It has been a decade since the housing market crash. The article Housing: America’s Piggy Bank takes a look at what happened then and where we are today. Has the recent run up in home values been too fast? Will there be a correction? What effect does the continued recovery from the recession have on the market?

The housing market is safer that it was 10 years ago due to the tougher lending practices.

Looking to buy a home or an investment property in the West Palm Beach area? We can help!

Whether you are looking for your next dream home or interested in investing in rental properties, contact the experts in Palm Beach County. With over 30 years experience, we know the rental and sales market in the area.

The post 2017 Palm Beach County Market Update appeared first on Home Property Management.

It’s another storm season here in South Florida, and we’d like to take a moment to remind you of the best way to protect your property:

The key to hurricane preparedness is addressing shuttering concerns yourself, well in advance of any storm.

Experienced Storm Response

With all the storms that have hit Florida since we opened in 1985, you can imagine your HPM staff is very adept at hurricane response! We have a complete hurricane response system that keeps you informed in the days immediately preceding and following a storm. To communicate with our property owners during a disaster, HPM will provide periodic updates on property conditions and status via our Automated Disaster Line (561- 624-4663), and on a specific page of our website dedicated to disaster updates!

See our Storm Update page.

Please use these automated communication resources for general questions, and call us directly for specific issues relating to repairs, insurance and the like.

Our backup systems include generators, multiple cellular phone providers to ensure optimal service coverage, fuel stockpiles and standby wireless internet service to enable us to communicate with owners, tenants and vendors when utilities are down.

Take Action Early

Hurricanes watches and warnings frequently afford Floridians no more than 48 hours to secure their homes. With a limited staff and hundreds of homes under management, HPM is unable to guarantee hurricane preparation assistance to any owner. While some tenants may be able to shutter a home, many may not. Owners are advised to make provisions to secure their own properties, possibly with a local friend, neighbor or relative.

While HPM is unable to guarantee ANY owner that their property will be secured, our preparation routines generally include securing homes in order of the following priority:
1. Vacant homes with automated or accordion type shutters installed
2. One story homes with removable shutters
3. Two story homes with removable shutters
4. Occupied units with tenants who request assistance

Due to obvious time constraints, HPM will not always be able to honor last minute requests to direct vendors to purchase or install plywood at a property.

Neither HPM nor HPM’s vendors assumes any liability for the performance of any shutters or plywood, quality of installations, and/or damages incurred from shutter failure!

Shutters will be taken down when time permits, and generally only AFTER all emergency issues have been resolved at all of our managed properties.
Frequently several of HPM’s vendors will assist in shuttering properties, including carpet cleaning vendors, painters and the like. For this reason, labor rates for shutter installation and removal often vary depending on which vendor performs the work. HPM cannot assure owners which vendors are available to do the work and therefore HPM cannot guarantee pricing for shuttering!

The key to hurricane preparedness is addressing your shuttering concerns yourself, well in advance of any storm. Accordian shutter tracks should be cleaned and lubricated frequently, and the owner is encouraged to attend to this, or request it be performed by HPM during the annual property review (APR).

If you have any questions, write to your property manager or to info@624home.com
Thank you.

The post Protecting Your Property During Hurricane Season appeared first on Home Property Management.

Property Management in West Palm Beach County

Home Property Management is so sure you’ll be satisfied with our management of your residential investment property that we offer you the 3 strongest guarantees you’ll find in our industry. We’ve been serving Palm Beach County and South Florida for more than 30 years. Our property management team is among the most experienced and reliable professionals you’ll find anywhere. That is why we back our words with these promises to you.

Your Satisfaction Guaranteed in 90 Days or Your Money Back!

For the first 90 days from the day we contract with you to lease and manage your property, if you are not satisfied with our efforts on your behalf you can cancel our agreement and we will return all management fees collected from you. We’re that confident that we provide the best service of any Residential Property Management company.

