MisSpelling Dictionary

Being a Landlord is Simple

Cited: Reality Times

Many people who become a landlord do not have the experience and they discover difficulties and troubles that slowly arise.  That is when they start to believe the horror stories that they have heard from former landlords.  Many of these people are becoming accidental landlords due to the current market conditions and they are looking to others to simplify the rental process.  And one company has stepped up to the plate to help by turning the old process of snail mail checks into electronic checks using the Internet.

A new site called PayYourRent.com aims to ease the process, eliminate the headaches for landlords, property managers, and tenants, and help facilitate rents payments. “What we do is we set up a merchant account that will send funds directly from the tenant’s account right into the owner’s account. It’s all completely electronic. The owner will receive an email that the payment has been made and the money will be deposited into the account,” says Kevin Eberly, CEO of PayYourRent.com.

“It really takes a lot of the frustration away for the homeowners who want to rent their homes but don’t know anything about property management,” says Eberly.

It also simplifies and provides a track record of repair work as well. “We provide a portal and Web site for the owner and tenant to submit maintenance requests, rental applications, online monthly recurring payments, and even connect the entire tenant’s utilities — all on one Web site,” says Eberly.

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Eberly says that some landlords who don’t have much experience may feel that some of the tasks of being a landlord are “out of their comfort zone” or simply too time consuming and that’s where he says his site can come to the rescue. The site helps tenants to make necessary changes quickly and easily online, alleviating the landlord from having to handle a constant stream of questions from tenants. “It’s one Web site where tenants can go to set up their water, power, gas, phone, cable, Internet, renter’s insurance, change of address form—everything is right there on one Web site and it compares prices from the local and the national brand for their area. And it has a best price guarantee,” says Eberly.

Another benefit is the roommate split-payment option. “The original tenant who registers on the site has the ability to add a roommate. So that roommate can go in with a secure username and password and submit payments toward the same property.

What about repairs? Eberly says the site is a great way to track exactly what needs to be done and what repairs have already been completed. The tenant logs in and submits a repair. An email is sent to the property owner or the person who the property owner has designated to receive it. A confirmation email is sent to the tenant. The site provides access 24/7 so that pending repair requests can be viewed by the property owner. Once the property owner marks the repair as completed it is removed from the property owner’s page on the site but PayYourRent.com keeps a back-log of all the previous maintenance requests so that in the event of litigation and the property owner wants proof that the repair was completed, a back-log is available.

“The idea is to make it a one-stop shop for property managers, owners and tenants.”  According to Eberly, the website is constantly improving because of feedback from those using it.  There is a monthly service fee of $15 for fewer than 10 units registered plus a $3.95 per check fee for those registered with the company.

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My Take: This seems like a fantastic service for management companies and landlords as well as tenants.  The only problem I can see is that there are some tenants who do not have Internet access.  However, the option to have the money taken directly from your checking account or credit card could alleviate that problem.

I like the idea that it can keep track of repairs and maintenance.  That would definitely come in handy if an owner wanted to replace the granite countertops in the home or apartment.  Sometimes tenants can be a little rough on the tile countertops requiring that they be replaced.  That is one of the plights of renting your property.  It definitely would help relieve the headaches of maintenance or repairs.

On the other hand, I am someone who does not like giving access to my checking account for my credit card to anybody for automatic payments.  Now if the process would allow me to set up the automatic payments, which would allow me to retain control over those payments, I would probably agree to it.

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Everyone who goes out on Friday or Saturday night to party should have a designated driver.  It would be even better if the designated driver had gone to academy driving school NY.  This would avoid any DUIs and possibly lower insurance rates if it is an approved course by the NY DMV.  You can never learn too much about driving and how to be safe on the road.  In fact, there is a NJ defensive driving course available online for anyone to take.  The same school even offers in NY insurance rate reduction course that is meant to reduce your insurance rates.

Home Security

Home security should be important to everyone whether you live in a house or an apartment.  There are far more homes than there are police officers, not to mention a lot of experienced thieves, so it is very important for you to do everything possible to make your home secure rather than just relying on others for home security solutions.

Ivy League for Dogs

Did you know that there is an Ivy League educational institution that focuses on dog training needs from the very basic to advanced training? In fact, they are the training resource experts seek and consult when dealing with problem dogs, complex situations and behavioral issues and dogs that simply have bad habits. This Oklahoma dog training service also trains police dogs. That is right, they train attack dogs for the police. With their modern and copy written training techniques, they can teach you how to communicate with your dog reliably. In this way, your dog will behave as well as any police dog.

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Does a Tough Market Create More Business?

Cited: Reality Times

Many real estate agents often wonder how they can meet more prospects and get more business.  As with any business professional, they want to know what they need to do to increase their business and meet new prospects.  However, there is something that is more important than just acquiring new business or meeting new prospects.  That is earning the respect of the prospects that you meet to encourage them to do business with you.

