In a recent article published by US News and World Report, a connection was made between the condition one keeps their lawn and a potential to influence one’s FICO score.  In other words, if you are looking for a future mortgage, you had better take good care of your lawn suggests the article.  Click here to read the article and learn more about the new partnership created between FICO and CoreLogic that could have an affect on you if you’re in the market for a mortgage: http://homes.yahoo.com/news/how-bad-lawn-care-could-harm-your-mortgage-rate.html

Rental scammers often seek their victims through email and by posting rental listings on sites such as Craigslist. Red flags alerting you to scams in rental listing postings and emails often include the following:  misspellings, grammatical errors, rent that sounds too good/too low to be true, calls to immediate action, requests to wire money and solicitation of personal information including bank account information, social security numbers or credit card numbers.  Some will even reference God, Reverend, Nigeria, UK, etc.  Not all times, but often scammers will have an email from a free provider (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.).  They often want to rent/move-in a place site unseen and try to create a huge sense of urgency.

Remember never to give out account information especially when solicited by an email, be suspicious if the person only wants to work with wired funds and if the deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  

For detailed information, an explanation of existing scams and how to avoid them, or for help on who to contact if you have been a victim of a rental scam or fraud, please visit www.rentalscams.org.

On the flip side is the tenant’s perspective.  The prospective tenant’s time and needs should also be taken into consideration.  Are you showing that you value their time?  Why should they need to come to your office to pick up and return a key? How can you sell them on the idea of renting out your home over the competition or answer on-site questions if you are not there to provide an individual tour?

For obvious reasons, best practice dictates that showing vacant rental homes is the best policy bar none compared to just having the applicant check out a key and tour the property themselves. Do yourself, your client and a possible new resident a favor and demonstrate that you are a professional property manager.

This winter season, performing the following advice can help prevent frozen or broken pipes:

1.  Drain all yard sprinklers.
2.  Disconnect all exterior hoses and cover the faucets with plastic faucet covers.
3.  Locate all pipes in unheated areas (i.e.:  garage, garden areas, etc.) and insulate them with foam insulation.
4.  When temperatures dip below freezing, cover crawl space vents, but remember to uncover them when the temperature rises.
5.  Turn on a small, steady stream of cold water using the interior faucet furthest from the water meter when the temperature reaches 20 degrees or less.
6.  To let warm air circulate around water pipes, open cabinet doors below the sink during  extremely cold weather.

What to Do if Your Pipes Freeze:

1.  Locate the frozen spot if possible and wrap the pipe with warm towels.
2.  Never use a hair dryer of flame to thaw frozen pipes.
3.  Shut off your water using the hand valve.  If you can’t get the water turned off, call your local utility company for assistance.

Steps to Take if You Will Be Gone for an Extended Period During Winter:

1.  Turn off the water main to the house.  Call your local utility company if you can’t find it or don’t have a hand valve.
2.  After the line is turned off, drain the pipes by running water through faucets and flushing toilets.  Turn off your water heater at the breaker.

Professional Background
When interviewing prospective property management companies or a manager, it is best to get an overall picture of whether or not you are dealing with a professional. As in all industries, there are great, average and not so great people to chose to get the job done. In property management, there are licensed professionals and then there are unlicensed people who are still willing to manage your property for pay. In many states, if a person is going to manage a residential property for a property owner other than themselves, they must be licensed to do so through the state.

In addition to being licensed, it may be relevant to ask about other certifications, qualifications or memberships in professional associations. Often times, memberships and additional certifications demonstrate a professional’s investment, adherence to standards, heightened expertise and overall commitment to the industry in general. For a property management professional, a good place to start would be to find one that is a member of the National Association of Residential Property Managers (www.narpm.org).

Read the full article here

A good residential property manager (PM) or management company can help increase your success and minimize your costs and risks, thereby making things simplified and possibly even more enjoyable for you.

See full article here.

Our Fee:
Our management fee is simply a flat percentage of the gross rent collected on a property. This means if there is no rent collected in a month, there is no fee to you! We also do not charge a lease up or start up fee to you. Many companies will call this a “processing” or “administrative” fee and will charge it to property owners upon first signing a management contract. In addition, we do not charge extra to coordinate routine maintenance, repair work or to pay the property’s bills. This is all included in our monthly fee. Again, check out the competition because this is how many other companies will collect extra fees from the property owner. Pioneer does not like to “nickel and dime their clients”. We not only like to keep things simple, fair and honest, but we see it as part of of our job!

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1. Keep Filters Clean
HVAC systems need clean filters to run at peak efficiency. Dirt and dust will hinder airflow and ultimately force the unit to work harder. Clean or replace filters as often as needed to promote efficiency and reduce overall electricity usage.

2. Program the Thermostat
If possible, give your AC a break during the work day. Shifting to warmer temperatures during the day in this summer season could potentially save the average household’s electric bill up to $180.00 per year according to Energy Star.

3. Seal up Cracks or Openings
Cooled air can escape through cracks in windows or door frames. Sealing up these openings with caulking and weather stripping keep your home better insulated not just during AC season, but all year round, thereby improving energy efficiency by nearly 20% according to Alliance to Save Energy.

4. Avoid Using Appliances During Daytime Hours
Limit the use of heat generating appliances such as the oven, dishwasher and dryer during the hottest parts of the day. The hotter the space, the harder the AC needs to work to cool the space. Save these chores for cooler times of the day to insure your AC won’t be overburdened during the peak hot hours.

5. Close Blinds
Closing blinds to keep out the sunshine and extra heat, especially Southern and Western facing windows, will help keep things cooler and improve efficiency.

6. Use Fans to Cool People
A breeze helps to make things feel cooler, just be sure to turn it off when you’re not in the room. Fans cool people, not rooms.

7. Unplug as Much as Possible
Anything that is plugged in is generating heat. Turn off things like cell phone chargers and computers when not in use. Standby power, especially for appliances, can generate up to 5-10% of residential electricity use.

8. Check Equipment Size and use Energy Star Guidelines
If you’re shopping for a new room or window air conditioner, check the Energy Star guidelines so you don’t overbuy one that is too big for the space. A too powerful unit will waste electricity.

9. Investigate Energy-Efficient Appliances
There are many incentives offered to those buying new energy efficient appliances. Do your homework and check out the following link: http://www.dsireusa.org/ for state incentives.

Every little bit really does help!