Without even realizing it, technological advances have unleashed massive changes in the way realtors are both showing and promoting homes.

Within a few days of its release, a 30-something couple had their tablet PC with them when their agent showed them a home that had a kitchen they loved. They pulled out their tablet and took some video of the kitchen. They proceeded to record each of the homes they previewed. That evening they posted what they shot on Facebook so their friends and family could see what they had been doing that day. Instantly they starting getting feedback, comments and suggestions and, fortunately, their agent was in their Facebook network and was able to join in the conversation as friends and family members posted their thoughts.

The next day the couple made a post on Facebook, thanking everyone who had made suggestions and comments. They said they greatly valued the input they received and had decided to make on offer on the home with the great kitchen. They then called their agent to write up the offer. They told their agent they felt a lot more confident moving ahead because both of their parents thought they were doing the right thing. They also loved keeping their network current on what they were up too.

A new era of real estate has been born! For lack of better terminology, I have decided to call it “Social Showing.” It might not be for everyone, but today the Facebook generation loves getting everyone involved as well as getting comments, suggestions and feedback, especially for major purchases like appliances, cars and homes. You had better get used to it, because it is going viral and it’s going fast. The smart agents are headed to the electronics store today, and they are suggesting that their clients shoot video of the homes at each showing. The agents then post the video on YouTube and send the clients a link and also ask the clients to post the video on their Facebook page. This gives them two ways to get feedback from the people they know.

The tablet was designed from the ground up to shoot video and post it on the web. It is so easy that even the most tech-phobic agents can do it. This is going to move video marketing of homes into the mainstream faster than agents can image. Want to promote your broker open house? Take a quick video of the food you are serving so agents can see what to expect when they arrive there. Record a video update on what is happening in the market and post on Twitter, Facebook and your web site.

At the closing, pull out your tablet PC (or smart phone) and record a video testimonial from your clients and post it on your Facebook page, and ask them to make a comment so it posts to their network as well. This is the ultimate in social marketing, and the agents who lead the way will generate a huge advantage. It won’t be long until agents are adding little professionally branded clips at the beginning and end of these videos that pulls all of their traditional brand identity into the social media world. Now is the time to lead the way and be seen as an innovator in real estate marketing.

It amazes me how many good 3D architectural visualisation artists are out there who continue to make very basic mistakes in their artwork. Without much more technical ability a few pointers would turn their artwork into works of art!  Here are the most common mistakes to avoid.

1. Using low resolution texture maps that do not tile seamlessly and that show repetition of the tile. It is cheap and easy to buy or even create texture maps these days so dump the old maps and sort out a strong materials library. Make sure to use bump and displacement to avoid flat lifeless textures. There are also numerous fairly new material effects such as sub surface scattering which should be implemented when required.

2. Modelling the landscape with less effort than the buildings. The site is so important if you are striving for photo realism. In fact in many situations more effort should be put into the landscape than the building as it runs right up close the camera in the foreground.  Think about the foreground / mid-ground / distant-ground and back-ground and apply the detail as necessary.

3. Poor 3d architectural visualisation composition. Any good architectural photographer will tell you that it is as much about composition of shot as it is about subject or light. Architectural shots, both interior and exterior should generally be taken with the vertical walls of the building running parallel to the sides of the shot. This is a rule of thumb only and does not apply to more abstract shots or when dealing with exceptionally tall buildings.

4. Colour balance and colour mapping. Analyse your image carefully by looking at the balance of tones. If there is an unnatural looking green tint from the image make the necessary adjustments. If your dark areas are too dark play with your gamma settings. In 3D architectural visualisation you should try to make these adjustments within your render engine and make tweaks later in photoshop.

5. Adding entourage to the image in post works such as people, trees, cars etc.  Take care and select images that have similar tones and lighting. When you add the images ensure that the light on all images is coming from the same direction as the light in your scene.  All the photoshop tinkering in the world won’t make an added image look right in your scene if it is showing shadows on the opposite side to everything else.

As any residential letting or property management company will understand, keeping track of the individual needs of clients and the general day-to-day tasks of maintaining portfolios can be a time-consuming exercise. Traditional methods of organising this data can be slow, inefficient and lead to your company delivering a service that is not of the standard you require.

