April 30th, 2012
The rental industry has had a good year or two, compared to the rest of the American economy. Last year saw quite a bit of discussion about America’s rental boom, but where does the American rental market stand now?
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April 18th, 2012
Nothing is more certain then “death and taxes,” however many investors may not be aware of the new capital gains taxes affecting the real estate industry since 2012 and beyond.
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April 3rd, 2012
Recently I sat down with Robert J. Wise who has been practicing housing law in Kansas City, to talk about Landlords and Discrimination.
When Landlords think of discrimination we usually think in terms of intentional acts which exclude members of certain groups from employment, housing, or other opportunities. The civil rights laws, however, protect against not only intentional acts of discrimination but acts which, though apparently neutral on their face, actually have a discriminatory impact on protected groups.
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February 10th, 2012
It’s easy to understand that unemployed people aren’t buying houses, thus depriving demand within the real estate market. However, the entire cycle is far more pervasive, and merits a closer look and how it effects your real estate business.
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January 4th, 2012
The Rental Boom
While easily overstated, there has been something of a rental boom in 2011. Vacancy rates dropped sharply to 5.6% in the third quarter of 2011, the lowest level since 2006. Meanwhile, rents rose to a nationwide average of $1,004 in the third quarter, a rise of 2.4% year over year, and Reis Inc (the source of the above data) estimates that the total rise in rents for 2011 will be 3.6%. Developers (who tend to do plenty of market research before committing to construction projects) are acting on this information as well: rental unit construction starts are up 33.3% in the third quarter since the same period last year, to 48 million units according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A look at the November figures (the most recent monthly figures) show even more drastic differences: the rate of housing starts for apartment buildings with 5 or more units rose to 230,000, an increase of 25.7% since October, and 219.4% since November of 2010.
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December 2nd, 2011
Whatever you do, don’t wait too long to evict a tenant. Remember, non-payment of rent is not a personal attack on you and you need to stay professional as a property manager. Having an attorney right from the start will enable you feel empowered knowing you have everything you need to evict, should the need arise to do so.
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November 9th, 2011
No matter how well you screen your tenants, chances are that every now and then you will rent to one that won’t treat your property with the proper respect. That’s why security deposits were developed; to give some measure of protection to landlords from the expense of repairing and cleaning a unit after one of those types of tenants has vacated.
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October 17th, 2011
A lease option agreement can be an advantageous arrangement for both the landlord and tenant. However, there are pitfalls that you as a landlord need to be mindful of so that the agreement can be drawn to work to your benefit. Read the rest of this entry “
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October 5th, 2011
Collecting and receiving rent is the cornerstone of investing in rental properties. For some Landlords, collecting rent is not difficult and for others it can be a nightmare.
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September 19th, 2011
With the real estate sales market floundering, investors who buy old houses and renovate them for resale (“flippers”) are finding themselves unable to resell their investments. Many of these investors are becoming reluctant (or unwilling) landlords, and others are pulling back from the real estate investment game altogether.
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