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5 times you'll be glad you have a property manager

5 times you’ll be glad you have a property manager

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Managing your own investment property may seem like the thrifty thing to do. After all, a property manager will charge you to manage your rental home, so why not do it yourself?

One reason is that an experienced property manager, spending no more money than you would spend yourself, can easily and efficiently manage your property while you live your life. He knows the most reliable vendors to use to maintain your home, the appropriate legal experts to deal with problem tenants, and has the infrastructure to handle issues that may arise at inconvenient times.

Here are 5 times you’ll be glad you have a property manager.

1. Late night phone calls

A good property management company will have an emergency contact line tenants can call in case of an important problem. If you’re managing your property yourself, this call will come to you. Imagine your cellphone ringing at 2:00 AM, with a tenant insisting that their clothes dryer isn’t heating up properly.

An emergency? The tenant says they have an interview in the morning, and they need to wear their lucky shirt. But what can you do about it during the night? This is an appliance. Is it even your responsibility?

If you have a property manager, the emergency line at their office will to take the call, reassure the tenant that someone is listening, determine if the dryer really is your responsibility to fix, and inform the tenant about how to put in a maintenance request.

All you have to do is read the email from your property manager once the problem is taken care of.

2. A needed vacation

Your day job has been taking all your time, so you plan a vacay with the family. A well-needed trip to the mountains to spend family time under the stars. But as you’re packing the car, a hysterical tenant calls to say that she is filing for divorce, and wants the locks changed on her house immediately.

The tent goes back in the closet, and your son goes back to his video games. Instead of time with the family, you are off to change the locks on your rental home.

A property manager will have well established procedures for this situation. While you’re cooking hot dogs by the fire, your property manager will handle the issue.

You can throw your line in the water.

3. Evictions

Do you enjoy taking time off from work to go to court? Do you know the legal requirements and procedures for an eviction? This is one part of renting that most landlords would like to pass on to the experts.

A property manager has legal experts they work with, making sure that every step of an eviction is handled legally and with a minimum of problems. Then they’ll find you a new, highly-qualified tenant.

And you never have to see the inside of a courtroom.

4. Neighbor Complaints

You’re at your day job, about to give a presentation in a big meeting. But your phone rings. It is an irate neighbor, the guy who lives next to the tenant in your rental property.

Apparently, your tenant’s poodle has been pooping in the neighbors yard. The neighbor is angry. He wants you to go talk to your tenant, NOW.

If someone manages your property, this call would have gone to his office. Your property manager knows how to deal with neighbor complaints, and stops the neighbor feud before it gets out of hand.

You’d be giving a great presentation at your meeting, never even knowing about your tenant’s poodle.

5. Weather Damage

A record-breaking snow storm hits Colorado Springs (sound familiar?), and not only are your trees down, a 50-year-old pine has fallen on your mother’s roof.

But can you go help your mother? No. Why? A tree actually crashed through a window at your rental property, and your tenant can’t wait for help.

A good property manager will be on this in a second. He has vendors on call to take tenant calls and immediately get out to the property to remove the tree and fix the window.

You can go to your mother’s house and help her out.

Summary

These are just some examples of things you might (and probably will) face when you try to manage your own property. Although a property management company will have some up-front costs, overall, you may end up spending no more than you would have in trying to do everything yourself.

And as illustrated in these examples, a lot of stress and effort will be avoided by hiring the right company.

Are you interested in what a Colorado Springs property manager could do for you? Call All County® Colorado Springs today to get a free assessment of your investment property. (719) 445-7172

You’ll be glad you did!

June 2019 Colorado Springs Real Estate Statistics

June 2019 Colorado Springs Local Real Estate Stats

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With home prices skyrocketing in the Colorado Springs metro area, more people are having trouble affording to buy a new home. The PPAR market needs an influx of homes to rent. If you have investment property you’d like to rent, call us today at (719) 445-7172 Here are some of the numbers in the PPAR region for June. You can read more by clicking here: https://ppar.com/MarketTrends.aspx

Total Residential Sales: 1,651

This number is down 4.9% from last year, reflecting rising home prices.

Total Active Listings: 2,123

This is down 1.7% from June of 2018.

Median Price of Home: $331,000

Still rising, up 16% from last year at this time, when it was $285,250. As home prices rise, the market needs more rental homes.

Average Days on Market: 24

This number usually goes down during the summer. Last year it was 21, showing DoM is up 14.3% this year

Summary

Home prices are rising fast. There are just not enough homes in the price range most people want in the PPAR region.