Now, there is rental property software that will allow you to address all these key issues and help deliver the highest quality, professional service to your clients and tenants.

The most comprehensive residential letting software available. which takes a multi-faceted approach to the task of property management, allowing easy access to all its features to end users. The result is property management software that increases the efficiency of your business, allowing you to spend your time more productively addressing the specific and individual needs of your clients.

In addition, letting softwares can take advantage of cloud computing to become a web-based letting software, meaning that your employees can access all the features of the software via their laptops away from the office.

In addition to helping with the general admin tasks, the software avoids duplication of tasks, increases the productivity of your workforce and in a new development for property management software, allows you to ensure that maintenance records and client accounting is kept up to date, all in one central location. This frees up vast amounts of time for your team to spend their time on providing outstanding customer service, rather than general administration tasks.

Any company with a portfolio of properties to let needs rental property software for the 21st century.

If your residential letting software letting you down? Do you find it a time-consuming and inefficient use of your time keeping your portfolio database up to date? Is your business productivity and efficiency compromised by the fact that too many tasks are repetitive, meaning that members of your team spend too much of their time performing these essential but mundane tasks?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions posed above, then you need to consider investing in outstanding residential letting software: Propco Enterprise.

No previously available rental property software has the same level of features combined in one easy-to-use package, all of which have been designed to ensure that the end user has complete control and flexibility over how they use the program.

The property management software that achieves this in the easiest, simplest and most flexible way possible, allowing companies to both address the individual needs of their clients and manage their properties to the highest standards.

With very strict competition ongoing in the property rental market, it is vital for both property managers and owners to maintain a positive representation with the tenants. The basic aspect of this business is to keep properties occupied with valuable, quality tenants while giving them the value of their money. Without renters, there is no way this business will be able to survive. Finding these significant renters to fill in vacancies take time and can cause the business to lose profit. Not to mention, it is more expensive to look for a new customer compared to renewing a contract with an existing tenant. Therefore it is very essential to keep your tenants pleased.

Below are the 5 ways that a professional property management company can retain tenants longer:

1. Keep Tenants Feeling Valued. With competition pretty vast in the market, it is very important to keep renters valued. One way, for example, is to reward tenants who have provided good business for a specified number of years. The reward could be new kitchen counter tops, touch up the paint in many areas, or upgrade the bathroom, depending on what your tenant and your property equally needs. Not only are you making your customer feel valued but you are covering maintenance as well. Also, make sure that you keep your property clean, safe and in great condition.
2. Offer Incentive. Another way a tenant will be inclined to renew their contract with you is if you offer incentives. A discount could be one incentive – if a tenant pays a lump sum for, let’s say, 2 years that he’s going to rent the place, he gets 1 month free rent. Incentives are one way of motivating a renter because they will see that they will get something out of the deal.
3. Improve Property Appeal. Not all properties are “high-end” units with amenities like a pool, a gym, a basketball court, and anything such. However, there are other ways you can charm your tenant to renew with you. Investing in quality appliances is one such idea. Refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, dryers, even a high-definition TV will appeal to a renter. Also, a partially furnished property not only adds appeal but also decreases a renter’s financial concern.
4. Keep Rent Suitably Affordable. Tenants will always look for properties that provide the most bang for their buck, while owners and property managers will seek quality tenants who are capable in paying the value of the property. It is essential to meet both ideals in this business to ensure great profits.. Rents should appropriately cover costs as well as tenant value.
5. Build a Relationship. Be professional, but also be respectably friendly to your tenants. Tenants will likely renew or stay longer if they feel that they are cared for. They may also be inclined to pay more if treated politely. As long as a positive environment between the tenant, property manager, and owner is created through good communication and integrity, your business will go far and excel.

The tenancy mix in a retail shopping centre is critical to the property performance. Without care and strategy any neglected tenant mix can destroy the trade and cash flow for the landlord and tenants in the property.

