All Forum Posts by: Brian Teeter

 Love it!! I think what people miss is: 

Search engines: Retrieve information.

AI: Understands, analyzes, and generates information.

 Thanks Ryan! I agree, it's a great tool. 

I own a property management business in Little Rock, Arkansas.  As someone managing properties for multiple owners, I’ve been keeping an eye on the recent federal legislation — the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill — and there are some real opportunities buried in it for current real estate owners. This is certainly not a political post. Agree or disagree with the Bill, its here and we might as well understand how it impacts our business and clients.

While most of the online buzz has focused on BRRRR investors and tax pros, I think we as property managers are in a unique position. Many of our clients may not even realize that this bill could meaningfully impact their cash flow, tax position, and investment strategies — especially if they’ve recently renovated, refinanced, or are considering expanding their portfolio.

Here are the two key provisions worth discussing with your clients:

1. 100% Bonus Depreciation Through 2027
Clients can now depreciate many capital improvements in full during year one — appliances, HVACs, roofing, flooring, etc. This is especially helpful for owners who’ve recently completed big renovations or have capital work planned.

Key distinction:

• If your client is a Real Estate Professional (750+ hours/year and over 50% of work time in real estate), they can often use these losses to offset W-2 or business income.
• If not, they can still use the bonus depreciation — but it will typically only offset passive rental income.
  Still, that’s a big help in reducing tax burdens from cash-flowing rentals.

2. Increased Interest Deductibility (Section 163(j))
The deduction cap for interest payments has jumped from 30% to 40% of adjusted taxable income — a major win for owners with leverage, particularly those using DSCR or hard money loans to scale.

As long as their real estate is held through a business entity (LLC, S-Corp, etc.), this benefit applies — whether they're full-time investors or not.

Why It Matters for Property Managers

This legislation could help your clients:

• Maximize deductions in 2025 and beyond
• Revisit the timing of renovations and capital expenditures
• Strategically use leverage with improved interest deductibility
• Reduce their taxable income — and reinvest savings into more doors

As managers, we can play a key advisory role here — even if it’s just connecting owners with good CPAs who understand the game.

Is anyone here actively talking to clients about these changes?
What’s the response been so far?
Are any of your clients changing how they approach renovations, tax planning, or refinancing strategies based on this?

Curious to hear what others are seeing in their markets.

Let’s trade notes — this feels like one of those “quiet wins” that proactive investors and managers can really capitalize on.

Politics aside — what’s done is done. But there’s some good news for investors buried in the recently passed federal bill (nicknamed the One Big Beautiful Bill) that could seriously benefit your investing strategy. Whether you're doing this part-time while juggling another job or you're all-in as a full-time Real Estate Professional (REP), as I see it, there are some real wins to pay attention to.

Im an investor and also work with investors in Little Rock, Arkansas. I find that everyone always likes to focus on Cash Flow and Appreciation. BUT, I find my average investor doesnt always fully appreciate the tax advantages and factor those into their numbers when analyzing a deal. 

Two Big Wins for Part-Time BRRRR Investors:

1. 100% Bonus Depreciation — Still a Win (with Limits)
If you're rehabbing properties post-acquisition, you can now fully depreciate many capital improvements (roofs, HVACs, appliances, flooring, etc.) in year one.
Part-Time Investor Caveat:
If you're not classified as a Real Estate Professional by the IRS, these depreciation losses are considered passive. That means they can only offset passive income (like rental profits), not your W-2 or other active income.
Tip: Coordinate timing of renovations with your CPA to maximize use of passive losses — especially if you have other rental income to offset.

REP Advantage:
If you are a Real Estate Professional (i.e., spend 750+ hours/year and over half your working time in real estate), these losses can be used to offset active income like W-2 wages or business income — significantly increasing your tax savings.

