Sacramento Area Property Management- Choose iRENT!
Posted by irentnc on May 30, 2012 in Blog | 1 comment
Do you enjoy free time and relaxation after a long work day? If you said anything other than “no” to this question then please read on… Each day I wake up and have a couple items on my priority list to accomplish for the work day. As soon as the clock hits 8:00am my phone starts ringing and my calendar becomes booked with unexpected and diverse tasks. This is my full-time job, a work day/week that iRENT has set up for me to allow me to have the flexibility to answer phone calls and run out to properties as needed. A property manager must have a schedule that allows for some impromptu prioritizing and the willingness to let the day work itself out even if it ends at 10:00 pm. What am I trying to say…? Property Management is a full time job! I believe, that is the main reason why many investors and home owners make the decision to hire a management company. After a long stressful day at the office, most individuals would like to go home to their families, friends, pets, and hobbies not to spend more hours of the day working on solving an issue or showing a vacant property. iRENT is a unique company, we realize that time is valuable and work very hard to ensure that our owners and tenants feel like they are getting prompt attention in a friendly and efficient manner. Our fees are very competitive and many owners have found that we are a one-stop-shop for everything that is real estate. As licensed real estate brokers and agents, our family of companies will take our investors and future homeowners through the process of buying real estate all the way through to the renovation stages. That is when iRENT takes over with facilitating the project renovations, marketing the property, and finding good quality tenants while maintaining the life and integrity of the home. If you are currently one of our...
Only YOU Can Prevent House Fires
Posted by irentnc on Apr 5, 2012 in Blog, Home Tips and Tricks | 0 comments
Hi Blog-land! With the nature of our business being Real Estate, we tend to look at monster sites/companies like Zillow® for helpful advice. I was reading through my “Zillow Buzz” e-mail when I stumbled upon an article that hit close to home, too close. Please read on for my story… The Story One EARLY Monday morning my Husband and I woke up at 4:45am to get him ready for an important work function in the Bay Area. I walked downstairs into the kitchen and smelled something strange, burnt, and eerie. My 12 year old cat started to act funny as well with her posture upright and head pointed towards the kitchen. Trying to ignore the strange smell I looked to my 300 gallon in-wall saltwater fish tank and saw my nocturnal shark swimming gracefully. When I went to the front of the tank glass to check this out, the smell got really strong. As I opened the large wood doors for access under the tank I saw water EVERYWHERE! Getting a little closer I noticed the wall bracing the back of the tank was blackened (as in charred) and the surge protector controlling 75% of my tank was sparking. Needless to say my husband had to shut off the breaker and our morning got to be really long and tedious, to say the least. What We Learned Water and electricity do not mix! We should have paid closer attention to the fact that condensation from the sump below the tank was accumulating on all electrical cords causing water to enter the electrical outlet. See the picture above for a look at the burnt and melted the plastic outlet panel. We now have a covered outlet and all cords are either covered or hanging vertically. The really scary thing is that we got lucky. The whole house could have caught on fire while we were sleeping. Ignorance is not bliss in this case so I urge you to read this...
Prepare your home for Spring-Summer
Posted by irentnc on Mar 29, 2012 in Blog, Home Tips and Tricks | 2 comments
Here in the Sacramento area, we have been very fortunate to see rain over the past couple weeks. This is much needed precipitation as it will help to fill our lakes and rivers as well as providing water to all vegetation. As I begin to fantasize about the upcoming beautiful summer sunny days I realize that I need to start thinking about “summerizing” my home. From entertaining in the backyard to opening windows on a perfect spring day there are some maintenance items that we should all consider taking care of a-head-of-time before the seasons change. Besides the usual A/C filter replacements, I have linked articles below that will help you to create our spring-summer preparation checklist. Check them out! Source: Fresh Home Interior Design and Architecture http://freshome.com/2011/03/01/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-the-spring-season/ Source: the Nest...
