5 Essential Legal and Regulatory Tips for Boston Property Investors
Reading Time: 3 minutesInvesting in rental properties in Boston can be profitable, but it also comes with various legal and regulatory compliance requirements that landlords and property managers must follow. These laws and regulations protect tenants’ rights and ensure that rental properties meet safety and sanitary standards. Failing to comply with these rules can lead to penalties, fines,…
How Technology is Revolutionizing Property Management in Boston
Reading Time: 4 minutesAre you a property owner or investor in Boston curious about the future of property management? In today’s blog, we’ll discuss how technology is revolutionizing property management in Boston. Let’s start exploring the exciting developments on the horizon through trends and innovations. Trend 1: Smart Home Technologies Integrating innovative home technologies like automated…
The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Rental Property Management in Boston MA
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs a property owner in Boston, finding the perfect rental property management partner is crucial to ensuring the success of your investment. Even if you’re a first-time landlord or a seasoned real estate investor, navigating Boston’s rental property management landscape can be challenging. This blog post will be your ultimate guide to finding the best…
How to Find a Budget-Friendly Property Management Company in Boston
Reading Time: 3 minutesFinding the perfect budget-friendly property management company in Boston might seem challenging, but with the right approach, you can ensure your properties are well-managed without breaking the bank. In this article, we’ll share valuable tips to help you find the ideal property management company that aligns with your budget and needs. Seek Out Referrals…
Understanding Property Insurance and Liability Coverage
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs a property owner, it’s essential to have a comprehensive understanding of property insurance and liability coverage. These types of insurance can help protect your investment and minimize financial risk in unexpected accidents or damages. In this blog post, we’ll explore the basics of property insurance and liability coverage and provide tips on ensuring you…
The Role of Property Management in Neighborhood Revitalization
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen it comes to neighborhood revitalization, property management plays a critical role. Property managers are responsible for maintaining the physical condition of a property, addressing tenant concerns, and ensuring that the property complies with local laws and regulations. This level of oversight and accountability can significantly impact the overall health and well-being of a neighborhood.…
Property Management in a Real Estate Market
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe real estate market is booming in many parts of the world, with property values skyrocketing and demand for rental properties rising. While this is excellent news for property owners and investors, it presents some unique challenges for property managers. This article will explore some key strategies property managers can use to navigate a booming…
Ways to Reduce Vacancy Rates and Keep Properties Occupied
Reading Time: 4 minutesAs a landlord, one top priority is ensuring consistently occupied properties. After all, vacant units can quickly drain your resources, wasting profits and forcing you to scramble to find new tenants. Fortunately, many ways exist to reduce vacancy rates and fill your properties with happy renters. This article will be exploring some of the most…
How to Conduct a Property Inspection and Why it’s Important
Reading Time: 4 minutesAs a property owner, it’s essential to conduct regular inspections to ensure your property is in good condition and identify any potential problems before they become costly and time-consuming. This blog will discuss how to conduct a property inspection and its importance. Why is Property Inspection Important? There are several reasons why property…
How to Create a Rental Property Marketing Plan
Reading Time: 4 minutesA successful rental property marketing plan is essential for attracting and retaining high-quality tenants. Without a solid marketing plan, rental properties may sit vacant for extended periods, leading to lost income for property owners. This blog will discuss creating a rental property marketing plan that works. Define Your Target Market The first step…
The Pros and Cons of Offering Short-Term Rentals
Reading Time: 4 minutesShort-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO have become increasingly popular in recent years. While offering short-term rentals can be a lucrative option for property owners, it has its fair share of pros and cons. This article will tackle some pros and cons of offering short-term rentals. PROS Increased Rental Income Offering short-term rentals…
Strategies for Maximizing Rental Property Profitability
Reading Time: 3 minutesRental property investments can be an excellent approach to generating passive income and wealth over time. However, maximizing rental property profitability requires careful planning and management. Here are some strategies for maximizing your rental property profitability. Set the Right Rental Price Setting the right rental price is vital to maximizing profitability. If you…