2. Increased Business Interest Deductibility — A Huge Boost for Leveraged Deals
Real estate businesses can now deduct up to 40% of adjusted taxable income for interest expenses (up from 30%).
This is a huge help for BRRRR investors — especially those using DSCR loans, hard money, or other leverage-heavy strategies.
Part-Time Friendly: Even if you're not full-time, you can qualify for this benefit as long as you're structured as a real estate business (LLC, S-Corp, etc.).
Electing out of Section 163(j) is still an option but would require you to use the longer ADS depreciation method — worth a strategic discussion with your tax advisor.

Quick Recap:

For Part-Time BRRRR Investors:

• Bonus Depreciation: YES — offsets passive income only.
• Interest Deduction (163(j)): YES — as long as you’re structured as a business.

For Full-Time REPs:

• Bonus Depreciation: YES — can offset both passive and active income.
• Interest Deduction (163(j)): YES — with potentially bigger impact due to larger active income deductions.

This bill opens doors for both sides of the fence — whether you’re scaling a few rentals on the side or fully immersed in real estate. The difference is in how you can apply these benefits — and smart planning can help you get the most from them either way.

Is anyone here adjusting their acquisition or renovation timelines to take advantage of this? Or changing how they’re structured for tax purposes?

Would love to hear what your CPAs or tax strategists are recommending.

Let’s compare notes!

You’re in a tricky spot, and you’re right to tread carefully. A few thoughts based on experience and general legal principles (though of course, check with a local attorney for specifics in your jurisdiction):

1. Joint and Several Liability Still Applies

As long as the lease is in effect and all three tenants signed as jointly and severally liable, you can still hold the MIA tenant liable for rent and damages—even if they’ve gone silent. Their absence doesn’t automatically remove their obligations under the lease unless you formally release them or a court orders it.

2. Local Statute: "Not Absent While Rent Is Paid"

Your citation makes sense—since rent is being paid in full (or was), you likely can’t take unilateral steps to remove the MIA tenant just because they're not physically present. The statute is protecting tenants from being presumed to have abandoned the unit when others are still covering rent. So unless rent goes unpaid, or they voluntarily surrender their rights, you probably can't treat them as “absent” in the legal sense.

3. Eviction Options

If the remaining tenants can’t keep up with rent, then your remedy would be to proceed with an eviction for non-payment(not for abandonment). Unfortunately, this still leaves all three tenants jointly liable—so if you end up in court, the judgment could apply to the MIA tenant too.

4. Security Deposit Logistics

You're absolutely right to consider liability around the return of the deposit. If your lease says the deposit must be returned jointly, then issuing the check in all names (including the MIA tenant) is generally the safest route for you as the landlord. If the other roommates can’t reach the MIA tenant, it may be worth suggesting they file a small claims action against them, or they could sign an agreement that indemnifies you for releasing the deposit to just the two of them. That said, without some written and signed agreement from all parties, your best legal protection is to make the check out to all original tenants.

5. Removing the MIA Tenant from the Lease

There’s typically no way to “revoke” someone’s rights under the lease unless:

• You enter into a mutual termination or amendment signed by all parties, including the MIA tenant (which seems impossible here),
• You pursue eviction, which includes them, or
• The lease term naturally expires and you write a new lease with only the remaining tenants.

Unfortunately, ghosting doesn’t equate to legal abandonment—especially if rent is paid.

Next steps you might consider:

• Keep detailed records of communication attempts with the MIA tenant.
• Consider a notice to cure/pay or quit if rent lapses.
• Talk with a landlord-tenant attorney about how to proceed with the security deposit—especially if the lease is ending soon.
• If it comes to eviction, name all three tenants in the action, even the MIA one.

Good luck—this situation is more common than it should be, and clear documentation is your best friend here.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Particularly if it's a B or C class rental area.  This tenant class tends to not be as picky and more willing to "live with it." On the other hand, if it's a A-class area, potential tenants may be more picky.  You might look for an opportunity to convert a hall closet etc to a 1/2 bath.  Or, in some cases I have converted small bedrooms to full baths.  Yes, you're losing a bedroom but gaining a bath.  With a 5 bedroom home, you may have one to spare.  For example: If it were a 3 bedroom, then I wouldn't advise sacrificing a bedroom.  