What does all of this mean? It’s a great time to have a Colorado Springs investment home, and a great time to rent a home in Colorado Springs! Check out our available rentals at: http://allcountycs.com/available-rentals

Call us today at: (719) 445-7172 for more information about renting out your home in Colorado Springs.

All County is here for you!

Are you hot? Time to cool down.

Are you hot? Time to cool down.

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Are you hot? The 1st day of summer is June 21st, so it’s time to start summerizing your home. (Is that a word?) There’s a lot you can do to keep your family cool without spending too much money.

Close the blinds

Simple, right?

I don’t want to bore you with statistics, but I’m going to give you some anyway. Family Handyman says that 30% of unwanted heat comes from windows. Blocking that sunlight can save you up to 7% on your utility bill, and lower the indoor temp by as much as 20 degrees!

Are you hot? Try these window things:

Keep blinds and curtains closed

Before you go to work, close all the blinds. Pull the curtains closed.

Add press-on window tinting

Here, you can get as creative as you want. There is decorative tinting that looks like stained glass. You can get 1-way tinting that lets you see out, but not in. One way window film can block out up to 85% of infrared rays and 97% of UV rays, really reducing heat and glare.

Invest in blackout curtains

Blackout curtains do what they say: block sunlight. Consumer Reports recommends neutral-colored curtains with light block backing to reduce heat up to 33%. You don’t have to spend a bundle. You can buy the fabric and make the curtains yourself, or pick them up at do-it-yourself stores anywhere.

Solar screens

Many companies are now offering sun blocking screens. These can filter up to 90% of the light coming int the room, while letting you have the window open for ventilation. Great idea!

Are you still hot?

Make sure your ceiling fans rotate counter-clockwise

You knew this, right? Ceiling fans run two different directions, to help with hot or cold weather. Set to run counter-clockwise in the summer at a higher speed, the fan will create a wind-chill breeze effect that will make you and your guests feel cooler.

Are you still hot?

Put on your apron and get grilling

Who needs an excuse to get outside and show off your master grilling talents? If you’re using the oven, it’ll heat up your house quickly. So go outside to cook!

But run your kitchen exhaust fan anyway. It’ll draw hot air out of the kitchen whether you’re cooking inside or not.

Still hot?

If you’re looking for a place to rent with air conditioning, call us, or go to: available-rentals on our website to look at what’s available in Colorado Springs. Or call us at: (719) 445-7172 for more info. It’s never been easier to rent a home! Or be cool.

Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event

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All County attended the K9 event on Saturday and had a great time, while supporting our local heroes. Thanks to everyone who came out to man the booth, participate in the events, donate, and bid on our gift basket. It was a blast!

Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event
Homes for Heroes color guard makes their entrance.
 Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event

Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event
The winner of the All County gift basket donation. A special basket celebrating our 4-legged friends.

Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event
Another homespun booth at the K9 Party!
 Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event

Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event
Broncos Cheerleaders came out to support our heroes. Have to get your picture taken with the Broncos Cheerleaders! These girls work tirelessly for Colorado good works!
 Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event

Homes for Heroes Community Cares K9 Event
Ziggy the mountain goat has been a fixture at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC games at Weidner Field since he first descended from the Rocky Mountains looking to spread his passion for the game to local fans. He loved our booth!

NARPM 13th Annual Landlord’s Symposium

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This week, we attended the Colorado Springs Chapter of NARPM 13th Annual Landlord’s Symposium at Hotel Elegante. This year, the theme was entitled, Tools for the Modern Property Manager.

Some of the featured speakers were:

Brian Birdy

Brian Birdy of NARPM
Brian Birdy of NARPM

Brian Birdy was first to speak in the morning. He talked about all of the tools now available for property managers, and how to make the most of them.

James Barrett

James Barrett of NARPM

James Barrett talked about the path that led him to develop Tenant Turner, software that funnels leads from the most popular websites in the prequalification process.

Vickie Gaskill

Vickie Gaskill of NARPM

Vickie Gaskill spoke in the afternoon, covering her long and varied career through property management that has given her a good overview of the entire system.

All County® Colorado Springs employees enjoy the 13th Annual NARPM Landlord's Symposium
All County® Colorado Springs employees enjoy the 13th Annual NARPM Landlord’s Symposium
All County® Colorado Springs employees enjoy the 13th Annual NARPM Landlord's Symposium
All County® Colorado Springs employees enjoy the 13th Annual NARPM Landlord’s Symposium

5 Easy Ways to Impress Prospective Tenants

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Face it. If you are looking for a rental home for your family, whether short or long term, you want a clean comfortable place to call home. Think about what you would want for your family, and then make sure your rental home reflects those qualities.