10 Common Mistakes Landlords Make When Managing Rental Properties
Reading Time: 3 minutesManaging rental properties can be a great investment opportunity, but it comes with many responsibilities. It’s essential to avoid common mistakes that can lead to costly problems down the line. Here are the top 10 mistakes for landlords to avoid when managing rental properties. Failing to Screen Tenants Properly One of the biggest…
The Benefits of Outsourcing Property Management Services
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs a property owner, managing your properties can be a daunting task. Between collecting rent, handling maintenance requests, and dealing with tenant issues, it can be challenging to take on your own. That’s where outsourcing property management services can be beneficial. This article will discuss the benefits of outsourcing property management services. Time and…
The Role of Regular Maintenance in Property Management
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs a property owner, it’s crucial to understand the importance of regular maintenance. Property management is not just about collecting rent; it’s also about ensuring that the property is well-maintained and in good condition. Regular maintenance helps retain the property’s value and guarantees it is safe for tenants. This article will discuss the significance of…
Screening Tenants for Your Rental Properties
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs a landlord, finding reliable and trustworthy tenants is crucial to the success of your rental property business. The right tenants can help you maximize your rental income and maintain your property’s value. As for the wrong tenants, they can cause severe damage to your property and disrupt your income stream. Thus, it’s essential to…
The Impact of COVID-19 on Property Management Practices
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives, including how we manage properties. Property management companies have had to adapt to new safety regulations quickly, readjust to tenant needs, and combat economic uncertainty. Today, we will explore the impact of COVID-19 on property management practices and how property managers can respond to…
9 Sustainable and Green Initiatives in Property Management
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe real estate industry significantly impacts the environment, accounting for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions. As such, property managers must adopt sustainable and green initiatives to help reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. These initiatives benefit the environment and improve the income of property owners and managers. This blog explores a few of the sustainable…
Smart Home Technology and its Benefits for Property Management
Reading Time: 3 minutesSmart home technology is rapidly changing how people interact with their homes, and it is also significantly impacting the property management industry. Smart home technology connects devices to the internet, allowing users to control them through smartphones, tablets, or other devices. These devices offer many benefits for property management companies and their clients, including increased efficiency, improved…
3 Tools We Use for Efficiency
Reading Time: 2 minutesAt Green Ocean Property Management, we are committed to ensuring safety and comfort in all our properties. In today’s article, read about how we take advantage of property management technology with the top three tools we use for efficiency. We invest in only the best tools to diagnose and solve problems, such as the FLIR…
Save More Money With A Smart Thermostat
Reading Time: 2 minutesWe at Green Ocean Property Management love technology. That’s why Google’s Nest Thermostat is the perfect addition to the properties we manage. Here’s how switching from old-school thermostats to smart ones can save more bucks. All About Google’s Nest Thermostats Smart thermostats, specifically Google’s Nest Thermostats, are becoming very commonplace in many…
Top 3 Software We Use to Analyze Your Property
Reading Time: 4 minutesFor a detailed comparative market analysis, here are three software we use to analyze your property so you can make informed decisions about your next investment. Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), what we call “rental comps” for short, allows real estate investors to determine the value of a property compared to similar properties in…
Two Types of Property Investors
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to make more money with your property, you need to know what kind of property investor you want to be. In today’s article, we talk about the two types of property investors so you can earn and save more money, buy more profitable properties, and attain financial freedom. Types of…
Legal Fees When Moving In
Reading Time: 2 minutes Landlords and property managers should abide by local landlord-tenant laws to ensure nothing is overcharged. Learn more as we explain the legal fees you can collect from tenants when they are moving in. State laws on move-in fees State laws on move-in fees vary. Some states have no limit on the amount…
Using Asana With Our B.I.G. Landlords
Reading Time: 3 minutes With ten or more units to manage, it might be impossible for landlords to keep up. That is why our Boston Investor Group (B.I.G.) landlords are also using Asana, our project management software, where they have round-the-clock access to updates on every work we do at their property. In today’s article, I’m going…
