Brewer Caldwell Real Estate Investment Properties

In recent months I decided to see how other management companies stood next to Brewer Caldwell property management. I tried and tried to contact someone to show me some houses,I was unable to contact anyone and all I got was an answering machine. So I left a message just to never get returned calls. Wow!, and they want to rent? Brewer Caldwell Property management has made it so that a call is never missed. If a potential tenant want to talk about a house or look at a house Brewer Caldwell property management either has someone working in the office or taking calls for the weekend. Brewer Caldwell property management rental agents do this because they don’t want to miss out on renting a home. Brewer Caldwell by far has the best customer service over other management companies.

Lately when I have been meeting potential new investors I have been hearing that they found Brewer Caldwell on the internet and read nothing but great reviews. I tell them of course they do, because Brewer Caldwell is the best property management company in Arizona and Brewer Caldwell has the best employee’s working for them. They always ask me questions on why Brewer Caldwell stands out above the rest and my response is simply because Brewer Caldwell knows customer service and preaches customer service from the time a new employees starts working for them. Brewer Caldwell does what it takes to make investors and tenants happy.

Internal customer service is one of the most important keys in Brewer Caldwell Property Management or business in general. Right now it is a perfect storm for investors and for Brewer Caldwell Property Management. I feel that in taking full advantage of this opportunity, we have to focus on incredible customer service, but it starts with-in the company walls. By providing quality customer service internally first, will shortly begin to radiate outside. It is a domino affect and one small act of service or rendered help can do in order to help another with their day to day duties can change the whole outcome of a possible sale, lease or new owner sign up. It can be easy for people (myself included) to become stuck in a trench, and just do what we think is associated with our own job descriptions and justify why we should only perform to a certain extent, however, I had a good experience today with the concept of  providing internal customer service. Earlier in the day I felt busy in my tasks that I had going on earlier and a leasing agent needed help with something that I felt was her job right at the moment, however I took a few moments in helping them with the task at hand. Not only did I feel as though it was appreciated, but I know that they will help me in the future if I needed help and I know that they have the confidence in our department to get things done. I also felt much appreciation do to the small amount of effort I felt it took to put into helping the leasing agent. It can be easy at times to get stuck in a rut in thinking that it wont do any good to help someone else and or that we are just too busy or why should I help them when they dont help me. This attitude is a cancer and can spread quickly. I have worked with a lot of people and in a couple different places and have found over the last 5 years that I have been here that the staff we have at Brewer Caldwell is by far the most talented, hard working, caring people I have ever worked with. I think that this is something that any customer can pick up on, and based upon our performance will either make or break a sale or new owner sign up. Brewer Caldwell Property Management has an incredible staff that has these qualities and will help us in achieving what we want. There are so many real estate investment opportunities right now but it is extreemly important for the investor (especially out of state) to have a solid legitimate company in managing their investment in order to help maximize profits for the investor. Brewer Caldwell Property Management has a staff that is nothing short of EXPERTS on what the real estate market is doing right now, where to buy and where not to buy, how to maximize profits in rents, sales, etc… We have an onsight IT Department that has created the one and only ASLAN Real Estate Investment Tracking Software which is a real time software that all of us use and all of our customers can log into their portal and be able to see exactly what is going on with their property. We have property managers that focus on specific areas and homes and because of that have become experts on each area and can give the investor up front information on projected rental income, projected vacancy time before the property is rented, they do background checks, credit checks, etc, we have an onsight maintenance staff that performs quality work and has negotiated wholesale pricing for customers, we provide estimates in order to fit the criteria of setting the property apart from other competition in the area and yet keeping costs as low as possible, we provide digital photos of all cosmetic work that is performed, we have leasing agents that all their focus is leasing your home to a quality tenant. In a nut shell Brewer Caldwell Property Management ROCKS!

Damon Stratton

I was recently reading on one of Brewer Caldwell’s competitor’s website and I was very entertained by their Q & A page. Not only do they give a canned answer for a very time sensitive question, they also give inaccurate information Questions like this should be answered very carefully and not with some generality as it involves great risk of investment. It stated:

“Q. What are the current market conditions for renting a house?
A. The Arizona economy is strong, people are moving in record numbers all over the metro Phoenix cities, there was strong appreciation of the value of the property, and most economists continue to predict strong growth in population . With the weak dollar on international exchange rates, foreign investors see value in buying real estate in the United States. However, this good news must be tempered as investors buy homes in record numbers and flood the market with rental properties. As a result, occupancy rates and rental income have declined over the past two years. More than ever, aggressive marketing and knowledge of the demographics of rental for each specific area of the valley is necessary to reduce vacancy .”

 At Brewer Caldwell we personalize our answers to each and every question to directly benefit the individual investor. W e are not merely telling popular answers to gain business.

Since most of the country has been experiencing a significant real estate sales low-down over the last year or so, many of us are now being called upon to rent and manage houses for owners who really would rather sell their properties. If we are accustomed to working with investor-clients, then we need to be aware of the new challenges facing us if we choose to represent these reluctant landlords. As property Managers working for Brewer Caldwell, we should also be prepared to inform these unseasoned soon-to-be landlords about the realities of renting out their personal homes.