Do what your prospective renter would do. Pull up to the house and look at what your renters will see. How does you home look from the curb? Then walk through the property as if you are considering renting it, and be honest with yourself. What needs cleaning? What needs updating? Then go to work.

1. The Front Yard

This is not only the first impression of your property, it is the image that will be marketed on social media and real estate websites, and any print media you choose to use. If you don’t spend a lot of time cleaning anywhere else, make sure the curb appeal is pristine!

2. The Kitchen

Much of a family’s life takes place in the kitchen, so an updated kitchen can be the biggest selling point (or renting point) of a home.

Of course the kitchen should be free of clutter and very clean. For a cleaning checklist, check out our (cleaning guide at:) But updating here will go the furthest for your property value. Painting cabinets and installing new countertops can make a rental home seem like new.

3. Bathroom

Ask yourself—would you want to spend time in this bathroom? Would you let your child linger in the tub, or sit on the floor?

If no, then how can you update the bathroom to make it more inviting?

Again, a good coat of paint can go a long way. Then make sure everything is scrubbed shiny.

For staging, add fluffy rugs and towels to make the space cozy.

4. Bedrooms

What do you look for in a bedroom? Most people want enough room for their furniture, and closets that will give them space for their clothing. Clean carpets, walls, and windows are also important.

Cleaning the carpets is a given, but think about new carpet if worn or stained.

Instead of having one rod in the closet, rebuilding the interior with specialized space-savers can impress a potential tenant.

Clean curtains, blinds, and windows, and make sure there is plenty of light for the showing. Add a plugin scent to complete the picture of a relaxing space.

5. Home Temperature

Most home have heating systems already, but do you have air conditioning in your rental home? If not, consider adding it, or have window units tucked away for tenants to use. If you offer window units, make sure you have any necessary window inserts needed to install them properly without causing damage to your property.

If you show your home when it’s hot outside, have the air conditioning running before the showing.

Also, a good check on the heater can save you problems once the home is rented. Get the heater in good shape for renting.

Summary

Make your rental home somewhere you would like to live. Then prospective tenants will want to rent there, and your renters will be happier. Updating is something all homes need, so why not get it down before you try and rent?

Then repeat this process between every tenant. Your property and your tenants will appreciate it!

Want help preparing your rental home in the Colorado Springs area? Call us today at: (719) 445-7172

Want to rent a home? Check out our available rentals in Colorado Springs at: http://allcountycs.com/available-rentals

Remember! All County is here for you, whatever your rental needs!

October 2018 Colorado Springs Real Estate Statistics

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October 2018 Colorado Springs Real Estate Statistics, Copyright Pikes Peak REALTOR® Services Corp.

The Seller’s Market trend of the past few years is definitely cooling off. Year-over-year homes sales are still dropping. The Days on Market has extended to a bit over a month, 31 days. Although a buyer’s market is emerging, the PPAR market still needs more family-priced residential homes to rent. If you have a home to rent, are interested in renting out your home, call us today at (719) 445-7172 Here are some of the numbers in the PPAR region for October 2018. You can read more by clicking here: https://ppar.com/MarketTrends.aspx

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How a Military Family can Rent Their Home Fast

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Imagine this scenario. You’re stationed in Colorado Springs. You buy a home for your family because you love it here. But now you have ordered and must move. You don’t have time to sell your home, or the real estate market just isn’t right for you to make money right now. A friend mentions you could rent out your home while you’re gone, and even make a little money. Here’s how a military family can rent their home fast.

When you start to think about the whole process of renting, you might just throw up your hands and give up. It can seem too complicated to get to know about renting well enough to be able to set things in motion before you leave. Thankfully, we have some answers! Our property management company is owned by Colonel Scott Glascock, who understands the military family.

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It’s Colorado Springs Sprinkler Blowout Time

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It’s fall in Colorado Springs. Snow is falling, and temperatures are plummeting. We want to keep those pipes from freezing. If you have a sprinkler system, it’s time to blow it out, so icing over doesn’t burst those pipes.

Can you say expensive? You don’t want to have to pay to fix your sprinkler system or clean up flooding from burst pipes. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

With All County, the residents must have their sprinkler system winterized by a professional service before November 1st. Do this now! Vendors get booked quickly.

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