We Replace any Tenant Who Leaves before 6 Months of a Lease are Complete

We’re not just a service. We’re your partner. We do our best to place reliable tenants in your property for you. We screen fully and carefully. So, if for any reason a tenant we’ve placed in your property breaks a lease before 6 months are complete, we will replace that tenant with no fees charged to you from our company.

We Prorate our Replacement Fees for any Broken Lease after 6 Months

If a tenant breaks a lease before its 12 months but after at least 6 months have been completed, we will prorate our tenant replacement fees to you. Again, we share this risk with you to show you that we’re committed to finding reliable tenants and making your investment perform at peak.

More than anything, we want your trust and confidence in our services. We invite you to find out why Home Property Management is the industry standard for Residential Property Management in Palm Beach County and South Florida.

Home Property Management in Palm Beach County FL

The post Experience, Expertise and Three Guarantees of Home Property Management appeared first on Home Property Management.

When it’s time to sell your rental property in Palm Beach County, you have a decision to make: not only how to do this, but which Real Estate Agent or Firm to use. The decision you make will impact the total amount of money you are able to walk away with, not only from closing, but in the months that lead up to closing while you prepare, market and sell your home.

Things to consider when selling an investment property

Investment property’s primary purpose is, of course, to produce a return on your investment. Yet, when it comes time to sell that investment, some property owners choose to initiate such a sale either while the home is vacant, or in some cases they may even generate their own vacancy by forcing an already established and reliable tenant to leave! Most residential Real Estate Agents who are not also experienced in residential Property Management will want to the list the home while vacant because their primary goal is the sale of the home without the inconvenience of residents, furnishings and daily living issues. They want to sell the home so they can get their commission.

Your interests are not necessarily best served by this approach. Sure you want to sell the home quickly too, but before you get to closing, you’re the one carrying the costs of that property with a mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities etc. and you’re the one absorbing the loss of income while your investment sits empty and idle. What is more, while it may be attractive to a home buyer buying your home for their primary residence that it is vacant, who’s to say your buyer might not be a fellow investor who sees a vacant property as a liability which leaves him with additional risk while he seeks a new tenant of his own? His valuation of your property will drop, and in addition to the loses you sustain before closing, you may well walk away from the closing with less money in your pocket.

An occupied investment property can be beneficial

You’re investment property may well be more valuable to you and your buyer at sale while it is occupied by a qualified and reasonably reliable tenant. While most Realtors who handle only traditional sales, may chafe at this strategy, if you use our Company Home Property Management, to manage your property, you’ll find that our best interests align much closer with yours and you’ll have the added benefit that we will already have a working relationship with your renters that allows us to have the home presentable for showings which minimizes your loses while marketing and may well put more money in your pocket at the time of sale. We can even possibly arrange in advance how that tenant will vacate upon the closing of the house if necessary or, if the buyer is also and investor to give the tenant the option to establish a new lease with no resulting loss of income for the new owner.

This is only a small representation of the possible benefits to you, of using Home Property Management to both lease and list your home. Contact us so we can use our expertise in this field to meet your unique needs and create a plan to get the highest value from your investment while managing the risks to minimize any potential loss.

Call us today at 561-624-4663 or fill out the form to the right.

The post Selling Your Rental Property in Palm Beach County? appeared first on Home Property Management.

Have you ever considered purchasing a fake service dog vest?

Stop, and don’t even bother. Not only does this affect people with actual disabilities, it’s also against the law.

Under a new bill, pretending to have disabilities in order to pass off Fido as a trained service dog is a second degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to $500 in fines and 60 days in jail.

Why would someone use a fake service dog vest?

Service animals are allowed in most public establishments, such as groceries and restaurants, where average pets are restricted. This is one reason why others go through the trouble to fashion fake service dog vests: so that they can take their pooch wherever they want.

Danielle Ford has a legitimate need for her service dog, Hemingway. Having cerebral palsy, she describes her everyday life as “a wonderful journey, but is filled with discrimination.” This, according to her, is made even worse by people who have fake service dogs.

