How Carolina Living Property Management Is Different


We are often asked what separates us from all the other companies now doing Property Management in Charlotte and Lake Norman. Listen to highlights above!

Before we answer, let’s do a little history lesson.   10 years ago Carolina Living started doing property management on a small scale for friends and our investor clients.  However, in 2007 when the market tanked, we did what we had to do to survive the market.  We jumped in with both feet.  It was a blessing that we had already gained some experience and lined up the vendors needed to support or endeavor.

Interestingly enough about 2 years ago some other firms jumped in as they saw that there was a huge opportunity.  So, this presented owners with the brand new guys, the old timers and the ones in the middle like Carolina Living.

The big guys manage hundreds of properties and in some cases, thousands.  They typically charge 10% unless there are multiple homes for one owner and then it drops to 9%.

The small ones are typically around 8%.

So, where does it leave us?  Everyone is from 8% to 10%.

Here is we separate ourselves.  If you don’t believe, just ask others and then call us!

1.  We do not charge our owners for dispatching our service people for repairs.  What they charge is what you are charged.

2.  We do not charge you 1 months rent, 1/2 months rent or anything remotely close to find a tenant.  In most cases, we don’t you ANYTHING to find a tenant.  There are some cases where we charge up to $250 but much that is centered around location of the home.  However, if we feel this applies, we are willing to negotiate.

3. We keep our level of homes we manage right around 100.  Why, we can be more intimately involved and we can also involve our owners in whatever capacity they request.

4. Lastly, our vendors always bill us for repairs at month end.  They understand, we collect rent and we pay them.  This keeps us from having to run to owner for money or from keeping reserves (out of your pocket funds). No surprised and full disclosure. We work WITH you to help keep potential costs down.

5. We don’t succumb to every tenant request.  we manage our way through the process of what is feasible and what is not.

6. If a client has multiple properties we manage, the mgmt. fee is reduced to 7%.

7. IF we file an eviction you can be assured that we won’t lose the case due to poor documentation or representation. Our evictions are handled professionally by an experienced attorney.

8. We don’t charge any account setup fee. We don’t charge any flat monthly accounting fee. If no rent is collected and no work is performed on the home, then we collect no fee

9. We don’t charge you an extra marketing fee when your unit is being marketed for rent.

10. We’re not too big to provide personal service to our clients or tenants. We will know your properties and tenants and be able to speak about them with personal knowledge.

11. We don’t hold any of your money in a maintenance reserve account. 100% of the funds in your account are disbursed to you each month.

We welcome you to interview other companies and the call us!  704 594 3014

 

 

16 COMMANDMENTS – “IMMINENTLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS”

Thinking of renting your home?  Have a current home you rent?  Here are some things that you need to be aware of!

THOU SHALL NOT ALLOW ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS TO EXIST WITHIN A LEASED PREMISES FOR MORE THAN TWO DAYS FOLLOWING NOTICE OF SUCH CONDITION EXISTING WITHIN SAID PREMISES:

  • Unsafe wiring
  • Unsafe flooring or steps
  • Unsafe ceilings or roofs
  • Unsafe chimneys or flues
  • Lack of potable water
  • Lack of operable locks on all doors leading to the outside
  • Broken windows or lack of operable locks on all windows on the ground level
  • Lack of operable heating facilities capable of heating living areas to 65 degrees Fahrenheit when it is 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside from November 1 through March 31
  • Lack of an operable toilet
  • Lack of an operable bathtub or shower
  • Rat infestation as a result of defects in the structure that make the premises not impervious to rodents
  • Excessive standing water, sewage, or flooding problems caused by plumbing leaks or inadequate drainage that contribute to mosquito infestation or mold
  • No safe, continuous, and unobstructed exit from the interior of the building to the exterior at street or grade level
  • No access provided to all rooms within a dwelling unit without passing through a public space
  • No operable smoke detector or alarm
  • Every place of habitation shall comply with the current county health regulations governing carbon monoxide alarms

How Carolina Living Property Management Avoids Landlord-Tenant Disputes

Landlords and should be well-informed about the legal regulations that back up their managerial actions. This is especially important during a dispute with a tenant or when trying to defuse an altercation between residents. Correctly handing problems is paramount in the rental property management field.

