing's different about this unit. Why is the rent going up?" It's a fair question, and the answer usually has very little to do with the unit itself.
Lessons We've Learned the Hard Way: A Property Manager's Rule Book
Some of the best property management rules come from real repair bills, like the $400 window a locked-out tenant tried to remove. Here's our running rule book.
Reading the Room: Why the Best Vendors Know When to Splurge and When to Save
An open-box fridge with a scratch is fine for a Class C rental, and wrong for a Class A home. Why the best vendors know when to splurge and when to save.
What Maintenance Actually Costs: 12 Real Calls From Our Properties
What should maintenance cost? Instead of a guess, here are twelve real calls from our properties, from an $80 window lock to a $10,300 tree removal.
The Accidental Landlord: What to Do When Renting Wasn't the Plan
Inherited a house, or couldn’t sell when you moved? Accidental landlords are common, and at risk, because the decision to rent usually happens without running the numbers.
What Your Rent Actually Pays For
Rent can feel like one number that goes up for no clear reason. Here’s where $2,000 a month actually goes, and why only $185 of it is the owner’s profit.