All Forum Posts by: Alexandra Page

Hello BP,

I am curious... those of you who are using Buildium for HOAs, what do you use for your property management company's bookkeeping?  I'm inclined to use Quickbooks but would like to know what has worked for you.

Thanks in advance & happy Friday!

I am in the middle of converting to Buildium. The source data is in Quickbooks, from a company that has had various staff over the years using fields inconsistently (tenant info, alternate mailing address, y/n owner occupancy, etc.) 

I’m trying to get the associations & association owners uploaded as quickly as possible to start using the software this quarter. 

Two questions: 

1. How relevant is master deed address, for example a townhome known as 28 Canterbury Way BUT per the deed it’s 28 Canterbury H31. The owners don’t use this H31, but it’s on the master deed, should this be put in Buildium for unit even though 28 is the common address?  

2. Any other tips/general rules of thumb for moving from QB to Buildium? I have been doing QB export to CSV & then retrofitting the Buildium templates with the data from the CSV file (it just doesn’t all flood in correctly) 

Any help would be appreciated! 

"Dabs are concentrated doses of cannabis that are made by extracting THC and other cannabinoids using a solvent like butane or carbon dioxide, resulting in sticky oils also commonly referred to as wax, shatter, budder, and butane hash oil (BHO). They’re heated on a hot surface, usually a nail, and then inhaled through a dab rig. "   not legal...

These are condo'd units, where we own several but there are other owners/tenants.  My feeling on it is if you own the property, do what you want but there are complaints about the smell, there are multiple tents set up + the illegal component of making the wax too.   We don't allow smoking so this shouldn't be any different

Has anyone started inserting language into their leases re: prohibition growing marijuana plants AND manufacturing dabs/wax?

I need to add some language to our leases & hoping some other landlords have pointers on how to best encompass both items.

@Ryan Hebert - That seems like a good way to circumvent the law, but I would still definitely check with my attorney.  Ultimately, you have to ask yourself if a credit score/report is the best way to assess these applicants.  My husband & I don't review credit reports.  We find with our tenants that they're often in transitional situations.  I.e. going through a divorce, moving out for the first time, new to this country, etc.  Often, these candidates won't have good credit, sometimes any credit.  We look at employment history, collect proof of income & also, in some cases require a co-signer.  The big red flag for us is if they have had any prior evictions, which can be verified at masscourts.org.  If they have been through the housing court system, that's an automatic no.

I wouldn’t do it. In Massachusetts, it’s not legal to charge an application fee; it’s done pretty frequently but it shouldn’t be. MA is so tenant friendly, I don’t think it’s worth the risk to operate in legal gray area... See below: http://phillipsgarcialaw.com/massachusetts-prohibits-application-fees-from-tenants/

Hi Ryan,

I think if you look at Framingham over the past 6 mos. you'll notice quick days to offer, plenty of homes selling over asking & overall briskness in the market.  Natick has become cost prohibitive over the past 5 years.  Anecdotally, this has been very surprising to some people who previously associated Natick with the mall & not much else.  I am anticipating the migration patterns to continue west.  I don't think it's too far for Boston, as you menitoned, there's still a commuter rail stop in Framingham, but also Ashland, Southborough, etc.  Plenty of people choose these communities for still having decent access to the pike & the amenity of the commuter rail while being less expensive, particularly for entry level housing.  

There's plenty of untapped potential but I would check in with the FPD for local crime data for specific areas like Framingham Center, where they still have a lot of loitering, visibly under the influence people on the street, blight, etc. Multi-family inventory is low because rents are actually rather high, if you figure that $900/mo (the lowest rent posted in MLS over the past 6 mos.) is what was required to lease a 271 SF condo.

Good luck!

Go independent! You can define your terms and assuming your brokerage will still be positioned to earn, they'll have the most flexibility in providing you with a split that will be mutually satisfactory - that's how my business works.

@Michael Noto - Thanks! We've had to pursue the eviction process in the past with our rental units so we factored that potential cost in, just not sure if perhaps by giving these folks an incentive to leave the property in decent condition that this could go more smoothly...

My husband & I just bought a home at auction in MA to flip this spring - it is currently occupied.  He is considering offering a $1000-1500 for them to vacate just prior to closing for us to be able to get started with the rehab right away & hopefully entice them to not trash the place vs. having to serve them, potentially hire bonded movers, etc.  Does anyone have any experience doing this sort of thing to soften the blow for a couple who just lost their house?

Thanks in advance!