Chapter 1 Managing Your Own Rental Property 1 --
What Does It Take to Be a Property Manager? 2 --
Computerized Records 11 --
Maintenance Matters 11 --
Chapter 2 Managing Someone Else's Rental Property 15 --
What Type of Management Will You Offer? 16 --
Deposits and Escrow Accounts 34 --
Property Maintenance 37 --
Projecting the Future 50 --
Chapter 3 Following the Rules and Getting Maximum Profits 51 --
Forms That Can Keep You in Control 54 --
Rent Payment Coupons 59 --
Pay Rent or Quit Forms 60 --
Perform Covenant Forms 60 --
Terminate Tenancy Form 62 --
Getting Off to a Good Start 65 --
When You Show a Vacant Unit 65 --
Presentation of Paperwork 66 --
Getting Your Forms Signed 67 --
Convincing Your Tenants to Complete Check-In Forms 68 --
What Is the Best Way to Be Effective? 74 --
Chapter 4 Subsidized Rental Income 75 --
What Is Subsidized Rental Income? 76 --
How Do Subsidized Programs Work? 76 --
Lower-Income Rental Assistance 76 --
Some of the Advantages of Providing Subsidized Housing 79 --
Other Side of the Coin 80 --
What Type of People Will You Get as Tenants? 81 --
Will Section 8 Tenants Give Your Building a Bad Reputation? 82 --
What Are the Risks of Renting to Section 8 Tenants? 83 --
Some Words of Advice 83 --
Chapter 5 Getting Low-Interest Loans and Grants 85 --
Community Development Block Grants 86 --
Rental Rehabilitation 87 --
Rehabilitation Loans 87 --
Manufactured Home Parks 88 --
Multi-Family Rental Housing 88 --
Multi-Family Rental Housing for Moderate-Income Families 89 --
Some Other Programs 89 --
Mortgage Insurance for Housing the Elderly 89 --
Housing Development Grants 89 --
Property Improvement Loan Insurance 90 --
Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance 90 --
What Can You Do with These Programs? 91 --
Chapter 6 Improving a Property 93 --
What Are Capital Improvements? 93 --
Cash Flow and Property Value 95 --
Increased-Value Improvements 96 --
Large-Scale Projects 106 --
Chapter 7 Attracting the Best Tenants-Fast! 111 --
What Does Marketing Mean to You? 112 --
Building a Marketing Plan 115 --
Executing Your Marketing Plan 116 --
Prospecting Pointers 117 --
What Is Seductive Advertising? 118 --
Targeting Your Advertisements 123 --
Where You Advertise 124 --
Choosing a Type of Advertising 124 --
Chapter 8 Tenant Strategies and Procedures 131 --
Benefit from Keeping Good Tenants 133 --
After the Lease Is Signed 136 --
Routine Maintenance 140 --
General Suggestions 141 --
Chapter 9 Collecting and Raising Rents the Right Way 145 --
Lease Is the Backbone 146 --
Picking a Due Date 150 --
Collecting by Mail 150 --
Collecting in Person 151 --
Having the Rent Delivered 152 --
Sending Monthly Statements 152 --
Offering Discounts 153 --
Friendly Reminders 154 --
Cash, Check, or Charge? 156 --
Separating Lies from Excuses 159 --
Keep Solid Records 160 --
Starting a Paper Trail 160 --
Increasing Rental Income 161 --
Change-of-Ownership Rental Increases 162 --
A Letter of Introduction 163 --
Making Sense of the Data 165 --
They Won't Want to Move 166 --
Breaking Out of the Pack 166 --
Coin-Operated Laundries 169 --
Chapter 10 My Top 20 Tenant Problems and How to Solve Them 171 --
Problem after Problem 172 --
Unauthorized Residents 172 --
Parking Lot Problems 176 --
Trash in Common Areas 177 --
Constant Phone Calls 178 --
Illegal Activities 178 --
Home-Based Businesses 179 --
Commercial Tenants 179 --
Abandoned Property 180 --
Chapter 11 Evicting Problem Tenants 181 --
What Does It Take to Evict a Tenant? 182 --
Court-Ordered Continuations 184 --
Going Back to Court 184 --
Court-Ordered Extension 185 --
Being Awarded a Judgment 185 --
Delivering Eviction Orders to the Sheriff's Office 185 --
Sheriff Serves a Tenant 186 --
Paying for a Moving Company 186 --
Regaining Your Property 186 --
What Are the Causes for Eviction? 187 --
How Can You Avoid Evicting a Tenant? 188 --
Avoiding Evictions 190 --
Side Effects of Eviction 194 --
Chapter 12 Taxes and Insurance 197 --
Business Insurance 198 --
Mechanical Systems 202 --
Earthquake Insurance 203 --
Outside Improvements 203 --
Mortgage Insurance 203 --
Loss of Rents Insurance 204 --
Water Bed Insurance 204 --
Identify Your Needs 205 --
Doing Your Own Income Taxes 206 --
Keeping Good Records 207 --
Chapter 13 Financing 209 --
Should You Borrow Where You Bank? 210 --
Right Lending Institution 210 --
Choosing a Loan Officer 214 --
Defining Your Desires 215 --
Think Like a Banker 216 --
Pulling Information Together 216 --
Packaging Your Proposal 218 --
Preparing to Meet Your Lender 219 --
Formal Loan Applications 219 --
Chapter 14 Maintenance: Indoor and Outdoor 225 --
Principles and Procedures 226 --
Exterior Maintenance 231 --
Rarely Visited Areas 237 --
Inside the Rental Units 238 --
Working with Independent Contractors 240 --
Chapter 15 Finding and Managing Contractors 243 --
Answering Machines 243 --
A Sense of Security 247 --
Where Should You Start Your Contractor Quest? 247 --
Establishing Your Needs 251 --
Review the Documents 258 --
Certificates Of Insurance 258 --
Letting Contractors into Rental Units 259 --
Be Prepared to Make Calls at Night 259 --
Chapter 16 Protecting Yourself from Contractors and Vendors 261 --
Contractor Selection Form 264 --
Professional Services Directory 268 --
Product Information Sheet 269 --
Estimated Cost Sheet 270 --
Fine-Tuning the Preliminary Design 270 --
Contractor Questionnaire 271 --
Code Compliance Forms 282 --
Certificate of Completion 285 --