Hiver for Gmail, Explained
Reading Time: 3 minutes Fast and open communication has always been our top commitment. We keep it that way within our company and, most importantly, towards our partners and clients. Today, our CEO Jarrett Lau shows you how we do that with Hiver, the world’s 1st Gmail-based Helpdesk. With it, our entire team is always only one click…
Minimize Vacancies with 3D Renderings
Reading Time: 3 minutes 3D renderings allow contractors and prospective renters to look at the property without being onsite. But at Green Ocean Property Management, we take it to the next level: we use it for advertising the property. With more potential tenants who see it first, there’s less time for your property to remain vacant. Here’s how…
How Does Real Estate Depreciation Work?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Most people think that depreciation is a negative effect of owning a property but actually there is a good side of it that real estate investors should know. Find out what it is here. In today’s video, we are covering depreciation and how it works in real estate. What is Depreciation? Generally, depreciation…
Dealing with Dripping Water
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dealing with dripping water requires professional assistance and the right tool. In today’s article, we explain how a small thing such as a guard dog valve can put your mind at ease from money– and water –pouring down the drain. Sources of Dripping Water The three main sources of dripping water are a…
Leak Detection and Repair
Reading Time: 2 minutes Property managers should solve your property headaches for you and not add to them. In today’s article, we emphasize the importance of having property managers who are proactive and equipped with the right tools, so they can take care of one of the most common property problems: leak detection and repair. Let’s Talk…
How We Use Drone to Manage Properties
Reading Time: 2 minutes We are taking things to new heights! Today we are introducing the latest addition to our inventory – a drone that we use to manage properties and go beyond regular property management. What is a Drone? Drones are formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It is a flying machine that can…
How We Plan Out Renovations
Reading Time: 2 minutes Renovations entail a lot of planning, but you don’t have to do it alone. We plan out renovations in a way that no penny or day is wasted. In today’s article, we will explain how our staff will handle your renovation and get it done extremely quickly. There will be no missed days or…
How We Use CompanyCam
Reading Time: 2 minutes A huge part of what we do is act quickly on any issues with your property. So today, we are excited to share another technology that we use to ensure that landlords and building trustees have full oversight and transparency when it comes to your property. We are talking about CompanyCam and how we…
Introducing Asana and the On-ramping Process
Reading Time: 9 minutes Asana is one of the project management tools we use to help us serve you well. In today’s article, we take you on a virtual tour of the Asana interface – starting with the on-ramping process – showing just how much we go above and beyond to invest in state-of-the-art tools that allow us…
Achieve Zero Vacancy Rate
Reading Time: 3 minutes Your investment property should be maintained, whether rented or not. Across hundreds of properties that we manage, we typically have zero vacancies. But that rate is not something that happens overnight or happens magically. Rather, it takes day-to-day processes of follow-ups and making sure that you are staying on top of everything. So in…
How to Get Started with Buildium
Reading Time: 12 minutes Proper documentation of billings and leases is important to every landlord. We provide that in real-time using Buildium, a property management software that makes our operations easier. So in today’s video, we are showing you Buildium: what it looks like and how to get started with it. What is Buildium Buildium is a…
How to Navigate zInspector
Reading Time: 3 minutes We use zInspector to track inspections and repairs. Although it is user-friendly, there will always be clients who are new to it. So we made this tutorial for clients to know how to navigate zInspector. What is zInspector zInspector is a mobile app that we use to track our findings during property…
Managing Parking Lots with Drone
Reading Time: 2 minutes When it comes to visualizing any space, a different angle can make an absolute difference. We share the wonders that a drone brings to managing your parking lots. In addition to managing apartments, we also manage quite a few parking lots. And parking lots can actually make quite a bit of…
Questions to Ask When Qualifying a Vendor
Reading Time: 3 minutes Property managers and landlords should know who to trust when it comes to property maintenance. Here are some questions to ask when qualifying a vendor. Who are vendors? Vendors are the people that go into your house and provide service. These can be plumbers, electricians, handymen, or appliance technicians. We need to make…
Maximize Rental Profits by Converting Living Rooms
Reading Time: 22 minutes Converting living rooms into other versatile rooms is an effective use of living spaces that can maximize your profits. Today, we explain how we can turn a living room into another usable room. Room, as in “bedroom”? Notice that we did not use the word bedroom. It is because, in many…
