First Rate Property Management Blog

Coordinating Maintenance Contractors

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

A big part of property management is coordinating maintenance and repairs. Some management companies have in-house maintenance while others, like FRPM, use independent contractors. As a Certified Maintenance Coordinator, I am taught to understand the differences and to have polic...

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The Progression of Tenant Screening

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

The Progression of Tenant ScreeningWhen I first started property management, all I did was run a credit report and check references. Then after a few criminal-related issues, we started searching the local court records to screen out criminals. Well, after a known arsonist burned...

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How Are Rents Determined?

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

How are rents determined?Below is a link to an article talking about sophisticated software that landlords can use to somewhat forecast vacancy and rents so that rents and lease terms can be determined that day to maximize profits. This software is created by Real Page, who owns ...

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Continuous Service Agreements

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

First Rate Property Management (First Rate) takes a lot of pride in managing investment properties and maintaining the high standards that we have set forth within our company. One tool and method that we employ to accomplish these goals and to maximize our client's investmen...

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Do It Yourself Maintenance

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

Do it yourself maintenance is something that FRPM considers pretty important. It helps reduce costs for owners, solves the issue for tenants faster and allows the property manager to get more accomplished. FRPM has a variety of maintenance FAQ’s listed on their website to h...

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Boise Rents and Occupancy Remain Strong

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

The SW Idaho Chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) just published their 1st quarter rental rate and vacancy report.  As we have reported before, this survey information is a good guide to follow trends.  The sample size this q...

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The Importance of Renters Insurance

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

Benjamin Franklin once said, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."  For a renter, preparing to move into a new rental can be overwhelming, but there is one step that is a simple preparation for unexpected events, which is obtaining Renter's Insura...

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Consistent, Fair & Compliant - Deposit Return Process

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

Consistent, fair and compliant are the 3 key words Marie Swanson used to describe the Security deposit return process.  This very detailed article covers several helpful tips to follow when it comes to returning a tenants security deposit.   Some of the most important s...

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Boise Increasing Rents Prove Sustainable

Blog Post

By Melissa Sharone Sunday, January 1, 2017

As rents have increased over the past few years, we have taken the position that Boise wages could not support these rents and that rents would stabilize or maybe even drop.   Idaho currently ranks 47th in the nation when it comes to median household income per capita and ha...

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Multifamily Rentals Dynamic

Blog Post

By Melissa S. Sunday, January 1, 2017

Harty Mortgage Advisors sent out the attached graphs that were created by Arbor Financial, a Fannie and Freddie lander.  The three charts reflect the state of multifamily rental demand and the drop in homeownership that is exacerbating the unmet demand for rentals.

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