Property Management Blog

By Tim Harstead - Friday, November 29, 2019

BRRRR

In Chicago, as we hit December, BRRRR sounds like the sound we make when we step outside! But, it is actually a very useful real estate investing technique! Let’s break down what each letter stands for, so you can see if this is a game plan that would work for you and your ...

By Tim Harstead - Thursday, November 7, 2019

Budget plans for Chicago Utilities

They say “failing to plan is planning to fail” but how do you budget for bills that are different every month? Chicago’s utilities have a solution. ComEd and Peoples gas now have budget billing. This estimates your annual costs and gives you an equal bill every ...

By Tim Harstead - Thursday, August 8, 2019

What's a House Hack

House hacking is an investor term for buying an investment property that you live in while you either rehab it or while renting out the other units in a multi-unit building while gaining enough equity to refinance and buy another property.Whether you are looking to start an inves...

By Tim Harstead - Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Staying Fair Housing-compliant when it comes to criminal convictions

Can declining criminals in your Chicagoland apartments make you a criminal?Screening potential tenants is one of the most important jobs of a landlord and property manager. If you let someone in who doesn’t pay, not only are you losing income for the months they don’t...

By Tim Harstead - Sunday, July 14, 2019

Security Deposit vs Move-in Fee in Chicago

Are security deposits not making you feel secure anymore? Chicago has never been confused as a landlord-friendly city, and lately they have been enforcing our security deposit laws very strictly. This means, if you are not taking care of all of your paperwork, paying interest of ...