Archive for January, 2016
Management Tips to Increase Cash Flow – By Elizabeth Reynolds
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
We are enjoying a very strong real estate market in California at this time! The rental market is thriving and with low inventory on the market, this is an ideal time to own investment properties in California. Given California’s diversity and the job market strengthening, we have a rising confidence in our economy. Given these excellent conditions, it truly is an investor’s ideal market. If you are an owner and are interested in holding your portfolio for the long term, this may be the perfect time to invest in your own assets and increase the property value and cash-flow. [...]
Continue Reading
Beware the Unofficial, Official-Looking Envelope – by Edgar Saenz, Esq.
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
Has this ever happened to you? A week or two after you or your lawyer record a deed in Los Angeles County, you get a letter from the “Los Angeles Recorder” or the “Local Records Office” or the “Local Records Services”? You open the envelope and discover that for a fee ranging from $80 to $199, the letter writer will send you a copy of “the only document that identifies” you as the property owner. It’s a common occurrence and here’s what you should know. [...]
Continue Reading
Letter to the Editor…City of Richmond Code Enforcement
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
Below is an open-letter discussion between apartment owner, Donald Kreiss and Bill Lindsay, the City Manager of Richmond regarding the Richmond Code Enforcement Program. [...]
Continue Reading
Start the New Year Off With a Rental Operations Manual – By Robert L. Cain
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
Can your rental property business run without you? What if you wanted to take a three-month vacation, could you rest assured that your business would function just fine in the hands of a substitute landlord? What if you wanted to retire and sell off your investment properties, would their value be higher if you had a system in place so that anyone could step in and run them successfully? [...]
Continue Reading
The Impact of Vacancy Decontrol – By Michael St. John
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
Berkeley property owners are glad for vacancy decontrol. It has saved us from the truly unworkable situation that prevailed from 1980 through 1998 – old-style, restrictive rent control that caused not a few owners to lose their properties and that prevented a fair return for us all. Happily, our legislators in Sacramento could see that old-style rent control as practiced in Berkeley, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and East Palo Alto was distorting the rental housing market unreasonably, so they abolished it, replacing it with vacancy decontrol. [...]
Continue Reading
New “Largest-Ever” Apartment Rental Survey Highlights Amenities Consumers Want – By the National Multifamily Housing Council
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
The rise of apartment living is changing communities, driving new development and raising the expectations for the amenities and services offered to the 38 million people in the U.S. who call an apartment home. From walkable neighborhoods to on-site fitness classes, package pick-up solutions to online rent payments and more, new data from the largest-ever survey of apartment residents gives a detailed picture of what apartment residents want – and even what they’d expect to pay for it. [...]
Continue Reading
How Investors Use Leverage to Increase Their Return on Equity – by Albert Banks
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
What is Leverage?
Leverage is the use of debt to increase the potential return of an investment. By using leverage, investors can control more property and potentially increase their Return on Equity (“ROE”) invested. There is no “correct” method of employing leverage. Some investors prefer to maximize leverage (usually 75% Loan to Value (“LTV”) in today’s multifamily market) and assume the additional risk that [...]
Continue Reading
Start the New Year Off Safer – Renters’ Insurance Benefits Tenants and Landlords – By Stacey A. Scott
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
Renters’ insurance can cost your tenants as little as $10 to $20 per month and could save you, as the landlord, thousands in claims, out of pocket expenses and insurance rate hikes.
A typical renters’ insurance policy covers property for the tenant’s belongings, emergency housing and moving expenses plus liability insurance which can serve as the primary insurance coverage in some claims. A claim you or your insurance company could end up paying if there was no other coverage available. [...]
Continue Reading
27 New Year’s Resolutions and New Laws for Landlords – by Patricia A. Harris
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
AOA Consultants get calls daily from our members with a variety of problems; some unfortunately after our owners are already in trouble. Please use the below as a guide to easier management, money-saving ideas and to avoid potential legal problems in the New Year. Our goal is your continued success! [...]
Continue Reading
FORECASTS & TRENDS U.S. Debt to Hit $20 Trillion, Poverty Remains Rampant – by Gary D. Halbert
Posted on 01. Jan, 2016 by AOA of California, INC..
As long-time clients and readers are well aware, the explosion in our national debt has been one of my continuing themes over the last 30+ years, under both Republican and Democrat presidents. So today’s discussion is not a political issue, and it should worry us all. [...]