The tenant mix forms part of the property strategy and business plan. Every good retail property should have a business plan that includes key issues such as:

• Existing tenant mix
• Lease terms and conditions
• Current tenants lease expires and options
• Rent levels, rent types, and rent review strategies
• Current tenant locations
• Customer numbers and history
• Trade turnover for the tenants in categories and by months
• Refurbishment and relocation plans
• Vacancy plans

When leasing a retail property with multiple tenants the landlord should give due regard to these questions:

• What the customers to the property need and want in the property
• How the customers shop and when
• How much they spend when they shop and on what
• How the local area and surrounding suburbs are changing and if that will impact on shopping trends
• Tenants that extend the visit time of the customer at the property

The property and leasing manager for the property should therefore research the local area and the customers to the property before making key decisions and directions in the tenant mix.

Tenant Mix Plan

To create a tenant mix plan or strategy for the retail property the above information is critical. Conducting surveys of the surrounding areas should be part of the process. Any errors in tenant mix should be avoided by carefully understanding the shoppers and what they want in the property.

Give due regard for who is shopping at the property and why. As part of that seek to understand the ratios of shoppers in each category. Here is a typical example:

1. Young Families with children
2. Young Families with no children
3. Singles
4. Retirees (late versus early)
5. Families with teenagers
6. Families with no kids now (left home)
7. Income profile for the average shopper
8. Workers in the area each day
9. Tourists or people that pass through (near transport corridors)

The list may go on subject to the area in which your property is located. Importantly the list will give you a profile of the people that shop, when, and why. From that process you can make some tenant mix decisions in your property.

To get tenant mix ideas in your local area you should visit other properties that are comparable with or better than the property you are working on. See what is working for them and what is not. Talk to the tenants in those properties to see what they think about the current shoppers and the trends.

Tenant mix and strategy is all about gathering facts before you make decisions. The property can then be optimised for the future.

There are multiple reasons why you are looking into renting property, however in ALL cases it is imperative you spend some time ensuring you select and form a relationship with a reputable, reliable letting agent that suits all your requirements. If you are using the internet to locate an agent in your area, it is not surprising to be somewhat overwhelmed with the sheer number of letting agencies offering their services but with a little upfront knowledge you can very quickly reduce the list to a few who will suit your needs.

There are several factors to look at to narrow down to your shortlist of prospective letting agents. These include:

• Types of Property
• Level of Service
• Experience
• Fixed Office Location
• Professional Affiliations
• Agent Availability
• Fees and Rates

Types of Property

If you own a 4 bedroom family home in a quiet suburban neighbourhood, do not consider using a letting agency that specialises primarily in city student lets. This may be obvious but is often overlooked and is a quick way to narrow down your list of letting agents. Choose an agent that is currently listing properties similar to your own.

Level of Service

Different agencies offer different levels of service. These tend to be divided into three categories:

1. Full management
2. Property letting and rent collection
3. Basic introductions

In all cases the agent should aim to locate a suitable tenant through means of their own channels and additionally by advertising your property through other online channels such as rightmove or primelocation.

Professional Affiliations

In as much as letting agents are not regulated by specific government statutory boards, there are several principles letting organizations for these letting agents which have specific codes of compliance controls and practices that are strictly implemented to guarantee the high degree of professionalism exemplified by their members. The most prominent organizations include the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and the National Association of Estate Agents.

Letting agency websites should advertise quite obviously whether or not they are affiliated with these organisations and if they are then it gives you a degree of assurance with regards to their credibility.

Office Location

There are many individuals advertising their services as letting agencies out there. You should take not of which agents have a fixed address and real office. A good office location sends a message to clients that they are serious with the quality of services that they provide. This enables both you as a landlord and prospective tenants a location to meet with the letting agent and discuss your arrangements or find property to rent respectively.

Agent Availability

It is more convenient for tenants if they can discuss matters with their letting agent 24/7. The least that tenants would want to experience is to suffer the inconveniences that go together with renting a place so it is absolutely important that letting agent offer the best communication methods. They should have working phone lines that are available for inquiries during the weekends in case their office is closed on these days. They should also have a webpage or an email address that is regularly read for possible inquiries coming from tenants who reside in far places.

Years of Experience

Look for agents that have a long track record of letting properties like yours. There are many that specialise in one type of property yet may have branched out and started letting other types, especially after the recession however ultimately you should deal with an established letting agent many years experience of the most appropriate market.

