What Are Your Landlording Resources You CAN'T Live Without???
I'm interested to know what resouces other property managers and landlords are using that they have found MOST useful to them, be it books, software, websites, bootcamps, wholesellers, banks, etc. Please list ONLY resouces that are available nationwide (eg. not your local apartment association's property management class). If we get worthwhile info I'll turn it into an article later on. Please list the resource, what it is, and what you like about it.
I'll start:
www.hdsupply.com
Home Depot Supply
This is a subsidiary company of Home Depot that specialzes in products and pricing for multi family properties and commercial maintanance programs. Great prices. Free shipping on orders over $50. If you use it they have it, if they don't have it, they'll find it and quote you a price.
http://commercial.sears.com
Sears - Commercial Division
Great prices for Sears appliances and parts. You have to call them for pricing, but they are extremly competetive!
Book
"Landlording" by Leigh Robinson
If you're even considering picking up rentals, buy this book. It's the Bible for landlords.
www.Addall.com
Go here before you buy ANY book. It will find the book on dozens of different websites and show you how much it costs (including shipping and handleing).
Maintenance Plus For Windows (by American Computer Software)
http://www.americancomputersoftware.com/
Property Management Software.
I'm still in the process of integrating this, but I think It's going to be an "I can't live without this" type of item. I've looked at demos and full versions of about a dozen different software packages. It acts as a "super accounts recieveable" for quickbooks. The things that I like are:
-Integration wtih Quickbooks (I can download my bank statements, CC statements, etc into quickbooks and have everything sorted out for me).
-Integration with Automatic payment programs (like www.paymentservicenetwork.com) so that your tenants can pay via ACH, direct deposit, wire transfer, check, money order, etc and it is automatically transfered into your account and entered into your software program.
-allows you to add parts and ordering info for each unit. (eg. the Stove is a GE Model BA124922 and you order parts at 1-800-xxx-xxxx)
Mr www.Landlord.com
Quicken or quickbooks
Spreadsheet... Works, or excel
Good ol answering machine
Checklist for analyzing new property... so the tired ol brain doesn't miss anything
Maxforce roach killer bait gel... best I've ever seen.
Good Luck,
Shawn(OH)
Just remembered another one:
Neutroleum Alpha
Odor Killing Chemical
(I bought it from the parks and recreation department.)
This is what the park rangers use to kill the scent when a skunk sprays an outhouse. It works well if you put it down just after the carpet has been cleaned (and is still wet) with a weed sprayer. I'll use it as an air freshener before I show the apartment also.
This site has an excellent calculator for determining ac units sizes-
http://www.csgnetwork.com/acroomsizecalc.html
This site has tons of great, free, legal forms for RE.
http://www.totalrealestatesolutions.com/realestateforms/index.cfm
This is the absolute best place to get appliance parts. They have everything, they let you return any electrical part(unheard of ) and their prices are great.
http://www.repairclinic.com
I've used alot of the above mentioned sites and they are great, especially the Repair clinic one. Will have to check out the Home Depot site, didnt know about that one. We are partial to Lowes ourselves. We especially utilize the 0% interest promotions they have occasionally with the credit card (I know Home Depot has that too, but Lowes gave us a $10k credit line and Home Depot wouldnt even give us a credit card, go figure) . Gives us time to get a tenant in place and money coming in before having to pay, and can split the balance into interest free payments.
Something I like to use alot is Spot Shot, works really well on carpet stains. Also Lowes carries a line of Johnson Professional cleaning products that is good. I especially like the commercial carpet deodorizer. It does have a strong floral fragrance which some people dont particularly like, but it works really really well on smoke and pet odors. Davmille, what kind of scent does that Neutroleum Alpha leave behind? I may be willing to try that instead. I found it at www.debon-aire.com. What ratio do you mix it?
pinkflamingo,
Hibby76 is the one who posted the information you are asking about. Hopefully he will have the answer for you.
Also, I thought I would post the following link which may be useful. This company has the lowest home warranty prices that I could find when I researched it last year. They will also do rental properties at the same charge. There is a $50 deductible/service call, and they don't yet operate in all states but they are in a lot of states.
http://www.vikingwarranty.com
pinkflamingo,
The Neutroleum Alpha has sort of a Fruity - Clorox smell! That's a poor description of it, but that's what comes to mind. It has mixing instructions on the side. It's about 1 tablespoon to one gallon or something like that. It goes a long ways. It comes with a pretty funny disclaimer that goes something like "we don't really know if this stuff has any side effects and what it really is and isn't good for, because we haven't tested it, so use at your own risk".
I'm going to add another resource:
*67
I use my cell phone to conduct my business. Works great, but I hate to use it at home and use up my minutes while I'm right next to a land line, but I don't really want my home phone number showing up on my tenant's caller ID boxes and don't need a second line yet. Solution: With your land line, dial " *67 " before calling your tenants and it makes your phone number say "Private" on their caller ID. It may be different with other carriers (I'm with Qwest), but I don't think so.
hmmm good info here....."Print"
JB
[addsig]
TCI
i know it goes with out saying but, when i think of all the stumbling around i did before all the info here. And the accumulative benifits of this place i get shivers
I'll add one more...
My company owns the property
I work for the property owner
I do not own the property, I'm just the manager.
This enables some anonamous figure to be the "bad guy" who forces you to evicts the nice tenant with 12 dogs and doesn't pay her rent.
It allows you to change policy as needed "The owner now wants to...."