”It is a prevalent problem,” Ford said. “It makes it that much harder for us to travel or go into businesses with our legitimate service dogs when we’re constantly questioned.”

Many fake service dogs are untrained and would yap, growl, or even try to attack other dogs causing problem. Because of this, Ford and Hemingway are subjected to constant scrutiny whenever they are in public.

Ford also emphasized that pet owners who use these fake vests don’t realize the damage they inflict to those who really need the services of a guide pet.

Source: WPBF 25 News

The post New West Palm Beach Bill Seeks to Penalize Fake Service Dogs appeared first on Home Property Management.

Ratio Of Home Prices To Household Income in West Palm Beach

On the following chart, West Palm Beach FL is the grey line and is being compared to the three highest and three lowest of the 385 US cities charted.

As you can see West Palm Beach FL for the most part stays just under 2 times a person’s yearly income. Compared to some cities we have stayed fairly consistent over the years and prices are slowly returning to the pre-housing crisis level.

Looking to Buy or Sell a Home in West Palm Beach?

Contact one of our agents today at 561-624-4663 or see a list of our available agents.

The post How Much House You Can Buy in West Palm Beach? appeared first on Home Property Management.

40% are staying within 50 miles of their last residence

We take a look at what got them packing up and moving on out to a neighborhood nearby.

Source: AppFolio.com

The post America On The Move (Infographic) appeared first on Home Property Management.

Renting has become an economic and lifestyle choice for more than half (57%) of those under the age of 34 and 46% of those under the age of 45. It seems the United States population favors apartment living, and according to the National Apartment Association (NAA), that will be the case for decades to come.

In the future though, apartment living won’t be a sacrifice; instead we imagine self-repairing appliances, alternative energy sources, and adjustable square-footage for city dwellers everywhere. Take a look at what we believe just might be the average standard of living in a city.

Source: AppFolio.com

The post What Will Apartment Living Look Like In 2080? (Infographic) appeared first on Home Property Management.

Do you have what it takes, or should you hire a pro?

Some folks manage their own properties without any stress, while others find it to be quite a headache. One thing is for sure: to successfully manage properties efficiently, time and energy are essential.

Take the quiz below to find out if hiring a property manager is right for you:

Source: AppFolio.com

The post Is it Time To Hire A Property Manager? appeared first on Home Property Management.

1. Choose Quality over Price.

   An experienced property manager is going to be worth a 2 percent difference so don’t make a decision based solely on price. When shopping around for a property management company, quality and experience is going to be worth the extra cash.

   A quality property management company will take better care of your property, fill your vacancy faster, and find quality tenants which in the long run will cost you less in maintaining your property. When comparing companies, looking at qualifications, history, and experience are much more important than price.

2. Look for a Licensed Property Manager.

   A licensed property manager must register their business with the state’s real estate association. All paperwork and procedures must be compliant with the association’s policies.
   Reasons to use a licensed property manager:

   • They are operating as a real business, not a part-time job on the side. They take their business seriously and will take the best care of your property.
   • They know the laws and regulations. This is one of the biggest advantages of hiring someone to manage your property.
   • You will have better legal protection. They know how to handle cases like tenant eviction.

3. Do not hire family or friends

   “Uncle Ned” is most likely not qualified to manage a property, not familiar with the laws involved, doesn’t have contacts for affordable maintenance vendors, and lacks the ability to thoroughly screen tenants.
   A property manager will manage your property objectively without personal attachment that may affect judgement. Your investment is a business and should be treated as one.

4. Look for Knowledge of the Area.

   Look for property managers who specialize in your property’s city/neighborhood. The advantage of knowing the rental market in the area and pricing the rental accordingly can make the difference between having your home rented or sitting vacant month after month.

5. Look For a Property Manager that is also an Investor

   Having a property manager that is also an investor/landlord means they can understand your perspective. Ask if they own any rental properties, and look for a manager whose holdings align with your own.

Contact Us for More Information

The post How To Find a Great Property Manager in West Palm Beach appeared first on Home Property Management.

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