Blog

Welcome to the Logical Property Management Blog. Below you'll find blog posts specific to Property Owners or Tenants to learn more about how we work and what you should be looking for.

2013-11-16

Is This A Good Rental Investment? Part I: Assessing The Location

Even A Great Deal on a House can Fail You in the Wrong Neighborhood. If you just follow the regular news it seems almost everywhere you look today real estate values are going up. Jump on the internet and you’ll find plenty of supposed deals on rental properties. Well, all is not as it seems […]

2013-11-09

It’s Getting Cold Out There: Winterizing An Empty Rental

The Best Winterization Is a Tenant — But Failing That… Ideally, of course, a rental property you own simply wouldn’t be vacant over the winter — and of course you should keep advertising your vacant properties no matter what the weather. But hoping for a tenant is no substitute for properly weatherizing a building that’s […]

2013-10-23

Apartment Rents are (Still) Going Up!

Maybe more slowly than a few months ago, but rents are still rising. Rent growth in the Detroit metropolitan area has been pretty significant over the past few years — 4% annual increase in 2011, 5% annual increase in 2012. 2013 is shaping up to be less dramatic, however, with average rents increase only 2% […]

2013-10-19

New Tax Laws Affecting Landlords Coming!

For a change you may actually like these! The IRS has issued it’s long and complex regulations that explain how to deduct improvements and repairs to rental properties. The regulations take effect on January 1st, 2014, and offers up several changes that rental owners may find downright pleasant. IRS Regulation 1.263(a)-3h: The Safe Harbor for […]

2013-10-12

Who Is Your Best Ally in Fighting Crime at Your Properties?

You may be surprised to learn it’s your tenants! There’s no such thing as a neighborhood with no crime. There are neighborhoods with less reported crime, and there are those areas that are plainly high-crime neighborhoods — but no matter where your property is located, you’re eventually going to have to deal with crime. If […]

2013-10-05

Broken Leases – How Much Do Tenants Owe?

The better this is defined in your lease, the better your chances of actually collecting something! So, here’s a scenario for you: a new tenant signs a lease and gives every indication that they’re about to move in…and then something comes up and they have to turn around and leave. They ask you to return […]

2013-09-21

The Pros and Cons of Going Section 8

Section 8 is not for everyone or every property, but too many landlords have misconceptions about the program.   Section 8 is a government program that pays a portion of the rent for qualifying low-income families. It’s a great program from the low-income tenant’s perspective, but landlords are often unsure of whether they should accept […]

2013-09-14

Mistakes Landlords Make, Part II

We admitted to a few moderately spectacular bungles last week — let’s do it again! Last week, we talked about some of the mistakes that landlords make — and we’re going to keep it up this week, too. Let’s get right into it! Dealing with Tenants Don’t get caught in a repair frenzy: Be careful […]

2013-09-07

Mistakes Landlords Make, Part I

We’ve been a lot less than perfect over the years — maybe you can learn a bit from some of our ‘favorite’ mistakes. No one is perfect — and while landlords aren’t any worse than anyone else, our mistakes can certainly cost a lot more than most people’s. We’d like to share with you some […]

2013-08-24

Protecting Vacant Rental Property from Vandals and Thieves

Make the neighbors your friends, and you’ll have taken the single best step you can toward protecting a vacant property. It’s never a good thing to drop by a vacant rental property and discover a wide open door. Unfortunately, vacant rental properties pose a target of opportunity for would-be thieves, as even simple copper wiring […]

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