For me, the first topic of discussion for these potential new is whether or not they have exhausted all avenues for getting the house sold. I take this stance for two reasons. First, it is simply good advice to make sure its failure to sell is only due to market conditions and not house conditions. Secondly, half of the time I am not that interested in handling their property anyway because I know of the obstacles that I will be facing should I decide to lease and manage it for them. Of course my own hesitation begs the question whether I even want to manage under these circumstances in the first place, which is a whole other point of discussion for another day.

The Second Topic to cover is determining the financial feasibility of renting out for these particular prospects. Most people in this situation have no idea about how much money they will likely net each month from renting. Once you do the math for them, they may well decide on their own renting is a viable option.

Typically, their Realtor has already given them a monthly rent figure that is often too optimistic. To make matters worse, the owner’s likely haven’t even considered any maintenance costs, vacancy time, make-ready expenses or the emotional stress of renting out their personal home to strangers.

Another consideration is determining the feasibility of renting out a house is the ability of the owner to survive (financially and emotionally) the worst-case scenario—an eviction. A property owner has no business renting out their house of they cannot weather the storm of eviction. Granted, one of the more significant reasons that they hire a professional property manager is so they don’t have the misfortune of an eviction, but we all know that the risk exists irrespective of how thorough we screen applicants.

Another area of misunderstanding with reluctant landlords is the needed work for placing the house on the market for rent. Typically, these owners are surprised by and resist granting permission for the amount of preparation that we know is vital for attracting the best residents. Stand firm on this requirement because it may well be the key to having a successful experience for both them and your company in the management of their property.

Homeowners seeking an alternative solution to selling their homes in a weak sales market need to consider renting their home out. Contacting a professional property manager at Brewer Caldwell is their best bet for determining the pros and cons of that option and for understanding what they might expect should it be logical choice for their specific situation.

May I give a copy of the screening report to an owner? Can he/she review the report with me?

• May I give a copy of the screening report to the applicant who paid for it?
• May I give a copy to one of the other buildings or apartments we manage?
• May I show the screening report to a government agency that regularly audits our files?

No! End User (Landlord/Manager) Certifies that end User shall use the Consumer reports (and any report that includes credit, court, and reference information): (a) solely for the Subscriber’s (Screening Service) certified use(s); and (b) solely for end User’s exclusive one-time use. End User shall not request, obtain or u se consumer reports for any other purpose including, but not limited to, for the purpose of selling, leasing, renting, hiring or otherwise providing information obtained under this Agreement to any other party, whether alone, in conjunction with End User’s Own data, or otherwise in any service which is derived from the consumer reports. The Consumer reports shall be requested by and disclosed by End User only End User’s designated and authorized employees having a need to know and only to the extent necessary to enable end User to use the Consumer Reports in accordance with this Agreement. End User shall ensure that such designated and authorized employees shall not attempt to obtain any Consumer Reports on themselves, associated, or any other person except in the exercise of their official duties.

End User shall use each Consumer Report only for a one time use and shall hold the report in strict confidence and not disclose it to any third parties; provided, however, that the End User may, but it is not required to disclose the report tot the subject of the report only in connection with an adverse action (denial, co-signer, increased deposit) based on the report. Moreover, unless otherwise explicitly authorized in an agreement between Reseller (Screening Service) and its End User for scores obtained through Trans Union, or as explicitly otherwise authorized in advance and in writing by Trans Union through Reseller, End User shall not disclose to consumers or any third party, any or all such scores provided under such agreement, unless clearly required by law.

With just cause, such as violation of the terms of the End User’s contract or a legal requirement, or a material change in existing legal requirements that adversely affects the End Users agree, Reseller may, upon its election discontinue the End User and cancel the agreement immediately.

I had a big learning experiance with customer service over the week. We have a perfect storm right now with investors purchasing homes right now and with what is going on with home prices. We have a lot of good things happening and I am thankful to have such great vendors and employees here at Brewer Caldwell so we can make sure that our homes are looking great. We have to set our homes apart from the other rentals in the area being that there are so many especially. Here at Brewer Caldwell we handle everything, from start to finish, we find the deal for the investor making sure that the investor is getting the home that meets their criteria, we are pros at finding these deals and renting them quickly. Not to mention the system that we have in place with maintenance and the contractors that we have can take care of turning a home with in 5-10 business days. We are a one stop shop that specializes in every field of residential real estate. It is a perfect time to be buying some homes right now. I am doing all I can to get some as well. We take before and after digital photos, we inspect the work, we hire licensed qualified contractors to do the work that is needed and we negotiate the prices with the contractors in order to get the investor the best deal. I can go on and on about how great of a service Brewer Caldwell provides.

Damon Stratton

Good week in Football, Cardinals win!

U of A won, they beat ASU which I am sure makes our Brewer Caldwell Tucson office very happy.

This weekend I received a call from a tenant who lives in a home we manage in Phoenix. Her window was broken and she was afraid of someone coming inside her home. I had my window techs out to the property within 3 hours to secure the window and get an estimate to order a new window. She called me to thank me and said the same exact thing had happend to here before she began renting with Brewer Caldwell and said the previous management company took nearly 3 weeks just to come out to the home.

