What is Your Natural Next Step?

December 24, 2012

We all have one; that natural next step. The issue is choosing where to focus our steps; our attention, our mental energy and resources.

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Multifamily Finance: Paperwork with a Purpose

December 17, 2012

What makes for a viable multifamily commercial loan process? First and foremost a timeline. Add to this a lender provided “checklist” and you can visualize yourself in the starting blocks for the run ahead.

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21 Questions: On Real Estate Demographics

December 10, 2012

Demographic trends make and break fortunes. Demography is a platform to study people and populations, to gain knowledge on communities. As proactive real estate buyers and property managers we need to know the direction of events on the ground surrounding our assets.

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Multifamily Administration: Tax Counsel

November 27, 2012

Behind every successful multifamily asset stands good counsel- both legal and tax. One statement that is absolutely true about tax counsel: if you don’t call, they can’t help.

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On Being Grateful (For America)

November 20, 2012

Most American’s will have a peaceful Thanksgiving day with family and friends. Some will continue to worry throughout this day about Corn prices, gold or oil. Do you ever wish to return to simpler time? When was that, exactly?

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Property Management: 10 Ways to Measure Your Success

November 12, 2012

Do you have time to think? Following is a short list of high value areas to commit property management “thinking time”.

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The Dangerous Game of No Money Down Deals

November 6, 2012

No money down deals in multifamily are a very dangerous game and can be a direct threat to your personal net worth. Tread with caution or better yet do not tread at all…

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Multifamily Apartments: Five Big Trends

October 29, 2012

What “big trends” are driving the multifamily industry? Forget about what’s next, this post explores what’s here. Now.

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Multifamily Devaluation (When Pigs Fly)

October 9, 2012

Pigs don’t fly and functional multifamily assets seldom trade at a significant discount to replacement costs. As much as real estate asset prices are directly connected to revenue and NOI, replacement value is an underlying support to price and perceived value.

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Multifamily Migration to Mobile

October 1, 2012

In the U.S. one in two cell phones is a smart phone. With instant access to the Internet and the right installed applications we have 24/7 mobile interaction with our multifamily assets.

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Multifamily Vacancy: 10 Negatives

September 24, 2012

When signifincant multifamily vacancy becomes an issue it is because of one of three reasons; the people, the paper or the property. To maintain the physical and financial health of an asset extended vacancy requires a property specific game plan.

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Pest Management in Multifamily Housing

September 17, 2012

Pest management is part of property management. Following are some important facts to keep in mind as you consider pest control: education, no-fault reporting, preventative maintenance schedules and treatment.

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Multifamily Interior Design: Home Office Workspace

September 10, 2012

How soon until the place we call work and the place we call home are the exact same place? Modern multifamily designs include home office workspace. Sometimes this is a nook, other-times a room with full connectivity set up for what seems to be space flight from the second bedroom.

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Five Reasons Why Multifamily Occupancy is Sky High

September 3, 2012

Multifamily in the U.S. is experiencing its best occupancy since 2002. Occupancy is high for the same reason gasoline goes up right before Labor Day… supply and demand. There are a few other reasons, of course. Let’s explore them.

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Multifamily Utility Billing – It’s Probably More than You Want to Manage

August 6, 2012

Utility billing is by nature a low cost, low margin business. Since most billing companies’ administrative fees are paid by the resident, and the process adds a lot of work for the manager or owner, it’s almost always a smarter decision to engage a competent billing provider to manage this process.

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It’s a Great Time to be a Borrower

July 30, 2012

The 10-Year US Treasury is currently at a 60-year historic low. The big question is when are interest rates going to go up? But today is a great time to be a borrower.

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Community and Technical Colleges Offer Wealth of Job Talent, Training Resources

July 26, 2012

Our industry employs more than one million people. We need to develop pipelines of new talent. Community and technical colleges can help.

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The Higgs Boson and Property Management- A Match Made in the Cosmos?

July 24, 2012

Property management is filled with tactical actions and decisions which have to be made every hour of every day. Just like subatomic particles in a super collider (just not moving quite that fast).

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Living in a 2% GDP World

July 15, 2012

What’s in a number? Is there really a difference between 1.9% versus 2% GDP? Yes, but where do you find it? Large components of the economy can swing GDP a few tenths or more in a given year. Housing, auto manufacturing, airline and defense are four such components.

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Property Management: Master Keys (My Precious)

July 9, 2012

Today’s property managers often have a single master key that opens all locks on property. Future keys, or entry systems, will have components that include voice recognition, eye or fingerprint scans.

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