When asked who owns it the answer is "A company". "Who owns the company"? my answer..."An investor"
Long story short is that you can treat it more like a business this way and not let other people try to force you to choose them as your charitable beneficiary. I'm continually greatful that I made this decision up front and that the tenants don't knows that I am the owner.
I am deeply shocked that you have left off the one item of equipment that has made me the success I am today.
HOw many times has a manager called you with that dumb winey voice. "The toilet is clogged in number 8. Or the sink is overflowing in number 36. Or the cleanout on the side of the building has just blown its top seal and god is annoyed.
My Marco Top Snake. An electric power snake with a couple of lovely steel springs which fit inside and I can just press the trigger and it feeds out and I can get the feel of the line without having to touch the snake as it goes slithering into the drain line. It has a lovely little joint just below the ball spring which keeps it from flying up the vent lines and the sound of its little electric motor as I throw it in reverse and recapture a rather tired used white firecracker, or a hairball that looks like a rat in extreemis, Or oh yes the toothbrush, just what the hell it was doing in a four inch drain line I do not know but there it was. No I did not use it.
This device is the most important thing in property management. I keep it always near to me. Oh I have let the occasional manager use it but well it was not too successful.
The money I have saved on plumbing bills. This little green power snake has saved me so many times I just cannot remember. At one time I was thinking of opening a museum of "Items recovered from a 4" line."
We once owned 1800 units and the maintenance crews ran all day long. But always late at night as I sat listening to the sounds of the tenants trying to kill each other, the phone would ring and of course everybody ducked. But I would go forth into the war zones of Watts and Willoughby carrying my trusty green box. The members of the Hood would let me pass without challenge. I was know as the "?+_%# Old Whitey with the green snake.. Yes they even on occasion stopped firing at each other as I passed. I always smiled and waved. The snake did not it of course is deeply predudiced.against all humans who foul the 4 inch lines that are its life. It aspires to live in a world where all humans are totaly constipated and only emit an occasional threep, or trillblow and never a thunderous blast.
Cheers Lucius
This was fabulous information! I hope someone does take the time to write a landlording article and combine all of these resources. It would be a great benefit to many others!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to totally agree!! This is a great post. I hope it continues. Onward and upward!
I gotta say its my cell phone. I remember when I was tied to a desk and a pager. Always looking for payphones to call the office cause the pager went off. Now I don't even have an office. "Free at last, free at last".
Other than that Excell spreadsheets.
www.usalandlord.com
Most toilets have a flapper, and it is just a matter of time before they leak. www.usalandlord.com carries a flapperless toilet design.
It looks like a lower maintenance toilet that will save water and hassle. I have quit rebuilding toilets. Instead, when one of my toilets breaks, I just install a new flapperless one.
Here's one more to add to the list.....
TSP, aka "Trisodium Phosphate" (although I hear they take the phosphate out of it now).
VERY VERY VERY tough degreaser and cleanser. I just started using it. I've been using specialized cleaning chemicals and pretty strong concentrates.
TSP comes in powder and liquid forms (I prefer powder as you can keep it very concentrated.)
Mix the powder with water and wipe away. You may want to let it sit for a few minutes first.
I was cleaning a stove with things absolutly burnt to a crisp and caked on there. After a few minutes I was mopping up the ashes in single strokes.
Very impressive chemical!
PS It can and will take off paint, varnishes, and some vinishes. use with caution. Also, it hurts a ton in open soars (hangnails, etc.)
this forum
thanks for all the great resources!
Mal
I like being able to get credit reports online for ten bucks (****This URL Not allowed****.com, there's some paperwork though). I use them for both tenants and buyers.
I like being able to do a statewide criminal records check ( www.MNcriminals.com, only for MN but use a targeted Google with quotation marks and such to find the same for your state).
I like being able to run bankruptcy searches online (http://www.mnb.uscourts.gov/ers-bin/mnb-651-main.pl ), again only for MN but Google for the info for your state.
Thanks for this most informative thread !!!
Did this ever become an article ?
"Krud Kutter". I am constantly amazed at what this stuff will clean.
"Pay Rent or Quit" letter sent out on time. One tenant had convinced the Sheriff that he had paid what the judge ordered and the Sheriff was about to pronounce the Writ of Possession as invalid. The tenant was kind enough to show the Sherrif a copy of said "Pay Rent or Quit" letter where I acknowledged that some payment had been received. The Sheriff also noted the sentence that began "amount still due is". Since the tenant could not show he had paid this, I was given authorization to proceed.
JohnCl
Two things.
1. All of the URLs that is posted inside this list, needs to be added to the Web Links area.
Hibby. Please add in the ones you put in. Basically the Web Links area is a place where everybody can mark their 'Favorites' or 'Bookmarks' So that other people can use them as well.
2. An article with all of these put in would also be helpful to the other members.
Genius Idea hibby76! I gotta use that!!
Quote:
On 2004-04-11 03:44, hibby76 wrote:
I'll add one more...
My company owns the property
I work for the property owner
I do not own the property, I'm just the manager.
This enables some anonamous figure to be the "bad guy" who forces you to evicts the nice tenant with 12 dogs and doesn't pay her rent.
It allows you to change policy as needed "The owner now wants to...."
When asked who owns it the answer is "A company". "Who owns the company"? my answer..."An investor"
Long story short is that you can treat it more like a business this way and not let other people try to force you to choose them as your charitable beneficiary. I'm continually greatful that I made this decision up front and that the tenants don't knows that I am the owner.
Another resource to check out is landlordlocks dot com . They are widely known for great service. They sell you locks that are master keyed for you as the landlord. You can change the cylinders, and hence change the locks in a matter of seconds. Great resource...