Professionals at Carolina Living Property Management agree that, whenever possible, it’s better to prevent a problem before it rears its head. Clarity in the terms of our Charlotte Property Management agreements,  good communication skills and teamwork will go a long way to avoiding issues.

Tenants should be told from the very beginning what the property management company or landlord will expect of them. It is all about disclosure!   Here are the few of the items, we at Carolina Living Property Management, strive to disclose;

  • Making rental payments on time and what happens when/if it is not done.
  • Adhering to the rules Home Owner Association when applicable.
  • Respecting the rights of others regarding communal-living problems such as noise
  • Taking proper care of the home
  • Policy on animals.

Carolina Living Property Management takes these steps to head off tenant disputes:

  • We never discriminate
  • We strive to keep up repairs
  • Assure that each home is in good shape before renting and make recommendations.
  • Never change keys or turn off power in order to prompt a tenant to move out
  • Always make an effort to be fair, listen and communicate effectively.
  • Provide responsive maintenance when needed
  • Resolve conflicts in person whenever possible
  • Hire a mediator or call the police only as a last resort

Lake Norman and Charlotte Market Snapshot

If you have a home you would like to see the value, check out this cool Market Snapshot tool!

Find Your Charlotte Foreclosures For Us To Manage

In addition to the professional services we offer to our owners, we also help investors find the inventory they want and can profit form.

We help buyers around Charlotte and Lake Norman determine what are good target areas with regard to rental price, crime and other factors that go into a sound investment.

We are members of 2 very important websites and are registered to help anyone with a purchase via these sources.

Hud Home Store is a great resource for first time home buyers and for investors.  We can guide anyone through the process of bidding on homes via this source.

Home Path is a Fanny Mae resource for finding foreclosed homes and again, we can assist you with finding and buying the right home here as well.

If you prefer to find your Lake Norman Foreclosure or Charlotte Foreclosure after it has already been placed with a Realtor, we have two great resources for that as well.

Lake Norman Foreclosures is a website we built internally to assist you with finding foreclosures and short sales around Lake Norman.

Charlotte Foreclosures is a website we built internally to assist you with finding foreclosures and short sales around Charlotte.

In all of these places Carolina Living Real Estate is primed and prepared to assist you with finding your next best investment.  Better still, we can manage that home professionally if you decide to make it a rental!

 

Why Do We Advertise Every Property In Our MLS

I have been asked why we bother to show every property for rent advertised in our MLS area.  It does create a  tremendous amount of calls.  Admittedly some of these calls are wild goose chases.

However, our current list of homeowners LOVE the fact we do this.  We fill our vacancies faster than the MLS average. **

If you click on ‘See Hundreds of Rental Listings” and browse, you will see any that we listing have move to the TOP.  This is a benefit to our owners.  Why do we advertise all the listings?  When we get all the calls, we direct the caller to our owners homes where appropriate!  This is a huge benefit to our owners and one reason we do this.

Also, we get thousands of views a month to this website.  This is partly a result of us advertising ALL the listings.  Our IDX solution that feeds is the listings is a search engine gold mine.  It helps us get our homes rented!  Again a benefit to our owners.

Thinking of renting your home?   Check out our fees and services.   8% fee, NO fee upfront to find a tenant, and we offer reduced commissions when you decide to sell.   What more is there…

**Price and Location are always a factor in renting or selling your home!

 

 

Know Your Insurance Choices – Consider An Umbrella Policy

Are you a homeowner considering renting your Charlotte or Lake Norman Area Home?

One of the things we tell all our clients is to call your insurance agent first. The type of insurance you carry is typically different from your standard Homeowners Policy.

One of the policies our Charlotte area homeowners consider and an Umbrella Policy. Why? Typical homeowners or dwelling policies have liability protection, but only up to policy limits. Ditto for auto insurance. Umbrella insurance provides additional liability coverage beyond those policy limits.