How to Clean White Kitchen Tile Grout
Posted by irentnc on Mar 16, 2012 in Blog, Home Tips and Tricks | 7 comments
In my opinion, a white tiled counter top can really add to the look of a crisp/clean kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, granite is a very popular material of choice but bright white kitchens leave room for unlimited decor color choices and easy modifications with changes in seasons. In a perfect world this white counter top would always look amazing with a simple daily wipe down with an all-purpose cleaner and a sponge. However, this is not the case… daily use and normal wear and tear can leave the once white tile grout looking dark and dingy. When it is time to clean the grout do not make the same mistake that I did. I went to the local big box hardware store and purchase a “tile grout marker (white)” for $8.00. When I got back to the house and began to draw the paint-like liquid across the grout lines I was only able to reach the second tile when the marker tip was absolutely destroyed and the paint stopped flowing out of the marker. I was able to return this product and resorted to a much cheaper and more effective method. Materials 1 toothbrush 1 spray bottle 1 bottle of Vinegar Directions Dilute the vinegar with water in the spray bottle; spray a generous amount onto the counter; scrub the grout lines with a toothbrush; wipe clean with an all-purpose cleaner (no...
Lengthy Time on Market Remains an Issue for Short Sales
Posted by irentnc on Feb 22, 2012 in Blog, Current Market Data | 1 comment
By Oscar Wei, senior research analyst The supply of housing continued to decline at the state level, with an unsold inventory index (UII) of 4.2 months for December 2011, a drop from 5 months in both the previous month and the same month of the previous year. In fact, it was the lowest level since December 2009 when the UII was below 4 months. Inventory levels, however, varied considerably across different segments of the market. Inventory of short sales remained at a relatively high level primarily because many of these properties continued to stay on the market much longer than equity sales and Real Estate Owned (REO) sales. In December, an equity sale typically stayed on the market for 56 days; an REO remained on the market for 41 days, but a short sale property stayed on the market for 116 days. Short sales were on the market for a much longer time frame due to the additional time needed for lenders to approve a short sale offer. Until the short sale process is streamlined and standardized, the inventory level for short sales will likely remain higher than those of REOs and equity sales in the foreseeable future. For questions about Real Estate 411, please contact the Research & Economics Department atresearch@car.org or (213)...
2011 Housing Market Wrap Up and 2012 Outlook
Posted by irentnc on Feb 22, 2012 in Blog, Current Market Data | 0 comments
By Robert Kleinhenz, deputy chief economist and Oscar Wei, senior research analyst California home sales improved both on a monthly and on an annual basis in November, exceeding the 500,000 benchmark for the first time in seven months. With monthly and yearly gains of slightly over 2 percent, there were 503,570 units of existing detached homes sold when measured on a seasonally adjusted and annualized basis. Sales were the strongest in eight months and now stand 1.2 percent higher than last year on a year-to-date basis. Despite softening slightly from October, California pending home sales improved on a year-to-year basis for the seventh consecutive month. The C.A.R. Pending Home Sales Index was at 109.8 in November, a decrease of 9.1 percent from October but up 11 percent from a year ago. The strong year-over-year growth in pending sales observed in the last few months suggests that closed sales in December will exceed last year’s December sales figure. As for home prices, California’s median price was $280,960 in November, an increase of 1 percent from a month ago, but down 5.2 percent from a year earlier. The statewide median price had been holding steady at about $290,000 from February of this year through September, so the decline over the past two months may be explained in part by a seasonal slowdown that is typical for the time of year. Part of the decline, however, could also be attributed to the cut in high cost loan limits by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as of October, which may have stifled activity in the middle-tier of the California marketplace (see article “Restoration of FHA High Cost Limit to Help Challenged Market Segment” in Market Data section on C.A.R. Web site). Sales are on track to beat last year’s total annual sales of 491,000 homes, and C.A.R. forecasts a slight one percent increase in sales next year to about 496,000 homes. With normal market activity thought to be 500,000 or so sales annually,...
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