That is hard for me to imagine something as simple as the window replacement taking that long. I am proud to say that the attitude at Brewer Caldwell is a positive one with all of our clients (owners and tenants). We have the ability to place ourselves in the shoes of others and want to take care of issues for our clients just as quickly as we like things done on our own personal homes.

It was good to have a “thank you” call from here and I am glad she had a good expereince with Brewer Caldwell and I hope she can rely on the fact that we can address any issue that arises very quickly.

I am also very glad I have crews who are able to respond so quickly to things and employees that represent themselves well.

Have a great week,

Kyle “Danny” Duthie-

Customer service, as I have stated before, is the highest goal that we have here at Brewer Caldwell.

In order to provide good customer service most companies follow the same simple points that have been quoted time and time again. Those points usually consist of smiling, answering your phone, listen, solve the problem, etc.

There are many companies who do just that, and it is my opinion that they are simply doing the bare minimum. I feel the good customer service involves much more and extends beyond what most people can see you do.

I know that at Brewer Caldwell so much above and beyond service is done behind the scenes and I am impressed with the service I have seen co-workers give.

I know here at Brewer Caldwell we simply don’t just resolve the problem, we solve the problem and then change anything in our process to avoid the issue repeating itself.

Customer service also isnt simply telling people what they want to hear, I feel good customer service is given by setting correct expectations and also telling people exactly what it is, sometimes there are situations that are not good news.

I take pride in my co-workers and I can personally attest to the fact that good customer service is the number one focus of our comapny and I have seen that in the actions of fellow employees.

Simply put, Brewer Caldwell employees go above-and-beyond what is asked to make sure our owner and teannts are taken care of and satisfied.

Have a great day,

Kyle “Danny” Duthie-

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend.

I was able to spend some time this weekend with some who invest is properties, mostly in the Las Vegas area. I told them about some of the deal we are able to find out here in Phoenix and they have already contacted me today to start looking to purchase some homes from our sales agents.

The market is still a great time to buy an investment property, mortgages and home prices are lower and rents are higher, so it is a perfect chance to have positive cash-flow on a home right now.

I am looking into purchasing another home in 2009 and I will have our Brewer Caldwell sales agent Chris start looking for one for me soon.

Kyle “Danny” Duthie-

Brewer Caldwell regularly participates in the AZREIA seminars held in Phoenix. We will be sitting on the panel discussing many topics which affect real estate in Arizona. Here is a sneak peak at some of the topics and questions:

Lending

• Is Arizona still listed as a declining market.  What does this mean to buyers?  What is the current status and how long will this last? 
• After buying a property, how long do you have to wait to refinance?
• If you put the property in the name of your LLC, can you refinance?
• Is there 100% financing for investors?
• What is the current status of stated income investor loans? What are the limits for stated income? How many properties can you own? fico score?
• Is Mortgage Insurance impacting loans?
• FHA, what are the current guidelines and restrictions? 
• What is happening with the DPA’s (down payment assistance programs?)
• Does FHA still have the 90 day seasoning rule where a seller must be on title 90 days before entering in to a contract? Are there any changes coming?

Legal

• What are the major legal issues you are seeing in your office for real estate investors and landlords from the state/attorney general?
  • How do investor best protect themselves?
• Specific to landlords are you seeing any trends in how tenants are trying to break their lease?
• What new clauses are you suggesting landlords consider for the leases?
• Is the best entity to hold income property still the LLC?

Title/Escrow

• What are you seeing in the way of creative real estate transactions?
• Let’s take some of these one at a time. Are these transactions getting through? Are there any issues?
  • Subject to
  • Lease Options
  • Short Sales
  • Trusts
  • Transfers to LLC’s
  • Simultaneous Closings
  • Double Escrows
• What are the major issues that delay or stop a closing?
• What does the investor need to do to stay on top of their closings?

Tax/Accounting

• Are there any new tax laws investors need to know about?
• How do the new 1031 rules affect investors?
• What do investors need to do now, in December, to lower their tax exposure?
• What are the top three things you see investor doing or not doing that impacts their taxes?

Property Management

• What are the trends for rental rates?
• There have been lots of properties purchased by investors in Queen Creek and Maricopa. What is your experience for rentals in theses areas? How does the investor/landlord best positing themselves to rent their property?
• Do you see rental property owners offer concessions? If so, what?
• Do you see landlords loosening their rental criteria? If so, how?
• What vacancy rate are you telling your owners to plan for?
• Are the apartment owners being successful marketing to prospective tenants that would normally rent a single family house?

