The Reality of New Year’s Resolutions

It’s been about a week since you sat down and made your proverbial New Year’s Resolution.  Odds are you are doing well keeping them so far.
Your glowing determination to succeed fades quickly after a few months.  Here are the revealing realities of New Year’s Resolutions.
40-45% of adult Americans make one or more New Year’s Resolutions.
75% keep resolutions past 1 week
71% keep resolutions past 2 weeks
64% keep resolutions past 1 month
46% keep resolutions after 6 months.
That means only 16 to 20% of adult Americans stick with a goal longer than 6 months.  80-84% of Americans fail completely. Explicitly writing out goals increases success rate by 10 times.

America’s most popular New Years Resolution.
•    Lose Weight
•    Manage Debt
•    Save Money
•    Get a Better Job
•    Get Fit
•    Eat Right
•    Get a Better Education
•    Drink Less Alcohol
•    Quit Smoking Now
•    Reduce Stress Overall
•    Reduce Stress at Work
•    Take a Trip
•    Volunteer to Help Others
Read the rest of this entry »

What type of property should I invest in?

June 24th, 2013

What a great question. We get this one a lot and the answer really lies completely in the middle class. What do I mean by that? What I mean is that the best place to purchase for an investment property is the property that most people in the country are looking for, 3 bedroom and 2 baths.
The 3bed/2bath home is the single most sought after property type in the country. How big? 1200-1800 sq feet. Very average middle american home. Why is that the best investment type? #1. Most people are looking for it. #2. Historically it has shown to increase in value over time. #3. Newer families want it and families that have kids leave the home want it. #4. Affordable. Most every city has an affordable market and this home is what sets the standard for everything else.
If you don’t want a home then that is fine also. Many people invest in ‘units’ or apartments and go that route and it has proven to be a very successful way to go about things. When people ask me about this I am always curious what their long term strategy really is. Do they want to make money month to month or do they want some long term equity? If someone wants month to month money then I tell them to go ahead and go for the units but if they want long term equity they really need to look at the land the units are on. IF the units are in a good area with good growth around them then go for it, but if the units are in a slum or somewhere else then i tell them to run away because over time they won’t make real money on the equity of the property.

Phoenix Market Picking up

July 11th, 2013

In September of 2011 the Phoenix market was considered one of the worst in the country. The low point hit when the median price for a house fell to 118k. When the market was at its peak the area got a value of around 266k per home and things were great.
Today an article was posted on the MSN MONEY page about the Phoenix market that I think everyone should read. I’ll post the link here. PHOENIX REAL ESTATE.

Renting Authority Thanks You

When Renting Authority was started we had some great ideas on what we could do to really help people with rental properties. We think that over the years we have really been able to do a lot of those things and much of that success is attributed to the great people that we get to work with every day. In some cases we work with individuals who have one property and in others it is those with thousands of units that need to be taken care of and we always find a way to get those situations taken care and providing a stress free service for lots of amazing people.

So today the blog will be short and sweet. We love what we do and we love to interact with you on so many different levels. We are here to help and provide a needed service to anyone interested. Thank you.
Troy Boldt

Paying for Real estate education

August 29th, 2013

I know, what a strange topic right? In reality though I wanted to talk about something that has come up quite a bit lately in the news. Donald Trump is being sued by the State of New York for offering real estate education and having people pay for it and I’m not sure at all what he did wrong.
I’ve read the complaints where people claim that they paid for things that didn’t happen or didn’t take place. People complained about paying for services that never happened. I get that and I agree with them. If you pay for a service that isn’t provided then you have every right. Where I get a little bothered is where people pay for the service and the service is fulfilled and then they ask for a refund. This falls under the classification of education. If I attend college and I study criminal justice but I decide not to do anything with that degree then is that my fault or the schools fault. Do I get a refund? NO. Of course you don’t get a refund at all. When a company makes an agreement with an individual it goes 2 ways. One is the company promising to provide and educational service with the other party doing what they are supposed to do. If I charge someone 500 dollars to attend a real estate seminar and they attend and learn then I’ve done my part. That person has no right to a refund unless I do not fulfill my part of the obligation. But once the education is taught the responsibility falls to the person who received it. While, in theory, I could make a real estate transaction for someone it simply doesn’t fall into my responsibility as an educator. That’s where Trump is coming in. If people were told they would make specific amounts of money or anything outside of the area of education then Trump has to fulfill that but if people were sold education then it is that specific persons job to turn that education into action.
Would I pay for real estate education? Of course I would. I would pay for any type of education that can benefit me in my life. Some of the best and brightest minds have paid for educational services that have served them very well. Real estate is an area of life where people can make or lose a lot of money so it is best to know what you are talking about. Think about it, if you paid 5k for an educational experience and you learned something that saved you 15k on your current housing situation you would be very glad wouldn’t you?

5 Questions with Multifamily Plumbing Expert, Stephen Poff

Rental Housing Journal sat down with Stephen Poff of STOP, Inc. Here’s what Stephen had to say about plumbing for the apartment and rental housing industries.

Rental Housing Journal: What are the 2 or 3 most common plumbing issues you run in to while servicing apartments?

Stephen Poff: The most common issue we encounter servicing apartment complexes would be plugged kitchen sinks. These are problematic because they can cause multiple sinks on a single stack to back-up, and possibly flood out a lower unit. Another very common issue would be main water line breaks between the water meter and the building. Most of the time a plumber is able to make a temporary repair to slow the leak down, or stop it completely. By doing this we can give the apartment manager the 24 hour notice needed to shut down the water and make a final repair.

RHJ: When it comes to plumbing, what is the biggest concern that property managers and owners should have in the Puget Sound region?

SP: In the Puget Sound area, we seldom have long or deep freezes like a lot of other parts of the country. This can be a problem, because every couple years, when it does happen, people are often unprepared. It’s always a good idea to insulate any exposed piping from the elements, even if you have never had a problem.

RHJ: Do you have any simple tips for landlords in regards to preventing plumbing issues at their properties?

SP: Removing garbage disposals from kitchens can save a lot of headache by avoiding back-ups. Disposals can be a great convenience, but are often abused and used to send large quantities of food and debris down the line that would otherwise be discarded in the trash.

RHJ: What’s the craziest situation you’ve ever come across while working at an apartment?

SP: One of the most costly and messy jobs I’ve encountered at a complex was in the Tacoma area. A large building at an apartment complex had a main sewer line break in the crawl space. This break went un-noticed until 5 footings in the crawl space had completely filled with sewage. It was to the point where sewage was overflowing at an access in a tenant’s closet. We had to remove upwards of 100,000 gallons of raw sewage using vacuum trucks just to access the crawl space to make a repair on the sewer line.

RHJ: What advice do you have for apartment managers or rental owners when choosing a plumbing company?

SP: I would recommend a company that has a fair hourly rate and truck/travel charge. Check to see if they charge any port-to-port fees, and if they charge by the hour, half hour, quarter hour. Also, stay away from flat rate companies. Flat rates are typically used to hide high hourly rates, and will often be in the favor of the company. Flat rates are nice to be able to know the cost upfront, but any hourly rate company can give you a bid with a not to exceed clause before starting the work.

About STOP: STOP Inc was formed with Multi-Family and rental owners and managers in mind. They specialize in reliable service at any time or day. STOP’s company goal is to help maintain clients properties in the most efficient manner, based both on costs and longevity. STOP Inc was formed in 2009, and has grown from a one man shop to a 15 employee company covering from Centralia to Bellingham. Everyone on our staff is very familiar and experienced with the types of service required by Multi-Family housing. Stop, Inc can be reached at 877-380-7904