Fees and Rates

Do not be immediately attracted to letting agents with lower service rates. This should be no incentive until you have a shortlist of prospective letting agencies you wish to deal with and only then when you have communicated with each remaining agency to ensure they will give you the best service, should you consider looking at the rates they charge. You do not want to sacrifice quality service and reliability for a small difference in fees.

Final Choice

When you have successfully produced a shortlist of prospective letting agents then next stage would be to contact each in turn. The most important advice here is to communicate well with each letting agency.

Be specific with your requirements.

If you are only looking to let to families or working professionals then specify this in your requirements, if you are happy to let your property to pet owners, or students or unemployed individuals then specify this upfront as this will help the agent enormously locate prospective tenants. Also consider whether you are looking at short term letting or only want to let long term

By using the information above you will be able to locate the perfect letting agent for your needs.

1) The electrical contractor should be easy to reach. A live person should always answer the phone during business hours. After hours, there should be an emergency number that you can call.

2) If you have an urgent electrical situation, your electrical company should handle it right away. Let’s say that one of your office buildings loses its exterior lights at 8 p.m. on Sunday night. You want an electrician who can fix it, whether it’s as simple as flipping on a circuit breaker or whether troubleshooting is needed to find where bare wires are touching. The electrical company should be large enough that it can send you experienced and knowledgeable electricians right away to get the lights back on.

3) Your electrician should quote you prices in advance of doing work. If you want something new installed, the electrician should be able to give you a price up front in writing once he’s seen the job. New installations include, for example, a new light fixture, a rewire of an apartment, an electrical panel upgrade, or installing any other new electrical equipment.

If there’s something broken, for example, an electrical outlet that no longer works, he’ll want to charge you per hour for troubleshooting. However, within about an hour, he should either have fixed it or have figured out the problem and be ready to give you a written estimate for fixing it.

4) You should be able to trust that the electrician has the judgment to give you accurate estimates. For example, the doorbell for one of your apartment units has broken. Even though door bells look small and simple, in this case, looks can be deceptive. Hunting for an electrical short or loose wire somewhere in the walls could turn into a larger project. Your electrician should have the judgment to realize this and give you an accurate estimate early on so that you can decide if you want to go ahead.

5) The electrician should act professionally with your tenants. Electricians should have a friendly, professional manner with tenants. They should also have the training to give information to tenants on a need-to-know basis, knowing what to say and what not to. For example, an electrician should start by saying something like, “The management company asked us to come out to get your power back on for you.” The electrician should know not to say, “The wiring in your apartment is scary. I’m going to recommend a rewire to the management before it burns down!”

6) The electrician should make sure that you know when the job is done. When the electrician finishes, he should check that everything works, clean up after himself, and if the tenants are home, let them know that the job is done. He should also tell you.

7) The electrician should keep you posted on the condition of the electrical in your units. Let’s say that you asked the electrician to add a circuit for a computer. He adds the circuit, but also notices that a bedroom has no smoke detector. Or the tenants might tell him that at night, when a hair dryer is turned on in the lit bathroom, the circuit breaker trips off. Without saying anything to the tenant that would obligate you to do electrical work, the electrician should give you a heads up.

The electrical office should provide you with accurate bills. Bills should arrive when expected with the detail needed to provide you with a clear accounting for the property owners. Paperwork should be smooth and simple, just as the electrical work should be smooth and complete. During business hours, an office manager should be available to answer any questions about billing.

If your electrician gets the job done, charges honest and reasonable rates, and offers you these eight benefits, you’ve found a keeper. Keep his contact information at hand and you’ll know who to call the next time you have an electrical problem.

Serving a Section 21 Notice can be a challenge for any landlord who handles all the formalities associated with letting a property. Notices are problematic because they rely on technicalities that must be closely respected to avoid possession proceedings issues. Still, any landlord can serve a Section 21 Notice to his tenant, provided that he or she knows the conditions that must be meet and the rules that must be followed.

1. Understand What A Section 21 Notice Is

A Section 21 Notice is the form you must to serve whenever you wish your tenant to vacate the property. It comes in two types: section 21 (a), which is used when the tenancy is periodic, and section 21 (b), which is used when the tenancy is for a fixed term. It’s important to note that a Section 21 Notice is ineffectual when it is sent while the fixed term contract is still valid.