You see, as agents we can’t control a lot of things when it comes to having a person buy or sell a home with us. We can’t control their job situation, their credit rating, or even the timing of their desire to move.

But what we can do is significantly impact their desire to want to work with us when it comes to facilitating the buying or selling of their largest personal asset. And if you’re able to do that on a consistent basis with a majority of the prospects you meet, then you’ll have a much better chance of getting more business, simply because it’s a byproduct of their desire to want to work with you.

So with that said, how can you increase your credibility – in their eyes – so that more prospects make you their Realtor of Choice? Here are a couple of my favorites.

Ask the right questions. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people mess this up. Asking the right questions is less about your desire to want to close a deal, and more about developing an understanding of your prospect’s situation.

Some examples include:

Why are you thinking about making a move?

What do you want to see in your ideal neighborhood?

Name a feature in your old house that you want to see in your new home?

What kind of commute do you have now and what’s your tolerance going forward?

Those are all good questions because they focus on your prospects and their situation. From there, you’ll want to provide some ideas and options of different neighborhoods that fit their criteria.

For those looking for a beautiful home in New York . . . The Nyack Riverfront property and hamlets on the Hudson River are much like they were 100 years ago. Colonial, Victorian and other old world structures are found throughout the landscape. And modern, contemporary structures sit high on the mountaintops.  You will find many fine restaurants, art galleries, antique shops, marinas/boat clubs, bike shops, golf courses, country clubs and numerous riverfront parks and hiking trails near the Nyack NY real estate.

Obviously, you’ll want to do a more comprehensive search on MLS to make sure you’re getting everything that’s out there, but saying something like, “Ok, so you don’t want more than a 30 minute commute from downtown and you’re looking for a quiet neighborhood where you can raise a family, right? Have you taken a look at the XYZ subdivision lately? I was showing that to a client the other day, and it really looks like they’ve got some good deals on some nice homes. It’s located about 20 minutes from downtown, and from what I’ve seen, it looks like a really nice neighborhood to raise a family.”

You see how that automatically increases your credibility in the mind of that other person? You gave them information that they probably didn’t know, and you related it to their specific situation.  If you do that enough times, you see how it’s almost impossible for this prospect to not at least consider working with you?  Take my word for it: If you want to get more business in today’s tough market, asking the right questions (and providing insightful points) is always a great start.

Become a Problem Solver. A lot of times you’ll run into situations where a person wants to buy or sell a home, but there are some roadblocks standing in the way. I’m talking about things like credit rating, curb appeal or anything else that impacts your ability to facilitate their purchase, but falls outside of the traditional “Realtor” role.

If you want prospects to really want to work with you, then becoming a problem solver to handle those situations is the way to go. Instead of just saying, “Well it looks like you’ll need some help on getting your credit back into shape”, how about actually having a person – that you already know – who helps people out with these situations.

Instead of saying, “Boy, you really want to consider some landscaping work on the yard before we can even think about selling this house for top dollar”, how about having the name of a handyman or landscaper whose work you’ve personally seen, who can help out with some loose ends around the house.

You see how you identified the problem and provided an option for solving it?  Any Realtor can say, “Do this and do that”, but you’re now coming with options and solutions…which is exactly what you want to do when it comes to earning their respect.

For most people, buying or selling a house is one of the most stressful times in their lot and that is the bottom line.  You want to be the person who can ask the right questions, write the right answers and give options for moving things forward when challenges begin to pile up as they usually do.  You want to be there “go to” person.

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My Take: I believe in the old phrase, “The customer is always right!”  However, as we all know, the customer is also sometimes wrong.  That is why you should always be able to offer a client an alternative solution.  Of course, that does not mean the client will take the advice that you give, but at least you gave it.

For example, let us say that you have a client that is moving to Houston and you have some Houston homes for sale even though the client is not interested in Houston real estate.  They actually want to live on the outskirts of Houston in Cloverleaf, Galena Park or even Bellaire.  However, you have information on foreclosures in Houston that could save your client thousands of dollars.  This is the type of information that clients like and can earn you referrals.

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Home Improvements

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One Minnesota property management company offers expert tenant placement services, including a thorough screening process, and full-service property management.  They will care for your property as if it were their own, giving you freedom and peace of mind.  They also handle many Maple Grove home rentals for their clients as well as an excellent tenant screening service.

New Counters

Believe it or not, new granite countertops can make a home more valuable.  In fact, one wholesale granite slabs retailer has achieved great heights in the stone business and is today one of the leading importers of finished products of slabs, tiles and countertops.  They offer a wide range of material from premium onyx to quality discount granite, all at wholesale pricing.  They even carry over 100 different colors in granite alone and are the dealer of choice for contractors and the general public.

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