A $1 million umbrella policy can typically be purchased for about $300, though numerous factors affect annual premiums. Surprisingly, your driving record can influence the cost of umbrella insurance as much, if not more, than your record as a homeowner.

Consider the homeowner renting his/her Charlotte home and wanting to eliminate the worry of having someone fall in the home or around the home. Consider too, wanting additional coverage over and above your auto insurance limits. You can get piece of mind on both of these fronts with an Umbrella Policy.

Houselogic.com created by the National Association of Realtor’s has created a great article to help you get more answers. Check out the entire article at Houselogic-Umbrella Home Insurance.

 

 

The Amazing Rental Market In Charlotte And Lake Norman

Carolina Living Property Management

When bad things happen, oftentimes, something good comes out the other side.  Carolina Living Real Estate dove into Property Management with huge ambition but little knowledge a few years ago and is so glad for the decision.

Transitioning from dabbling in the business to now managing 80 homes, we have learned so much and put much infrastructure in place to do a much better job than what we did 5 years ago.

We can say now that Carolina Living Real Estate and Property Management is a thriving business with a whole bunch of upside and a bright future.   We have now kicked off Carolina Living Handyman Services to better support our property owners in a cost effective manner.

We currently manage Lake Norman Executive and Charlotte Executive homes with rent reaching 3600 a month.  However, we also manage many properties in many price ranges.

We work hard to help owners understand the process better than anyone because we work hard to have them understand the ramifications of being a landlord.

Also, we advertise every single rental in our MLS.  Why, because we will help any tenant find any property.  Also, this helps us direct prospects to our owners homes first.   This is a true benefit and sets us apart from other Lake Norman Property Managers and Charlotte Property Managers.

We get asked all the time: “How Long Will It Take To Find A Tenant?”  Our answer is “Depends” with a smile.  It is not unlike selling a home.  Price and location are most important.  I all honestly, sometimes making a profit is not an option.  However covering a high percentage of expenses is a whole lot better than covering none of them.  The honest answer is the average time is 30-45 days.  However, we have rented them in 1 day and it has taken somewhat longer on others!

Follow us here and learn!

 

Advertise Your Home For The Democratic National Convention

Your Charlotte Property Management Company

Charlotte is gearing up for the Democratic National Convention.  We are building a robust advertising tool to assist homeowners with finding a viable tenant.

Visit  the DNC DIGS  website  for information about what to ask in rent and you will see our ad for helping you manage the process.

If you are thinking of renting your home for the conference, the DNC DIGS website is a great place to start?

If you are thinking of hiring a company to manage the process, feel free to contact us (704 451 7051) and we can discuss our services.

 

8 Eviction Tips From Carolina Living Property Management

Don’t
1. Give your tenant multiple opportunities to pay their rent late. If you allow late rent once, the tenant will assume you’ll allow it again, and again…and again

2. Take matters into your own hands and get creative by (1) disconnecting their utilities (2) remove their front door or (3) play sheriff and remove your tenant’s personal items from their home

3. Waste your time with repeat phone calls/visits to the unit to collect money, give your tenant a strict deadline and act upon your drop-dead date to proceed with eviction

4. Abandon an eviction proceeding if the tenant “disappears” from your property. Finish the process through to ensure you can legally “closed the door” on the matter.

DO:

1. Have a professional and consistent policy for late payments and a consistent procedure for handling evictions for all tenants of your property

2. Establish a firm date each month that you file evictions for tenants that have violated rent payment policies

3. Handle the eviction through the court system; File for a writ if you want to remove a tenant’s belongings from the unit

4. Utilize Carolina Living Property Management professional services for maximum benefits and the best possible outcome.

First and foremost, hire a property manager like Carolina Living to screen your tenants.  The cost of hiring a firm that does a thorough upfront check will possibly save tons on the back end.  No guarantees are ever offered but doing  good job up front can and will head off potential problems.

Information courtesy of NationwideEviction.com