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You have a noise problem in Gainesville. The property management pros of Northern Virginia (That’s us.) have the solution.
You have a problem. The property management pros have the solution.
What’s the problem?
Noise.
See, there’s this duplex you own in Gainesville, Virginia. In one of the units lives a newly married couple (We’ll call them… Married Couple.) and their six-month old son. You couldn’t ask for better tenants: They pay the rent on time, every time, and they never complain. Or well, they HAD never complained until recently. Last month, someone new (He’s Mr. Single Guy.) moved in nex
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A Rental Safety & Maintenance Checklist for Landlords in Fairfax, Virginia — And Beyond!
Home. It’s a place of respite at the end of a long day; a place to put your feet up; a place you fill with love and family; a safe, warm, comforting place. Or it should be, but the reality is, sometimes home isn’t so safe. Accidents happen. Mold creeps in.
And tenants call for maintenance.
Listen, we’ve got good news.
When you made the decision to rent out your grandmother’s house in Fairfax, you signed on to answer the call. (Okay, you got me. That’s not the good news.)
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5 Property Management Books Worth Reading
New or inexperienced property investors sure get an earful. Property management veterans love nothing more than to give (sometimes unsolicited) advice about where the best properties are located, and which types are the best. As with anything else, some of the advice will be great and useful, and some will be muck; it can be different for a newbie to discern what to consider and what to toss aside.
From our perspective, the best place to start is at the library or the bookstore.
Pr
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How Much Does Property Management Cost?
When you're looking to purchase a property, you will need to have a thorough budget set down in order to make sure that you can get a proper return on your investment. That's why one of the most common questions that we get is, "How much do you charge?"
We can't blame investors for wanting to know, but the answer is not as simple as you might think.
There are a variety of different ways that fees can be structured. Sometimes, it depends on the type of property. Sometimes, it depends on the num
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Want To Buy A Home? Top Tips for Post-Recession Home-Buying
The economy is slowly bouncing back, and for the first time in a long while, people are willing to dip their toes in the water of home ownership. Though cautionary tales of underwater mortgages, foreclosures and "accidental landlords" abound, consumer confidence is rising in the housing market.
But we live in a different world now than in 2007. What was standard advice then doesn't work so well now. Here's what you should know to get the house of your dreams -- not a nightmare
Get Pre-Appro
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Why Tenant Screening Is So Important
Ask any property manager or rental property investment this question, and they're sure to give you an earful. Tenant screening isn't just important, it's crucial. Your tenants will make or break your success as a real estate investor. They can cause headaches, run your property into the ground, and take time, energy and legal costs to evict.
Diligent screening is the best -- the only -- way to foil nightmare tenants. It's not a foolproof guarantee you'll never have any problems, but it p
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What To Consider When Choosing a Property Management Company
So you've decided to look into hiring a property management firm. But what are you looking for? This article provides a checklist.
Cost: The first thing every landlord wants to know is "What's this going to cost me?" Most property management companies charge a percentage of gross rents. This percentage varies from 4% on up to 20%, so you'll want to compare several companies. The percentage also tends to drop based on how many units you own.
Other Costs: Typically, maintenance, re
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How To Evict A Tenant
It’s every landlord’s nightmare: a problem tenant who just can’t be reasoned with, who will not fulfill the terms of their lease, or who destroys property. Even if you screen tenants carefully, run background checks, and follow up on references, chances are that you’ll have to evict someone at some point. If you’re a landlord, it’s just a fact of life.
Like death and taxes, there’s no getting out of the need to evict a troublesome tenant. But first make sure you have grounds to ev
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Should I Rent Or Buy?
After politics and religion, nothing contributes more to frosty discussion around the holiday dinner table than whether it’s smarter to rent or to buy.
There are many arguments to make in one direction or the other. You can argue pro-career mobility, or pro-community building. There’s the “throwing money away” argument and the “hidden costs of homeownership” argument. There’s the argument that home values barely keeping pace with inflation versus the fact that homeowners tend to h
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Getting Your Home Ready To Rent When The Military Transfers You
It is not only landlords who require the services of a property management firm. At Real Property Management, we also manage estates and vacation properties.
Any property is a responsibility, and an estate is more responsibility than most. A full time caretaker seems like overkill for a home you live in only a few months a year, but you can’t very well leave it empty, can you?
That’s where Real Property Management comes in. Wit