Using 3D Tours to Estimate Renovations
Reading Time: 3 minutes Renovations don’t come cheap, so every detail must be accounted for. But what do you do if you can’t make an inspection onsite? Today, we are sharing how technology – specifically using 3D tours – helps us estimate your renovation project for your property. It allows us to save time, the vendors’ time, and…
Quick and Efficient Property Maintenance Using Property Meld
Reading Time: 3 minutes It takes an entire team to keep any property well-kept. That is why Green Ocean Property Management uses Property Meld to ensure all members of that team – from owners, vendors, residents, technicians, and us, your property managers – stay on track under one platform to provide a quick and efficient property maintenance…
Managing Properties With iPads
Reading Time: 2 minutes As property managers, our work is usually on the field – onsite the properties under our care. But that doesn’t mean that we leave the office stuff behind and just come back to it later. In this article, we share how we use iPads to manage properties: making our field managers’ work more accessible,…
Prevent Bathroom Mold With Fans
Reading Time: 2 minutes One of the most common issues that we encounter in our investment properties is mold. Prevention is better than cure, and the secret to keeping mold away is by keeping areas dry, especially in the bathroom where it is almost always wet. But did you know that you can prevent bathroom mold by installing…
Avoid these Common Landlord Mistakes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mistakes after mistakes after mistakes can be done. A property manager’s job is to help you minimize common landlord mistakes and more importantly, avoid them before they even happen. Here are three of those common mistakes and why you should prevent them. #1 Not recognizing the importance of planning First and foremost, prior…
What makes a Property Manager VALUABLE?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Hiring a property manager proves to be valuable to any landlord as it allows you to take care of your properties and tenants, especially if you have several properties. Property managers deal with the tenants and their concerns so landlords don’t have to.s been in the industry for over four decades. One of the…
Benefits of Having a Property Manager who is a General Contractor
Reading Time: 3 minutes Property managers and general contractors play different roles in real estate. But if you have a multi-serving property manager who is also a general contractor, like here in Green Ocean Property Management consider yourself lucky as you can experience these perks. Here are the benefits of having a general contractor as your property manager. …
5 Benefits of Hiring a LOCAL Property Manager
Reading Time: 3 minutes When choosing your property managers, there are some factors to consider. Hiring a property manager who is based within close proximity of your investment property proves to have more benefits than one who is 45-50 minutes away from you. Sure, their rates might be cheaper – because everything outside the city is typically cheaper…
Our Simpler, Easier, Flat-Fee Pricing
Reading Time: 2 minutes What is flat-fee pricing, and does it make property management easier? In this article, we explain why we do flat fee management pricing versus much of our competition that implements percentage-based management fees. Flat fee pricing explained Flat fee pricing, also called flat-rate pricing, refers to charging a single, predetermined fee for…
Alternative Ways To Save On Utilities
Reading Time: 2 minutes In today’s article, we present how we proactively save you money while doing good for the environment as well. Initially, we look through your property with Mass Save, which can do an energy audit of your home and help figure out where you can save on utility costs. But for now, we will focus…
How to INCREASE RENTS During Lease Renewal
Reading Time: 2 minutes With the ongoing inflation, tax payments, and demand for repairs, an increase in rents is truly inevitable. As experienced property managers, we always get this question a lot: “How do you determine the increase during lease renewal? Do you also send out a notice to your tenants when it’s time to renew their lease?”…
Top Technologies Green Ocean use to Leverage Services
Reading Time: 3 minutesWATCH THE VIDEO TO SEE THE ACTUAL DEVICE WE USE In this week’s property management pulse, I will be going over some technologies and how we use them to leverage and to be able to improve our service. For you, our clients, as well as being able to perform better and have more supervision oversight…
No Security Deposits with Obligo: How the Monthly Fees Work
Reading Time: 5 minutes A security deposit is a one-time fee that is collected by most landlords. Usually, they charge up to three months’ worth of rent: that is the first month, last month, and security. Other terms for a security deposit are last month’s rent, advance deposit, or cleaning deposit. However you call it, security deposits are…
Tenant Screening Questions to Avoid
Reading Time: 14 minutesAs a landlord, you have the right to do a thorough process in screening potential tenants. You might have a list of what makes a good tenant in mind. You know, how they must be responsible and pay their bills on time, be stable when it comes to employment, and have a good record from…
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