Landlords: Who is managing your apartments' online reputation? Part Two

In Part Two of this series I just published for landlords and apartment managers, learn how to respond to anonymous negative feedback about your apartments and how to proactively manage your apartments' online reputation rather than relying on tenants to do it for you. Read More

Landlords: Who is managing your apartments' online reputation? Part One

In Part One of this series I just published for landlords and property managers, discover what is being said online about your apartments and how anonymous Internet reviews can damage your rental company's reputation. Read More

Two great property management blogs -- hilarious and keepin' it real

As a former rental property manager, I am so thoroughly entertained by two fellow bloggers' property management blogs that I have to recommend them both here:

Check out both Apartment Manager Kaos and Stories from Apartment Managers. Especially if you yourself work in the apartment management industry.

These two blogs make me giggle, nod in agreement and, to be honest with you, make me feel a little relieved to know I WASN'T crazy after all when I was doing the job, though it sure felt that way sometimes.

When I was managing apartments I was always so worried that it would be unprofessional to blog about the daily goings-on in my buildings and among my tenants. Of course I write under my real name -- right there in the upper right hand corner (oh hey, hi there) -- so that was probably a valid concern.

Not so for "TxAptMgr" (Kaos) and "Apartment Manager" (Stories), who were both smart enough to stay anonymous so they can give you the uncensored lowdown on crazy tenants, scammy landlords and all the reasons that property managers might sometimes come across as anal, evil, uncaring b*tches when really they're mostly pretty normal, nice people doing a hard job in which you can never make everyone happy.

Highly recommended reading for others in the apartment industry!

No pay stubs to prove income on your rental application?

It's pretty standard for apartment managers and landlords to require proof of income before they'll rent an apartment to you. Generally, they'll ask to see several of your most recent pay stubs.

But what if you don't work a traditional job?

Fortunately, there are other acceptable ways to prove your income and qualify to rent an apartment. Read about them here.

Thinking of a career in property management?

What's the skinny on working as a property manager? Is the pay as good as recently reported by CNN Money? What are the hours like?

If you're thinking about getting into property management, you'll want to read this.

What's the best time of year to find good apartment deals?

"If you're an experienced apartment searcher, you may have realized that many apartment communities advertise move-in specials and reduced security deposits year-round, no matter what time of year you've looked for an apartment. What you may not know, however, is that there is one particular time of year when apartment-seekers have the most power to negotiate the very best apartment deals.

That time of year? ... "

Go here to read my latest advice article for apartment-seekers and find out!

Landlords, do you use YouTube?

If you have a high-speed Internet connection and a digital camera, using YouTube to advertise your rental properties makes (dollars and) sense.

You can use stills to make a slide show video, like this one:



... or, use video to showcase a virtual tour, like this:



(Although, you might want to refrain from narrating your virtual tour with, "Crap ... I just broke the door handle." You'll also want to refrain from pointing out any community-wide problems that you apparently have no plan to fix.)

Prospective tenants like to see as much information as possible about your available rental units prior to their actual visit. Digital cameras are very reasonably priced now, many come with video-shooting capabilities, and it costs nothing to upload videos or slide shows to YouTube. So have you thought about using these resources that are free or that you already own, to advertise? Would love to hear some first-person stories about landlords' or property managers' YouTube advertising and whether or not YouTube has helped your bottom line.