2. Serve It In Advance

A Section 21 Notice has to be sent two month in advance to the moment you expect your tenant to vacate the property. This means that the tenant always has a leeway of two months from the moment he or she receives the notice. So for example, if the contract is about to expire but the notice has not yet been sent, then the tenant may be able to continue to occupy the property for two more months even if the tenancy ended in the meantime.

3. Find Out Ways In Which You Can Serve It

It’s often preferable that you serve the Section 21 Notice in person. This eliminates the risk for a delay or other mishap that may cause the notice to fail to reach the recipient. Having a witness when handing the notice is ideal.

It can also be served at the property, through the letter box or mail. The former is a good solution whenever time is pressing. The latter comes with a delay of up to three days and additional risks, i.e. the notice may become lost.

Alternatively, you can serve a Section 21 Notice through fax or e-mail. These however, are the least reliable methods because it’s often impossible say for certain whether they have been indeed read. Fax and e-mail should especially not be used when your relation with the tenant is strained.

4. Take Precautions

It’s essential to take precautions when serving a Section 21 Notice, if you wish to avoid delays and other inconveniences.

• Make a copy of the notice you serve and keep it as proof, just in case your tenant will not willingly co-operate.

• When sending the notice through mail, send two letters from two different post offices. Though it rarely happens, one letter may become lost.

• Sign the notice yourself. There is usually no problem if one of your agents signs the notice on your behalf, but it’s safer if you do it yourself. Your tenant may not recognize the agent or simply refuse to do so.

• When there is more than one tenant, i.e. a couple, serve each of them with a notice.

Should you allow tenants to have pets? This question is often a difficult one for investors to answer. On the one hand, they like animals but on the other they are worried about damaged screens, carpets, furniture, cat scratch marks on door frames and odour, all of which can devalue the property. Then there is the potential for the tenant having noisy pets that annoy neighbours. What to do?

Property Investors need to put their business hat on to decide the answer and try to leave the emotion out of the decision. Let us take a look at some facts.

In a recent Northern Territory News article was the headline, “Pet Hates Reducing Landlord’s Income”. An interview was conducted with Investment Club President, Mr Kevin Young. According to Mr Young, Australia has one of the highest pet ownership in the world with 63 percent of the population having one. Half of those who don’t have a pet say they might want to own one soon. He claimed that there has been considerable growth in one-person households over the last three decades and many of those have pets as companions. “It is a reality that pets are becoming an inescapable part of the rental property market in Australia and it is an issue that Australian landlords will have to address in the future if they want to achieve a higher rate of return from their investment property,” Mr Young said.

Mr Young’s observations seem to be backed up by an article in the Courier Mail. Interestingly, the article claimed that up to 15 percent more rent can be achieved for pet rentals and that tenants with pets often want to sign longer leases. The article also noted that property managers say that up to 70 percent of their rental inquiries are from pet owners. Courier Mail, July 10, 2010

The RSPCA NSW also stated that they receive numerous inquiries from concerned pet owners who are finding it very difficult to secure a pet-friendly rental property.

What does a property investor want?

Demand for their rental property, the best rental yield and consistent tenancy. Perhaps it really is time for a rethink.

There are risk- minimization measures that can be put in place to ease your mind about letting your property out to pet owners. Ask your property manager to:

• Find out whether the pet owner has up to date records which prove that the pet is properly vaccinated, registered and similar.
• Include conditions in the lease that fit with your comfort level, such as outside pets only or pets allowed, with the owner being responsible for any damage the pets cause. The latter is important because Landlord Insurance does not cover that kind of damage.
• Include a clause which states that the tenant is responsible for having pest control for fleas undertaken at the conclusion of the tenancy. Ask for proof this has occurred.
• Take particular note of things such as pet droppings in the garden that need to be cleaned up and to look out for stains on the carpet resulting from pets having accidents etc while they are conducting property inspections. This will enable issues to be quickly resolved.
• Undertake a reference check on pets. Check with the previous landlords / property managers about the condition of the property, if damage occurred and how it was handled.

So will you allow pets in your rental properties? There would seem to be several good financial reasons to do so.