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How to Approve Tenants Without Meeting Them

approved-29149_1280-PDI screen hundreds of renters every year for an apartment complex.

I see lots of background checks.  I am going to show you how to approve tenants without ever meeting them.  I have approved hundreds of renters without ever seeing them.  Are you still stuck on seeing and meeting renters?  Give it up, it is not necessary.  I cleaned up a 120 unit apartment complex by creating criteria that keeps most bad tenants out, without ever even seeing a tenant.

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How to Get Higher Rents, the Hard Way!

climbing-380172_1280-PDIf you are like most landlords or property managers, you are always looking for the highest rents, after all, no one I know shoots for the lowest rents.

But there comes an amount where the rent exceeds the value of the property.  Once that happens, you would think that you would not be able to find a renter.  This is not the case.

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Why Using Property Management Is a Waste of Money

purse-522622_1280-PDThis post is likely to rankle a few feathers, especially for the property managers out there. But first a disclaimer; I have 24 rentals that I manage and maintain myself.

I manage and maintain a property for another person, and I have a real estate license. I even have a full-time job.  I have used a big name property manager in the past, with 100% of tenants provided by them that did not make it a year.

So I know a bit about property management and property management companies. I know many other owners that have had similar trouble with property management firms.

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How to Collect Rent On Time

invoice-153413_1280-PDThis is a post about how to collect rent on time.  It is a secret recipe that I am going to share.  The rents for June have all been collected.  23 of 25 are in the bank as of June 3, 2014.  Of course, that means I had them all in hand by yesterday, June 2.    The other two are in hand, as of June 3, but not in the bank, yet.  I challenge any other landlord to beat me on that record.  Here is how I do it.

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Landlords! Here Is How You Do Criminal Background Checks (The RIGHT Way)

three-stooges-516165_1280-PDMy first two posts on tenant screening dealt with the most important aspects of tenant screening, credit and income verification.

In my third post on tenant screening, I discussed, with quite a bit of controversy, the downfalls of past landlord checks. The fourth and final pillar in tenant screening is the Criminal Background Check.

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Renting to Family Members and Friends

trip-307920_1280-PDWhen you rent to family members, you have a unique set of circumstances.  Not only do you have a solid and customer, you also have a customer that might take advantage of you.  This post will help you understand the nuances of renting to family members.  Whether it is moving a person back into the childhood room, or renting your investment property to them, the same criteria apply.

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Targeting Your Market to Maximize Income

dart-board-25780_1280-PDRemember, landlording is a game of probabilities and statistics. By targeting your market, you can maximize profits, that is simple Marketing 101.  If you want to maximize your income, targeting your market is key.

There are good tenants in every category, but you are looking for the highest probability of success, not the needle in a haystack.  Success is defined a tenant that pays rent, leaves the unit in good order, and you make money. Continue reading “Targeting Your Market to Maximize Income”

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Fail-Proof Your Tenant Screening With Prior Landlord Checks

detective-311684_1280-PDI have already written about the two most important facets of Tenant Screening, credit score, and income:

You will never get paid if you do not have tenants that make enough money. You will be continually chasing rents, and other issues, if your tenants have low, or non-existent, credit scores.

This article will focus on the third pillar of tenant screening, past landlord checks.

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How to Fill Apartments Quickly

for-rent-148891_1280-PDThe rental market has been very, very good to me…  My properties have performed well over the past month (and years); getting 100% rent collected (25 for 25) by May 2, once again.  One person, who paid on the second, apologized to me for being late.  Try that with low credit score renters, who generally always pay late.  But since I have a vacancy coming up, this is how I fill apartments quickly. Continue reading “How to Fill Apartments Quickly”