All Forum Posts by: Justin Juhan

I self manage, but I think if I was to hire a property manager I would ask:

What is their process for maintenance requests? (both with the tenant, and with the owner)

Do they use an online software/accounting that you will have access to?

How many properties do they manage and what type/class?

What is their operating income?

Are they licensed?

Do they have general liability insurance?

Other owner References with property addresses. (as many as I could get and I would contact all of them just as I would screening a tenant)

How do they handle late rent and when do they serve notice?

There is value in not having a mortgage/rent payment. Especially if it is covered by "ADUs". To me, that's ~$2000 a month I don't need to make as take home income. Or for that matter 24k/year to save up and buy a quad or apt.

I'm looking to buy a piece of land and build a 4-plex, most likely the lots I would be looking at would be suburban to rural and will probably be zoned R1-2.  Can you make part of the purchase agreement that the lot is successfully re-zoned R4 before closing? What are they typical hurdles for re-zoning like this?

We get 90% of our leads from Facebook Marketplace. They have pay options as well but it's not required, yet. That said, $10/week is not much considering # of people reached and the 200-400/week you would pay in vacancy. 

@Bryce DeCora

That was my next plan of attack.

@Jedd Braunwarth

With the sub-meter software I can setup to send a bill to the tenant, export CSV, etc. however the tenant would need to add that to the payment which I don't really like because I have no automation to check if the bills were actually getting paid. 

Right now it may be that I need to email/pull the usage data in CSV and que a python script to go to cozy and enter the bill.

@Jedd Braunwarth 

That's unfortunate, I really like their interface and have used them for a few years but we just started submetering and really do not want to be entering utility bills every month for every unit. 

Does anyone use a management "software" that has an API?

Does anyone know if Cozy.co has an API available? I would like to write some python to grab my sub-meter data and automatically add the bill to Cozy.

Interesting topic, we purchased a 3/2 SFH in Georgia with traditional financing (fannie) it had an attached garage built on with apartment above it 2/1 ~880 sqft. Separate entrance so I guess it's considered an ADU? It never came up in the purchase. It also has a 2 car garage that was closed in and we will probably close off the door into the main house and finish it into a 1br 1bth. If it became an issue when time to sell I would just blow out the door into the main house and sell it as a 6br 4 bth.

If the other utilities are flat rate from the HOA then I would pass that flat rate onto the tenant but not include in the rent. It would be a fee, paid to you, then you would pay the HOA.

Do they have laws on security deposit?

My SD would be 6 months rent.