Brewer Caldwell Property Management is the largest residential management company in the state of Arizona. Brewer Caldwell Tucson Branch is the largest in the Tucson area. Brewer Caldwell Strives to offer the best customer service to our investors.Brewer Caldwell keeps developing new and better ways to make an investment owner’s property run smoothly. One of the best tools that we use here at Brewer Caldwell is our online statements. This tool is an easy way for investment owners to keep track of their finances. Investors can go online to see if their tenants have paid rent, and other monies going in or out of their account. Brewer Caldwell’s online statements also generate alerts that go directly to the Investor’s personal email with any new developments from Brewer Caldwell as well as letting them know when their account needs to be replenished for funds paid out. Brewer Caldwell has developed online maintenance as well. This works well for the investors as well as the tenants. When a maintenance issue needs to be addressed an email will go to the maintenance dept as well as the tenant, property manager and investor letting them know a work order has been placed. From there the tenant, investor, and property manager are all kept informed as to the progress of the work order. This is a great tool for investors to keep up with their property and to see how well Brewer Caldwell is managing their investment. Investors are assigned a property manager with Brewer Caldwell who will keep in contact with you on a weekly basis while your home is vacant. The property manager will screen all applicants and discuss with investors the potential tenant’s credit score, rental history, criminal background and salary. Brewer Caldwell property manager will keep you informed of the rental market and advises you if your rent needs to be adjusted accordingly. Brewer Caldwell will be your eyes and ears not only for your investment property, but will also let you know of any new great opportunities that come up. This is why Brewer Caldwell will go above what most property management companies will do. This is also why Brewer Caldwell is the best Property management company in the state of Arizona. Come sign up with Brewer Caldwell

Brewer Caldwell property management unfortunately has seen private owners who have decided to let their investment properties foreclose. Why wait till it gets to this point? Let Brewer Caldwell property management sell the home for you. Brewer Caldwell Property management is a full service Management company. Brewer Caldwell has access to a lot of different types of sales and investors. There is no reason to let an investment property sit vacant for several months only to loose to foreclosure. When this happens it only hurts the investor. Brewer Caldwell property management has an extremely high success rate for getting properties rented quickly. Brewer Caldwell does an extensive background check on potential tenants, including criminal. As well as fico score’s, and check previous rental history. Brewer Caldwell does all this as part of the service and once Brewer Caldwell feel’s the tenant has passed the background check Brewer Caldwell then turn it over to the Investor to make all final decisions. Brewer Caldwell strives daily to be inventive of new ways to make Brewer Caldwell’s investors worry less about there investments.

Today was a busy day at Brewer Caldwell. I went and drove by 4 properties on the west side of town today to see if they were worth picking up. They were set to go to auction and each of them were great properties. There is a ton of foreclosures right now and a lot of opportunity. I dont want to be kicking myself in 3 years from now wishing that I would have purchased more property. I feel a sense of urgency with this opportunity right now. Homes are going for literally 60%+ less than what they were going for when the market was hot. If we have seen prices as high as $250K - $300K+ for a typical single family 3 bedroom home then what is to say that it wont get to that point again? We have seen it get there once and I believe that it will get there again. I dont know exactly when but it will for sure get there again. Real Estate opportunity comes in cycles. There is money to be made in Real Estate no matter when you buy depending on how you buy it, but right now there is more money to be made than ever in my opinion. Talk to the experts at Brewer Caldwell to learn more.

Today was a busy day. I went and drove by 4 properties on the west side of town today to see if they were worth picking up. They were set to go to auction and each of them were great properties. There is a ton of foreclosures right now and a lot of opportunity. I dont want to be kicking myself in 3 years from now wishing that I would have purchased more property. I feel a sense of urgency with this opportunity right now. Homes are going for literally 60%+ less than what they were going for when the market was hot. If we have seen prices as high as $250K - $300K+ for a typical single family 3 bedroom home then what is to say that it wont get to that point again? We have seen it get there once and I believe that it will get there again. I dont know exactly when but it will for sure get there again. Real Estate opportunity comes in cycles. There is money to be made in Real Estate no matter when you buy depending on how you buy it, but right now there is more money to be made than ever in my opinion.

An interesting article on azcentral.com this week was talking about growth here in Arizona. Although it gave some factual information, it really did do much as to discussing a solution. Like many of my posts, all it really did was fill white space with information. Perhaps we should talk about what it actually MEANS and its effect? It read:

“For decades, leaders have worried that Phoenix was too dependent on growth. With each bust, they vowed to add a better mix of jobs and industries.

But then another growth spurt would wash over the state and drown out the concern.

Some experts argue that is how the economy will always function.

But this strategy keeps the region from being a serious competitor in the global economy and decreases the quality of life, federal and state data suggest.

About 20 years ago, the Valley found itself in an all-too-familiar predicament.

The savings-and-loan scandal and the ensuing real-estate crisis sank home values and increased foreclosures.

“Arizona has been on a binge, a long one,” one banking regulator told the Los Angeles Times.

Business leaders vowed to diversify the economy.

But the next boom that started in the mid-1990s and lasted through 2007 was fueled by growth. The only real period of decline came after the dot-com bust of the early 2000s.

From 1991 to 2006, job growth in the Phoenix area measured in the top 10 nationally.

Despite the prosperity, concerns mounted.

The economy “disproportionately contains industries that respond to sheer growth: construction, real estate and utilities,” a Maricopa Association of Governments report warned in 2003.

In the end, the boom did not appear to improve the quality of life of Valley residents.

In 1990, Valley per capita personal income ranked 110th out of 363 U.S. metropolitan areas. In 2006, it slipped to 123.”

There is a lot of fear out there when it comes to the Real Estate market. Most of the fear is associated with the sales market. As a property manager at Brewer Caldwell, I have seen that there is also some fear when it comes to the rental market. The media has played a big part in the fear that has been installed with potential buyers and renters.

While the price in homes has declined dramatically, it is still a very good time to buy and rent homes. Investors can take advantage of some low prices on home. Renters can find security in renting a home through a professional managment company like Brewer Caldwell. Unfortunatley, the only ones who are really hurting in this market are those who are trying to sell their homes. Brewer Caldwell can help those owners too, by listing the home for rent until the market stabalizes.

One of the biggest fears that I have seen in renters is whether or not the home they are renting is going to foreclose. More than ever I have been asked by current and potential renters if the owner is at risk of loosing the home to foreclosure. Brewer Caldwell does encourage tenants to do their homework as even the management company does not always know the status of an owner’s loan. However, Brewer Caldwell is here to help tenants who are renting a home that is going to foreclose. Brewer Caldwell also wants to help owners who have to let their home go.

There may be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the real estate market. However, when it comes to the rental market, owners and tenants can be certain Brewer Caldwell will help.

Brewer Caldwell would like to convey to the Investor the importance of letting their HOA Company know who there Management Company is when  an investor signs up there property with Brewer Caldwell. The first point of business a Brewer Caldwell Property Manager will do is discuss with their Investor the HOA Company. Brewer Caldwell will explain that as an investor it is your responsibility to let the HOA Companies know who you have as a Management company, and where to send all correspondence. In failing to comply with this as an investor you take a chance of possibly getting huge fines for unattended violations. Brewer Caldwell knows the importance of acting on the violations immediately and holding the tenant responsible for the violation. If an investor has the HOA’s coming to them and they end up out of town for 2 weeks or sometimes longer, not only is the violation not being taken care of, but may not be able to fine the tenant depending on the number of violations. So take it from Brewer Caldwelland let the HOA Companies know who the management company is and let Brewer Caldwell correct this matter for you.

There are times when Brewer Caldwell property management will only accept certified funds and times when personal checks are okay. There are some guidelines as to when a personal check is okay and when certified funds are required.

For all move in costs, Brewer Caldwell requires tenants to pay with certified funds. This includes the earnest deposit at the time of approval. The reason for this is to insure that the funds are there before keys are given to and a lease is signed with a tenant.

After a tenant pays the move in costs, Brewer Caldwell will allow tenants to pay their rent with personal checks. However, if rent is ever paid after the 10th of the month certified funds are again required. This is to insure that the funds are there before rents are sent to the owners. If a personal check were to bounce after the 10th of the month, Brewer Caldwell would have already sent the funds to the owner when those funds weren’t really there.

Another restriction on paying with a personal check comes when a check bounces. If a tenant ever bounces a check, they will no longer be able to pay with certified funds. Brewer Caldwell realizes it is more convnient to pay with personal check and it will be allowed as long as a check never bounces.

Another situation where certified funds are required is if a tenatn wants to break the lease. Brewer Caldwell requires that all break lease fees be paid with certified funds. Also, if a tenant is ever in the eviction process and wants to pay up on the account certified funds are required. The biggest reason Brewer Caldwell requires certified funds for these and other situations is to insure that the funds are in the account. One last thing to consider is there is a NSF fee of $50 for a bounced personal check. Because of this, there are a lot of tenants that choose to only pay with certified funds even if they have the option to pay with a personal check.

Brewer Caldwell Property Management requires its tenants to obtain renters insurance on their Arizona rental homes. This not only protects the renter, it also protects the home owner and their investment property. I recently had a tenant that burned down part of the investment home due to a kitchen fire. The owner of the investment property is covered under the home owners insurance policy, but the tenant was not covered. The tenant let their renters insurance policy through Brewer Caldwell expire. Not only was the damage to the personal belongings not covered, the home owners insurance company is now going to go after the tenant for the damages. Unfortunately, the owner’s policy is now going to increase as well. This is why Brewer Caldwellmakes it a requirement to have renters insurance on all rental and investment homes.

Brewer Caldwell Property Management has become one of the biggest property management companies in Arizona. They have achieved these dreams through having a culture of outstanding customer service, not only for their owners but also for their tenants. Their number one goal is to provide great customer service, and they achieve this by giving all Brewer-Caldwell associates and employees the training and tools necessary to provide this service. Over the years they have assembled a fantastic team of knowledgeable professionals, many who own investment homes themselves.

Brewer-Caldwell Property Management now has a fantastic portfolio of homes most of them new or nearly new. This allows our tenants to live in wonderful homes. At the same time helping those individuals to continue building their credit so that they may one day own a brand new home for themselves. They also have a branch in Tucson that is experiencing amazing growth. Brewer-Caldwell is always looking for ways to improve. They are on the cutting edge of technology and information systems to provide timely information to their customers. We have many beautiful homes to pick from, many of which have never been lived in! Please search the many homes we have available and call one of our friendly leasing agents to live in a home for the same price as many apartments. Brewer Caldwell looks forward to working with you and remember a house is better!

Looks like a great opportunity for Brewer Caldwell investors. From azcentral.com:

“The number of homeowners caught in the wave of foreclosures in October grew 25 percent nationally over the same month in 2007, data released today showed. Arizona was among the three states with the highest foreclosure rates, and Phoenix was No. 6 among the top 10 cities with the highest foreclosure rates, according to the data.

More than 279,500 U.S. homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice in October, an increase of 5 percent over September, according to RealtyTrac Inc. One in every 452 housing units received a foreclosure filing, such as a default notice, auction sale notice or bank repossession.

More than 84,000 properties were repossessed in October, RealtyTrac said.

A nasty brew of strict lending standards, falling home values and a tough economy is filtering through the housing market. By the end of the year, the company expects more than a million bank-owned properties to have piled up on the market, representing around a third of all properties for sale in the U.S.

The collateral damage in the financial markets forced the government to pass a $700 billion financial rescue package last month.

The plan was initially to buy bad assets from banks, but Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Wednesday that the rescue package won’t purchase those troubled assets.

That plan would have taken too much time, he said, so instead the Treasury will rely on buying stakes in banks and encouraging them to resume more normal lending.

Also Wednesday, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston said the government may let more borrowers qualify for a $300 billion program designed to let troubled homeowners swap risky loans for more affordable ones. The program was launched Oct. 1, but there are concerns that lenders won’t participate because they have to voluntarily reduce the value of a loan and take a loss.

In RealtyTrac’s report, three states - Nevada, Arizona, Florida - had the nation’s top foreclosure rates. Nevada posted the nation’s highest rate for the 22nd consecutive month in October.

In Nevada, one in every 74 homes received a foreclosure filing last month. Arizona saw one in every 149 housing units receive a foreclosure filing, and in Florida it was one in every 157 homes.

Other states in the top 10 were California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio.

However, RealtyTrac noted that, while California had the highest total number of foreclosures in October, the rate in that state was down 18 percent from the previous month.

James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, said new laws requiring delays in the foreclosure process have reduced the volume of foreclosure filings in several states. In California, lenders are now required to contact borrowers at least 30 days before filing a default notice. A similar law in North Carolina gives borrowers an extra 45 days.

“While the intention behind this legislation - to prevent more foreclosures - is admirable, without a more integrated approach that includes significant loan modifications, the net effect may be merely delaying inevitable foreclosures,” Saccacio said. “And in the meantime, the apparent slowing of foreclosure activity understates the severity of the foreclosure problem in these states.”"

Brewer Caldwell has set itself apart in the Arizona property management acene by providing the “human element” to our customer service. It is easy in corporate America to get lost in procedure and overwhelmed by policy. At Brewer Caldwell, we strive to look at the effect, and not just the cuase of circumstance. Through personalization of Brewer Caldwell’s customer service, we are better able to empathise with our clients, bother owners as well as tenants. We are seeing an increase in win-win dialogue at Brewer Caldwell by instilling the human element in our daily practices.

Brewer Caldwell Property Management is the largest residential management company in the state of Arizona. Brewer Caldwell Tucson Branch is the largest in the Tucson area. Here at Brewer Caldwell we strive to offer the best when it comes to giving our investment owners the best customer service possible. Brewer Caldwell has and keeps developing new and better ways to make an investment owner’s property run smoothly. One of the tools that we use here at Brewer Caldwell is our online statements. This tool is an easy way for investment owners to keep track of their investment. Investors can go online to see if their tenants have paid rent, and other monies going in or out of their account. Brewer Caldwell’s online statements also generate alerts that go directly to the Investor’s personal email with any new developments from Brewer Caldwell as well as letting them know when their account needs to be replenished for funds paid out. Brewer Caldwell has developed online maintenance as well. This works well for the investors as well as the tenants. When a maintenance issue needs to be addressed an email will go to the maintenance dept as well as the tenant, property manager and investor letting them know a work order has been placed. From there the tenant, investor, and property manager are all kept informed as to the progress of the work order. This is a great tool for investors to keep up with their property and to see how well Brewer Caldwell is managing their investment. Investors are assigned a property manager with Brewer Caldwell who will keep in contact with you on a weekly basis while your home is vacant. The property manager will screen all applicants and discuss with investors the potential tenant’s credit score, rental history, criminal background and salary. Brewer Caldwell property manager will keep you informed of the rental market and advises you if your rent needs to be adjusted accordingly. Brewer Caldwell will be your eyes and ears not only for your investment property, but will also let you know of any new great opportunities that come up. This is why Brewer Caldwell will go above what most property management companies will do. This is also why Brewer Caldwell is the best Property management company in the state of Arizona. Come sign up with Brewer Caldwell.

As a property manager at Brewer Caldwell, I have had some tenants recenlty who did not know that they needed to give 30-days notice. A 30-day notice is a written notice, to a landlord, notifying them that they will be moving out of the property. Brewer Caldwell requires a 30-day notice because it gives the owner a month to make preparations for their home becoming vacant. It also gives the owner a jump on advertising the property for 30 days before it becomes vacant.

One common misconception is that a 30-day notice is not required even if a tenant is moving out at the end of the lease. Just because a lease is coming to an end does not mean that the owner can assume the tenant is moving out. If a tenant does not give notice and does not sign a renewal, the lease automatically goes month to month. Brewer Caldwell makes sure that this information is explained to each tenant when they sign the lease. A reminder will also be sent to the tenant when the renewal option is sent.

The best time to give Brewer Caldwell a 30-day notice is the beginning of the month. This is because rent is not pro-rated on a move out. Also, the owner is also required to issue the tenant a 30-day notice if they want the tenant to move out at the end of the lease. Most owners try to give more notice than that, but it is not required. The owner or tenant can issue a 30-day notice to move out at any time if the lease is month to month. if the lease is not up yet and the tenant or owner issues a 30-day notice, that notice is not valid.

There are times when Brewer Caldwell Rental Agents will be asked if an owner is willing to accept a short term lease. Brewer Caldwell regulary does 1 year leases, but there have been times when shorter leases have been put in place. There are both pros and cons to doing a short term lease. The propety manager will always make a suggestion to the owner about whether or not it is a good idea to accept a short term lease.

The first thing to think about when accepting a short term lease is the fees involved. On a one year lease, an owner can expect to pay the lease fee once per year. If there is a shorter lease, the owner would be required to pay 2 lease fees that year. One thing Brewer Caldwell will always suggests to the owner and tenant is that the tenant covers the lease fee for the owner, so they wouldn’t have to pay two lease fees that year. This will make an owner more willing to accept a shorter lease.

Another important thing to think about is when the lease would be coming to an end. For example, now would be a great time to accept a 6 month lease. 6 months from now would take the lease through April. April and May is a much better time to rent a home than November December. However, it would not be a good idea to accept a 6 month lease that would end during the Holiday months. The managers at Brewer Caldwell will take all of these things into consideration when presenting a short term lease to an owner.

Looks like the local newspaper is selling negative journalism again. From today’s azcentral.com; ”

Nearly half of the homes resold in Pinal County in the third quarter were due to foreclosures, according to data released Friday from Arizona State University.

Of the 3,355 recorded resale transactions in the July-September period in Pinal County, about 1,515, or 45 percent, were foreclosures. That’s up from 40 percent in the second quarter of the year and in raw numbers, substantially more than the 845 homes in the April-June period that reverted to bank ownership because homeowners could not pay their mortgages.

The high rate of foreclosures was due, in part, to limited job opportunities and higher gas prices in far-flung Pinal County, said Jay Butler, director of Realty Studies in the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness.

Median home prices in the area also continued to fall in the area.

In Maricopa County, foreclosures are running 42 percent of the resale market. That compares with 14 percent for the same time last year.”

What amazes me is that they focus on the foreclosure aspect of it and not on the fact that over 3300 homes were bought and sold. Our market is recovering, but good news does not sell papers I guess.

Brewer Caldwell Property Management is the largest residential management company in the state of Arizona. Brewer Caldwell Tucson Branch is the largest in the Tucson area. Here at Brewer Caldwell we strive to offer the best when it comes to giving our investment owners the best customer service possible. Brewer Caldwell has and keeps developing new and better ways to make an investment owner’s property run smoothly. One of the tools that we use here at Brewer Caldwell is our online statements. This tool is an easy way for investment owners to keep track of their investment. Investors can go online to see if their tenants have paid rent, and other monies going in or out of their account. Brewer Caldwell’s online statements also generate alerts that go directly to the Investor’s personal email with any new developments from Brewer Caldwell as well as letting them know when their account needs to be replenished for funds paid out. Brewer Caldwell has developed online maintenance as well. This works well for the investors as well as the tenants. When a maintenance issue needs to be addressed an email will go to the maintenance dept as well as the tenant, property manager and investor letting them know a work order has been placed. From there the tenant, investor, and property manager are all kept informed as to the progress of the work order. This is a great tool for investors to keep up with their property and to see how well Brewer Caldwell is managing their investment. Investors are assigned a property manager with Brewer Caldwell who will keep in contact with you on a weekly basis while your home is vacant. The property manager will screen all applicants and discuss with investors the potential tenant’s credit score, rental history, criminal background and salary. Brewer Caldwell property manager will keep you informed of the rental market and advises you if your rent needs to be adjusted accordingly. Brewer Caldwell will be your eyes and ears not only for your investment property, but will also let you know of any new great opportunities that come up. This is why Brewer Caldwell will go above what most property management companies will do. This is also why Brewer Caldwell is the best Property management company in the state of Arizona. Come sign up with Brewer Caldwell.

Brewer Caldwell is always looking for ways to provide better service and to attract more customers. Through the months of November and December Brewer Caldwell will be offering a discount on the security deposit for qualified tenants. With the tougher economy, we realize that moving can be expensive. The inital move in costs can add up and make it impossible to move into a nice home.

To move into a home the move in cost include the following: application fee, management fee, security deposit (equal to or 1.5 times the rental amount), and the first months rent. It is easy to see how quickly these things can add up. All of these fees are important and things that need to  be paid before a tenant can move in. To help qualified customers come up with the move in costs and to attract them to our homes, Brewer Caldwell is offering a discount on the security deposit at different levels.

For tenants with a fico score of 700 or higher, they will not have to pay a security deposit. This is based upon the credit, two years of verifiable rental history, income of 2.5 times the rent, and owner approval. To receive a discount of half off the security deposit a tenant must meet all the above criteria except the fico score only needs to be 650-699. A fico score of 550-649 will require a security deposit equal to the rent while anything lower than a 550 will require 1.5 times the rent. If there is more than one applicant, Brewer Caldwell will take the average of the two deposits.

Brewer Caldwell realizes that the security deposit is there to protect owners against damage to their homes. However, we have found that tenants who are responsible with their credit and who have good rental history tend to take good care of the homes. This is why they are being offered a discount on their deposit. For more details or to see if you qualify for this program, call a Brewer Caldwell leasing agent today.

There are a lot of tenants who think that Brewer Caldwell owns all of the rental homes we manage. They think Brewer Caldwell Property Managers or Leasing Agents are the ones who decide whether or not they are approved to move into a home.

The agents at Brewer Caldwell will do all of the background check and credit report, but when it comes down to making the final decision on whether or not the owner will accept a tenant, the decision is left up to the owner.

Most of the times, the owner will listen to the property manager and take his or her recommendation on the applicant. Brewer Caldwell has some minimum requirements they like to see each tenant meet. When a tenant does not meet those requirements, the property manager will encourage the owner to pass on the tenant. The same is true if the tenant is qualified and the owner has reservations about renting to the tenant.

Brewer Caldwell understands that the ultimate risk on whether or not to accept a tenant lies with the owner. This is why Brewer Caldwell will make suggestions but never force or make an owner accept or decline a tenant. The only time a Brewer Caldwell Property Manager will make a decision on the owner’s behalf is if the owner is not available and the tenant needs an immediate decision.

This weekend I ran into some old freinds while out at dinner. As with every conversation with old friends goes the usualy “where are you know and what do you do” question came up. I told them what I do and that I work for Brewer Caldwell Property Management, as soon as I mentioned that the flood gates opened. They had so many complaints about a property management company they recently broke ties with and hadn’t been able to decide who to go with.

I began to let them know about some of the processes we have and they way we get things done, we spoke about everything from rentals and rent collection to evictions and also maintenance. I told them about the on-line statements we have, the real-time accounting, etc.

They told me about what they were receiving from the “other guys” and it seemed pretty dated. The had a considerable amount of complaints and the items they had issues with were things we have streamlined and resolved so that they can be addressed with a few clicks of a button or a phone call.

I am sure they will be happy with the service Brewer Caldwell will be able to provide.

They were pretty happy I ran into them and they have already called me this morning so I can put them in touch with a Property Manager so they can begin the sign-up paperwork.

Hope everyone had a good Halloween weekend.

Kyle “Danny” Duthie-

When a home is vacant, Brewer Caldwell asks each owner to have the utilitie turned on in their name. There are several benefits to having the utilities turned on while the home is vacant. Because of the extreme heat in Arizona, it is important for owners to have the power on while tenants are looking at the home to rent. Brewer Caldwell will make sure that the a/c is not blasting 24/7. We set the a/c to 85 degrees, so the unit will not be running all of the time. At the same time 85 degrees makes is so a tenant can comfortably look at the home.

Another reason Brewer Caldwell has the owners leave the utilities on while vacant is so the landscaping does not die. The water and power will need to be on in order for the drip or sprinkler system to deliver water.

If there is rent ready work needed on the home, Brewer Caldwell requires that the water and power be on befor the work begins. In order for the vendors to do a good job of making the home look good, they need the water and power on. There are some things that can be done without the power and water, but to get the home to shine they need to be on.

Owners frequently ask when they can get the utilites turned out of their name. Brewer Caldwell encourages each owner to call and have the utilities set to be turned off on the day that the lease starts. Each tenant is responsible to get the utilities turned on in their name for the day the lease starts. If a tenant does not do this, they run the risk of having the water and power shut off on them. The tenants are responsible for all utilities while they are living in the home.

Brewer Caldwell Property Management Tucson Branch gets a lot of calls from tenants looking for 4 bedroom homes. When an investor purchases a home to rent out, Their are things that will make his home a prime rental, location is not the only factor when buying. First let me say as a property manager for the Tucson Branch of Brewer Caldwell, I see a lot of investors come through and want to get great tenants. This is how you get great tenants. One make sure the house is big enough for a family, because most renters are family’s with 2 or 3 kids. Two: add some nice things to the home like ceiling fans, fauxwood blinds, tile in the walk area’s kitchen, bathrooms. Three: make sure the backyard is appealing to the tenants with decorative rock. Remember AZ is the desert and just having dirt in the backyard in very unappealing especially during our monsoon season, nothing like a mud hole to call your own. Brewer Caldwell know the importance of making homes more appealing for the tenants, so Brewer Caldwell always recommends to all their investors to do or add certain things for tenant appeal. This is why Brewer Caldwell has the highest success rate in getting homes rented throughout AZ,