Summer 2023 Events in The Black Hills
Finding something to do in the Black Hills is not hard, especially during the summer season. Read along to see just a few of the many events being held this summer!
Blog
I am Relocating. What Questions Should I be Asking?
You can never ask too many questions when relocating to a new area. You want to make sure you are comfortable and get the best out of your rental experience. Doing thorough research, understanding what you need, establishing a budget (and sticking to it), and exploring all your options should help make your relocation go smoothly.
KPM… in a Nutshell
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our blog. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about Kahler Property Management, or KPM.
Building Up Our Property Management Team
Kahler Property Management is comprised of 7 women. We are all in different stages of our lives, all have unique personalities and all view life a little differently. Surprisingly, there is very little drama in our office and we get along very well.
Tenant Caused Maintenance in Rental Property
Having rental property or investment property means, sooner or later, you will have to deal with tenant caused maintenance. In other words, your tenant will eventually do something that requires you to pay to replace or repair something in the homes.
Spring in the Beautiful Black Hills
It’s finally starting to feel like Spring!!! I just love the smell of rain and flowers in the air and watching the thunder storms rolling over the Black Hills. Other things I love about spring is sleeping with the windows open and breaking out my flip flops.
Tenants and Tempers
We know that there are times when it is difficult to deal with tenants. Not just tenants but people in general can be less than respectful, in fact, downright mean when they feel that they are not being heard. Especially when they are requesting or demanding that you do something, fix something, replace something...
What is a Security Deposit?
A security deposit, or damage deposit, is usually paid prior to a tenant taking possession of the rental home. The deposit needs to be kept in a separate account from your general funds. You need to check your local and state laws about accounting and deposits to ensure you are doing it correctly.
Deferred Maintenance – Pay Now or Pay More Later
Deferred Maintenance, as defined by Wikipedia, is the practice of postponing maintenance activities such as repairs on both real property (i.e. infrastructure) and personal property (i.e. machinery) in order to save costs, meet budget funding levels, or realign available budget monies.
Getting Your Property “Rent Ready”
Now you have a vacant property. You have been in the house so you know that some work needs to be done before you can rent it to someone new. Several things need to be considered whenever a property needs turned.
Service Animals and Assistance (Companion) Animals
You will come across a prospective tenant that has a service animal or assistance/companion animal. Landlords cannot deny an application solely because of this. Charging any additional deposits or fees associated with the animal is a violation of the law. In addition, restricting the type or breed of the animal is prohibited. Any of the above actions are a violation of the Federal Fair Housing Act that will, eventually, result in a very costly lawsuit.
Pets in Rental Property
Owners are concerned about the damage to their rental property that pets can cause, whereas tenants feel as though their pets are part of their family. It is difficult to a decision when it comes to allowing pets into your investment property.
The Pets of Property Managers
So... if you haven’t guessed by now Kahler Property Management is an office full of animal people!!! Currently, I do not have a pet at home. We lost Guinness; my 90 lb., 14 year old, Chesapeake Retriever a while ago. Someday, when life slows down a bit, we will have another dog.
Avoiding Past Due Rent
Collecting rent is one of the most important aspect of being a Landlord; for some, it is THE most important aspect! If the rent is not paid you are not getting paid making your investment less than profitable.
My Tenants are Moving, Now What?
Your tenant of 4 years has given you the dreaded 30 day notice. You are probably asking yourself where to start.
Marketing Your Rental Property
In order to fill your vacancy you need to concentrate on effectively marketing the property.
Maintenance… What’s Stuck in Your Garbage Disposal??
I am sure you can imagine we take maintenance calls at all hours of the day. Weekend and evening emergency calls come to our emergency pager. Therefore we can get a plumber to your house at 2:00 AM when the sewer is backing up into the basement.
Isn’t Technology Great
I would like to talk about scheduling showings for a moment. Here at Kahler Property Management scheduling and showing are the most important aspects of leasing your property. Scheduling and showing are also the most time consuming aspects of leasing your property.
KPM Move Update
Finally! We are getting down to crunch time as our move is happening this week. Therefore, today we are busy moving all of our large office furniture. Tomorrow is our official moving day. We will be closed in order for us to get all systems in place… including a new digital phone system.
Of Course I have a Lease!
I know, I know... you can find a great lease on dozens of websites that you can use free of charge. That agreement may look great but are you sure that it is an enforceable document?
We're Moving!!!
I AM SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE MOVING!!! Sorry, I could not help the shouty capitals…I am just so excited and I am finally getting a window in my office!
Inspections
At Kahler Property Mangement, we complete a very detailed move in inspection which gives us, in writing, the condition of the property when the tenants move in. Detailed, meaning, right down to the light bulbs in each fixture and if they are working.
How Much Is My House Worth?
How much is my house/property worth? This is almost always the first question that I am asked when interviewed. Everyone wants to know what their property will rent for and they typically want an answer before we even start discussing management.
Importance of an Application
They seem like nice people, why do I need to run an application? Looks can be deceiving!!!
Why Should I Pay a Property Manager?
Whether you have one property or six different properties you may ask yourself why you need a property manager when you can do the job yourself. Let me ask you a few questions to help you determine why a property manager may be your best bet.