One question I always ask myself before I make a renovation/upgrade is: Will this upgrade bring me more rent? In other words, if I spend $10,000, am I going to be able to increase rents? 

Im in Little Rock, Arkansas. Bought my first home in 1997, duplex. Lived in one unit and rented the other side. Rental side almost covered my entire mortgage. I was hooked! Still own that same duplex today, plus many more. So I think you are on to something!

I always buy value add, distress property. What I have always had good success with is going to local bank and getting a construction loan. Sometimes they will offer 80% loan of projected ARV (after repair value). They will take your list of repairs and provide to appraiser. Appraiser will come up with the ARV. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the purchase price of the home, plus your repair estimate combined will come in below the 80% ARV and you can get into the home with no money down and interest only for 1 year etc. Make your repairs and then either sell or refi the home to a 30 year if you decide to keep as a rental.

Of course, thats a best case scenario with no money down and a lot of things have to line up, starting with making a good deal on the buy! BUT, even still, if it doesnt work out in that scenario,  you may get into it for less than 20% down.  

So start with a local bank. Ive also had success with credit unions. 

Just wanted to share a recent tool we've started using in our property management business—an AI platform called Vendaroo. We've mainly implemented it to handle incoming maintenance request calls from tenants.

Most of our tenants already use our online portal to submit maintenance issues. But as many of you probably experience, there are always a number who either forget about the portal or simply prefer to call. These calls can take up a lot of staff time, especially when it comes to triaging and documenting the issue properly.

So far, Vendaroo has been surprisingly effective. It answers the call, talks with the tenant, troubleshoots the problem, prioritizes the issue, and then creates a work order for our team to review. From there, we dispatch maintenance or the appropriate vendor.

While the system is capable of dispatching vendors automatically, we’ve decided to keep that step manual. We've learned that sometimes the AI doesn’t fully grasp the scope of a problem—or worse, it can be manipulated. We had one case where a tenant whose request had been previously denied just called in work order via Vendaroo and had it re-entered and dispatched. Since then, we’ve made human approval a required step before any dispatch.

One of the biggest perks is that it integrates with our property management software (AppFolio), logging calls and notes directly into the property file. Everything’s documented cleanly and automatically.

Overall, we’ve been really impressed. Our tenants have given great feedback, and it’s definitely freed up time for our staff.

Is anyone else using AI tools in their property management workflow? I'd love to hear what others are trying and what’s working (or not working) for you.

I recently stated using an AI platform called Vendaroo in my property management business.  We are using it mostly for maintenance request calls from tenants.  Most of our tenants use our tenant portal to request maintenance online. However, we have many that forget about the portal or simply dont want to go through the steps... They would rather call in the request.  These types of calls can take a lot of staff time to answer and triage.

So far, Vendaroo has worked well in answering the incoming call and speaking/communicating with the tenant.  Its actually is amazing how well it triages, trouble shoots the issue, deciphers and prioritizes the reported issue/issues. It creates a work order for us to approve and review. Then we dispatch our maintenance team or the  appropriate vendor.  It is designed to actually dispatch the vendor directly, but we prefer to approve to review and approve with human eyes. As we have learned that sometimes, it doesnt fully comprehend the extent of the issue. Or, worse, tenants have figured out that they can bypass us with Venbdaroo. For example, we had a tenant that we had verbally denied a maintenance request. The tenant then made a work order through Vendaroo.  The AI didnt know that we had already denied the request and thus dispatched Vendor.  SO, we have dialed back on the dispatching and leave that to human approval.  Finally, another great value is that is interacts with our PM software (Appfolio) and logs the call and maintenance notes to the property. So it's all documented fully.

Overall, the technology is amazing and helpful. We have had excellent feedback from our tenants on it as well.  

Plenty of great uses, even just with everyday business. Quick example: Yesterday I had a prospective property management client whose attorney made changes to our property management agreement.  The attorney did not redline changes, rather just added in new language and left it to me to figure out the differences.  I simply dropped both my master PMA copy and their amended copy into AI and asked it to compare both and provide summary of differences. 30 Seconds later, I had a full summary. Saved me a lot of time digging through