I'm a project manager for a customer service business that is in the real estate industry and am currently overseeing 40-70 renovations at a time.

Its not as sophisticated as Appfolio but they do have great customer service and their web-based software does the job.If your PM is doing a good job I would really stick with them. 7% is a good rate and like you said the software will only streamline processing new tenants, advertising for vacancies, and getting maintenance requests but it won't eliminate the need to do showings and respond to calls.

If the average tenant stays one extra month for each time you go above and beyond to provide exceptional service, you've doubled or tripled that few hundred dollar investment.I don't think its necessary to provide anything more than the central air, but if they ask about it, I would make the investment in their satisfaction as customers. 

Typically its a custom size. 

You could use either a letter or postcard, but either way you'll want to customize the text to speak to their situation - delinquent taxes that have resulted in a lien on the home.  

See, I work a day job as a custom cabinet builder.  

If Target decides to lay off 10% of its workforce, that doesn't remove a substantial portion of customers from its stores and is a pretty direct boon to its bottom line.

Does anyone have any insight on how to close prior to beginning construction on custom builds?

Sure, every once in a while one of Clussive’s customers would present a contract reflecting new FHA or VA financing and he would have to steer the customer to one of his associates to close the transaction, but for the most part it had little to no effect on his career.

I wanted to use a custom contract, but every lawyer I spoke to told me they recommended using the state approved ones.