Property Management
A DIFFERENT KIND OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT FIRM
We are a boutique management company and brokerage firm dedicated to exemplary care and hands-on service. We always prioritize health and safety issues, and at the same time people over profit. By fostering strong relationships with vendors and tenants we avoid many of the costly pitfalls that mom and pop landlords experience. We conduct monthly visits to all our properties and respond to maintenance requests promptly. Rather than enforcing long-term management contracts, we opt to demonstrate our value daily through proactive measures and client-centric approaches.
OUR TOOLS FOR SUCCESS:
SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE – We rely on Appfolio for detailed monthly reporting, ACH payments, and accurate bookkeeping. We use AI for specific tenant letters and careful communication
RENT COLLECTION – Each month we reach out to any late payers immediately to mitigate loss and bridge the gap with responsible tenants experiencing temporary hardships
TENANT ACCOUNTABILITY PARTICIPATION – Residents can frequently solve simple maintenance issues when given the opportunity and assistance. A tripped breaker or running toilet can be resolved by the tenant with the help of a YouTube video link or a phone call
MAINTENANCE GROUPING – Routine maintenance requests are prioritized and grouped, then scheduled per building, in the most cost-effective manner
ANNUAL INSPECTIONS – We do our best to visit each unit at least once a year to mitigate risk and ensure all health and safety issues are addressed. This also provides us the opportunity to be proactive with repairs and ensure tenants are taking care of their units
COMMUNICATION – Successful property management demands excellent communication between all parties. Our tenants, vendors, and owners can always reach us directly
HANDS-ON SERVICE – Our tenants know us by first name because we take the time to listen and promptly solve problems. Less than 2% of tenants placed by our team have ended in collection or eviction. We work hard to solve issues before they become problems
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PRICING:
For multi-family homes: We charge a fee equivalent to 5-8% of the gross collected rents, depending on the condition and location of the property
For single-family homes and condos: We charge a fee equivalent to 10% of the gross collected rents, with a minimum monthly charge of $300
For leasing: Our fee is set at 75% of one month’s rent, plus an optional fee of $150 for premium listing services to ensure maximum visibility
Oversight Fee for Renovations/Major Repairs: We assess a 10% oversight fee on all renovation or major repair projects exceeding $2500, ensuring quality management and attention to detail
Tenant Move-Out Negotiations and Specialty Services: These services are billed at a rate of $225 per hour and cover tenant negotiations, remediation, specialty inspections, refinancing preparation, insurance, and fire inspections. It’s important to note that we do not offer leasing-only services, as we are committed to providing comprehensive property management solutions to our clients
NEW CLIENTS:
We are very selective about whom we do business with and don’t take on just any property
Rather we look for investors and landlords who don’t cut corners and share our values of putting people first
We typically onboard no more than 1-2 carefully reviewed buildings per quarter and sometimes have to cut ties with projects that don’t quite fit our model of providing healthy, safe, and well-maintained housing
Ensuring that our values are aligned enables us to effectively capitalize on opportunities and create sustainable value
MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS:
Maintenance represents the largest expenditure for most rental properties
At our company, we take a proactive and systematic approach to minimize these costs. For instance, we provide every resident with a hair trap and clearly state in writing that flushing foreign objects down the toilet is not permitted. We inform residents about the cost of drain snaking, which is nearly $200, and while we cover the first occurrence, subsequent incidents may be charged to the resident
Additionally, we optimize maintenance service calls by coordinating vendors and grouping repairs. Our preferred network of vendors includes skilled roofers, electricians, plumbers, and painters, with whom we have cultivated long-term relationships and they therefore provide us with priority service
SOME OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
We took over management of a 22-unit building in Oakland in 2015 with gross rents of $227K. After repositioning and hands-on management, by 2023 the annual income was $358K representing an increase of 57%
We took over management of a 4-plex in Oakland in 2020. Some tenants were withholding rent. One unit required a complete remodel, another unit had a notice of violation. We immediately renovated and leased one unit, remediated mold, and cleared the violation. We were able to triple the rent roll in just 4 months from $2295/mo to $7250/mo
We discovered faulty acrylic bathtubs in a 6-unit building we manage in Berkeley. Instead of replacing them, we found a way to inject supporting foam underneath. We saved our client approximately $3,200 per tub or $19,200 in repairs
By taking the time to have a 15-minute conference call with a tenant who had a nonfunctioning toilet, we were able to walk them through a simple fix. This saved our client over $250 in plumbing costs
A tenant fell down the stairs in one of our properties and broke her leg. We took the time to make sure they were OK and that they had received proper medical care. We facilitated assistance with receiving food and deliveries. We followed up with our insurance company so that everyone knew what had happened. We were able to avoid a costly lawsuit and help our tenant get through a difficult recovery
Our goal is to develop the highest possible net operating income while enhancing & protecting the property’s value. Schedule a time to discuss your property management needs by contacting us now at 415-812-4450 or clicking here to schedule a conversation.
