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Real Estate Resources
Welcome to the AAOA Forum, where we discuss the the topics our members want to hear and want to talk about. We like to take an active roll in the online community to help our members learn and help educate landlords new and old. We encourage you to participate and join in our discussions. Thanks.
Water Conservation Rules Likely to Mandate Common Area Laundries in Apartments
Will In-Unit Washers and Dryers Soon Be A Blast From the Past?
California has passed some of the country’s most stringent water conservation laws, including a requirement that all commercial washers and dryers meet threshold energy and water efficiency standards. A dozen or so states have followed and many more are considering the same restrictions. Why? Because washing laundry is one of our most energy and water wasteful activities.
Apartment owners are in the governments’ sights because landlords can affect such an impact, be it negative or positive, on conservation efforts. Common area laundry facilities use 330% less water, and over 500% less energy than in-unit washers and dryers in apartments.
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.23.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum
Landlords: Are You Taking Advantage of this Revenue Stream?
Leased laundry equipment is one of the easiest ways for a landlord to make money, according to Adam Coffey, President and CEO of Web Service Company in California. “All you have to do is sign a lease.”
The landlords keep the best share of the revenue: the difference between what the tenants pay, and the payment on the lease and service. Web offers repair service that can respond within a matter of hours. In addition, by leasing energy and water efficient machines, a landlord can generate more revenue:
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.23.2008. 2 Comments »
Filed under: AAOA Forum
The Low-Down on 1031 Exchanges: The 45-Day Identification Period - A Hindrance or Not So Much?
by Ken Tharp, Iowa Equity Exchange
Part of a successful Section 1031 tax-deferred exchange is meeting the requirement that potential replacement properties be properly identified within forty-five calendar days after the closing of the relinquished property.
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.23.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Property Sales
SPRING-FLING-NO-STRINGS TRIVIA GAME
WE HAVE A WINNER!
WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations to Keith in Iowa who won a $25 Gift Certificate for being the first to guess the correct answer. To see the answer, Click Here.
Thanks to everyone who played!
We have $25 here, waiting for the sharpest AAOA member!
Be the first to guess correctly and win a $25.00 gift certificate to your choice of:
Starbucks, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, or OfficeMax.
The answer to this week’s Trivia Game will be a “thing” (not a place, like
last week’s contest).
We’ll keep posting clues as we go, so check back regularly!
HERE ARE THE CLUES SO FAR:
What is only a month old, but already speaks volumes?
Helps keep the sky blue.
A few thousand people surfed there last month.
CONTEST RULES
BY COMMENTING BELOW, YOU ARE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOU HAVE READ THESE RULES
1. There can be only one winner per contest. Our winner is determined as the first person to guess the correct answer.
2. You must place guesses in the comments section of THIS blog entry. Do not call or email - it doesn’t count.
3. Each comment can only contain one possible answer. You can comment any number of times.
4. We have designated the correct answer in advance. That is the only answer that will be accepted. Competing answers that fit some or all of the clues will not be considered. It is in the sole discretion of the blog editor to determine the winner.
5. You cannot cheat. If you cheat, you will be disqualified. Cheating is any device you come up with that gives you an unfair advantage over other participants. This includes, but is not limited to, loading your comments with piles of data that may also include the correct answer buried inside, like the phone book or city name directory, use of some superstatistical computer or program, any form of hacking, spying or other devious means. It is solely up to the discretion of the blog editor to determine if you cheated.
6. We must be able to mail you your prize. Once you have been identified as a winner, we will contact you via email to obtain your mailing address. If we cannot contact you, or you do not provide the address or other information required by law within thirty days of request, the prize will be forfeited. No other winner will be chosen.
7. If you knew the answer before this posting, or are an AAOA insider, you are disqualified.
8. If your guess gets caught in the spam filter, or is otherwise lost in Internet limbo, that guess is disqualified. Check the comment section to insure that your guess landed on the page.
9. This contest will terminate no later than thirty days from the date the last clue is posted.
10 This contest is void anywhere and under any circumstances that it is illegal.
11. This contest is terminated if computer or Internet glitches render it impossible.
GOOD LUCK!
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.20.2008. 21 Comments »
Filed under: AAOA Forum
What Skateboarding and Commercial Investing Have in Common
“Trends always start with commercial properties. It makes sense. You have a hundred, or thousands of units versus one family. The bottom line hits you faster and harder than in residential sales.
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.19.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum
OLD TENANT DEBT: Are you leaving money in your file drawer?
Our collection guru Bill Gray has some advice for you: If you have old, uncollected rent files, you may be sitting on a wad of cash.
“A lot of landlords just give up when the tenant skips and they can’t find a new address — they think that if they didn’t collect the unpaid rent right away, it’s a lost cause.”
“But that’s not the case. Old tenant debt can be an untapped source of cash.”
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.19.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Collections
TENANT BACKGROUND CHECKS: How-To Tips for Tenant File Maintenance
Screening the tenant before you rent is only half the battle. Circumstances can change, and your ideal tenant can become a potential rent collection problem. Maintaining a current and complete tenant file is a simple way to protect your valuable investment.
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.19.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Credit Screening
Replacement Windows: Making Sense of U-Factors, Low E- Coatings, and Argon Jargon
Submitted by Louisa May
Windows filled with argon gas are being advertised as the latest in energy efficiency, and in theory this technology should work.
When manufacturers fill the space between two panes of window glass with argon, the thermal insulation is increased by reducing the conductivity of the air space between the layers.
In a sealed glass unit filled with air, air currents carry heat to the top and cold air collects at the bottom. Filling the space with a slow moving gas minimizes the transfer of heat.
Argon is used for several reasons:
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.19.2008. 1 Comment »
Filed under: Going Green
QUESTION FOR THE DAY
What do
Bananas- Yoga
- Eggs and Tabasco
- Water
- Ice Cream, and
- Gin
each have in common?
These are all considered natural remedies to help get through the day with a hangover.
Do you have a tried-and-true natural cure to share? Let us know by commenting below.
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.17.2008. 1 Comment »
Filed under: AAOA Forum
Here’s An Easy Way to Learn Why You Should Consider a Section 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchange on Your Income Property
Ken Tharp of Iowa Equity Exchange has developed a fun and easy way for you to determine whether you would realize the greatest gains by:
-
Holding your income property, or
-
Exchanging it under the 1031 Exchange rules.
His new Buy and Hold vs. Buy and Exchange Calculator is an interactive tool that compares buying property and holding it to buying the same property but using a Section 1031 tax-deferred exchange after five years to re-leverage the investment into more valuable property. To use the spreadsheets, you simply plug in the specific data from your initial purchase, including purchase price and fair market value, debt information, and the amount of your down-payment, and the calculator automatically does the rest.
Posted by Kim Ezzell on 03.17.2008. 4 Comments »
Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing