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11 Questions Landlords Should Ask When Interviewing a Potential Property Management Company

Owning investment real estate is a great option for those looking to make a longterm commitment as opposed as a shortterm speculation. The management of such investment should always be trusted to professionals who are dedicated and committed to the industry and know how to deal with complex situations that are otherwise commonly ignored by inexperienced landlords.

It is of the utmost importance that property owners know how to select and interview the property management company that best seems to specialize in the kind of investment that they are looking to have managed.

If you are unsure what to ask your potential property manager before you sign a long term agreement with them, here are some questions that you can use as a guideline.

1. What kind of property management experience do you have? You need to know for how long they have managed property and whether they have enough back up from the rest of their group.

2. How many properties do you currently manage? Hiring a property manager that handles several thousand units could be somewhat risky as your property might end up lost in an ocean of other properties.

3. How often do you inspect occupied and vacant units? It is important to know the frequency of inspections in occupied units. The reasons why you need to know this information is because you need to be assured that there will be a comprehensive assessment of potential damage to occupied units that has been caused by tenants. You also need to know the frequency of inspection though vacant units to prevent any potential risk of fire or other casualties. Trust me, I have seen fires occur in vacant units.

4. What do you do with the information obtained from unit inspections? This is particularly important to ask because you need to make sure that the property management company has policies in place regarding the payment of damages to units caused by tenants or their guest. It would be of no benefit at all if they just report to you that all units were inspected, if they do not not have an aggressive plan of action based on unit inspections.

5. How important is preventative maintenance to you and how is this handled by your company? Extensive and costly deterioration can occur to properties if there isn’t a preventative maintenance plan in place. Your property manager should keep a preventative maintenance log showing all items inspected and addressed as well as the signature of the maintenance supervisor acknowledging completion of all required tasks.

6. How do you handle ongoing/daily maintenance? You need to know whether one or more dedicated maintenance technicians will be assigned to your property (based on the size of the property and number of units). It is also important to know the level of engagement of the maintenance supervisor (if any) and his role in ensuring that all maintenance issues are being addressed.

7. After hours emergency handling. Have the property manager explain their process for handling after hours emergencies such as water leaks, fire or any other casualties. Ask whether there is an after hours phone number which tenants would have access to.

8. Tenant Selection Plan. You need to know if the property manager has a Tenant Selection Plan that can be customized for your property. The TSP will help define the requirements that potential tenants would have to fulfill prior to renting a unit to them. You might also be want to be involved in the development of the rental criteria to ensure that only applicant who meet your requirements are approved. Keep in mind that you as well as your property manager are required to observe and conduct business based on Fair Housing Law. Your property manager should be absolutely familiar with what terms to use and which ones avoid when advertising your vacant units and when interviewing applicants.

9. Transparency. How can I have access to review accounts payables, delinquency reports, collections, etc. You as the property owner should define the frequency and types of reports that your property manager should make available to you.

10. Property Market Analysis. Does your management team shop comparable properties to keep up to date with local occupancy rates, average rent rates, amenities offered, specials, etc.? Please be aware that not all property management companies provide this service.

11. What is your area of specialty? It is important to keep in mind that there are several specialties within the property management industry. If you own commercial property, you should probably stay away from property managers that have experience managing only multifamily or condo properties. The most common areas of specialty in property management are: Single Family, Multifamily, Condo Associations, Cooperatives, Retail, Medical, Commercial and Industrial.

Management companies that specialize in the management of distressed and difficult-to-manage properties are usually capable of handling a broader spectrum of assets and engagement types, such as REO, Receiverships, and disputed assets.

Retaining the right property manager can enhance the value of your investment property while making your life easier as you don’t have to deal with the headaches that this activity often represents. If you have plans to expand your real estate investment portfolio it is definitely worth having a strong property management company on your side.

Triton IRES is a full service Property Management company specialized in turning around highly challenged property and sites that are difficult to manage by traditional management approach.

Why an Internet Home Based Business is the Best Recession Proof Business Today

An Internet Home Based Business can be your savior at the present juncture when the whole business world is going through an unprecedented financial crisis. Starting an Internet Home Based Business on a part-time basis is one of the wisest moves you can undertake today to recession proof yourself. Internet Home Based Businesses and especially those that involve net work marketing are becoming very popular because most people are anxious to start some sort of a business from home on a part-time basis so that it could act as a safety net in the event they too fall victims of the present global recession.You may want to know why you should get started with an Internet Home Based Business rather than any other business and what sort of online business you could do at the present moment.The low start up cost is one of the main reasons why you should get started.It can be started on a shoe-string budget and hence within the reach of most people. There is no need to employ anyone else. You can run the business on your own. Furthermore the risk factor is very low.Today the topic in most peoples’ mind is how they can prepare themselves to meet any eventuality such as lay-offs and redundancy. Since most people are toying with the idea of starting a home based business to make money, why not be one of the early birds and enroll them as affiliates or in your network marketing business. Network marketing (MLM) is certainly one of the best recession-proof businesses you can succeed in during difficult economic times.The internet is growing by leaps and bounds. Today there are over 1.5 billion internet users worldwide. The whole world is the market place. An internet marketer working from home is in a very unique position of being able to market his products globally. How successful your home business will be will depend on choosing the right niche product or services.As a home business entrepreneur working from your home office you are entitled to tax benefits such as running expenses for the space occupied for your Home Office and also deductions from your taxes for Mortgages and Insurance. Furthermore tax deduction can also be made for equipment used exclusively for your business, such as Phones, Computers and Fax machines, all traveling expenses and startup costs. Unfortunately this tax benefit is not known to many.A few of the internet home based businesses you could get started are:1. If you are an expert or very knowledgeable in a particular field and possess the ability to write, you can write an e-book and market it online. E-books are very popular among internet users.2. Another easy and popular method of getting started is to become an affiliate of some of the leading affiliate program providers and promoting the sale of their products through your website. All you have to do is to place an image or text link code on your website. Each time a sale is generated through your link you will be paid a pre-determined commission.3. You can also sell your own products online. For this you will need a shopping cart. This can be done by arranging for the set up of a free PayPalShopping cart by signing up for a PayPal Merchant or Business account.4. You can also have your own affiliate program if you can produce a good marketable product. Provide an attractive commission so that others will join you as affiliates and promote your product.The internet home based business is considered the best recession proof business today. It is a great way to make money from home, working from home if you go about in the right way. If you work with dedication and if you are passionate about your business there is no reason why you will ever fail during this period of recession.

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A Guide on Successful Product Creation and Internet Marketing

Product creation in Internet marketing is getting stiffer and stiffer nowadays owing to tough competition between Internet-based businesses. Putting up a new product requires plenty of brainpower and finances along with an ability to take risk. With that, even if you have the product well-set already, you have to position it strategically in the Internet landscape for others to notice. You should get the interest of Web users and turn them to actual customers. Aside from the usual physical products, many different products that thrive well on Internet marketing include E-books, membership sites, and video lectures.

The long and difficult process of product creation begins with ideas. They are easy to get – compared to the effort that comes with analyzing the market for that idea. Before the idea turns to a product, businesses often spend money, even amounting to millions of dollars, to ensure the success of the new product that emerges from an idea. Businesses undertake many types of market research and surveys before releasing their products to the public. Now, you may think that because your business is small, you can’t afford research or you don’t have to do research; you can and you should. The Internet allows you to disseminate materials needed for your market study to many people at once without your having to spend a cent.

It is a common maxim in business: Look at your destination first before mapping out your journey. So what are the goals you intend to accomplish with your product creation ventures? The everyday travails of your business may make you forget the end in sight. On the other hand, prepare to entertain new developments that come to your mind in your product creation. Your conception of a product may have started this way, but a few tweaks here and there along with some market research results and it ends up another way. Take it as the result of a creative process, not as a failure to reach your goal. After all, your product creation activities are intertwined with a long-term goal that you should strive to sustain at your utmost: profit generation. So if your less profitable initial idea evolves to a more profitable product, be thankful!

With your product made up already, start doing some aggressive Internet marketing. A product purchase typically comes after more than five times a customer is exposed to an informative call-to-buy message. Thus it is important to get the contact details, like the e-mail address, of potential customers who are on the brink of a sale. Use the results of your market research to determine the demographics to which you should concentrate your marketing efforts.

With consistent product creation, you can make an inventory of your products that you can market in due time. Just keep making products – the moment you succeed in making and marketing a product, customers are surely wanting more from you, so give it to them. Keep them on your side through constant product creation.

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