Buying, selling and moving · 10 guides
Residential Property Management: problems and fixes, explained by Justin
Justin Brown is the only residential property management member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- What a property manager really costs in Fort Worth, fee by fee The monthly percentage is only one line of a property management quote. Here is every fee we charge, what moves a quote up or down, and how to compare two managers fairly. The short answer, with our numbers on the tableFour charges that show up in nearly every management quoteOur three plans, line by lineWhy two houses on the same street get different quotes
- The tenant stopped paying: how late rent becomes a Texas eviction, step by step Late rent rarely fixes itself, and a misstep in the paperwork can restart the clock. Here is the sequence from the first late day to possession, and where owners lose time. From the first late day to possessionThe first late day sets the toneLate fees: what Texas allowsThe notice to vacate, and why the details decide everything
- Texas landlord rules that trip up North Texas owners: deposits, repairs and locks Most Texas landlords who end up in trouble did not break the law on purpose. They missed a deadline or a requirement nobody told them about. Here are the rules that matter most. The rules that cause the most trouble, in briefSecurity deposits: 30 days and a written listRepairs: what the law asks of you, and how fastLocks, door viewers and rekeying between tenants
- Tenant placement only or full management: which one your rental actually needs A leasing-only service finds the tenant and hands you the keys. Full management stays for the whole lease. The right choice depends less on the fee than on the next twelve months. The difference comes down to who carries the leaseWhat a leasing-only service actually coversWhat stays on your plate after move-inOwners who do well with placement only
- Screening a tenant yourself in Texas: what to verify and where landlords slip Screening is the one decision that shapes everything after move-in. You can do it yourself in Texas, as long as you write the rules down first and verify instead of trusting. Yes, if you write the rules before you meet anyonePut the criteria on paper before the first showingThe standards we publish, as a starting pointChecking income without getting fooled
- Raise the rent at renewal or keep a good tenant: the myths that cost owners money A bigger increase looks like more money until the tenant leaves. Here is how we set a renewal number, and the common beliefs about rent increases that quietly cost owners. Usually yes, and usually by less than you thinkMyth one: the biggest increase always earns the mostMyth two: Texas caps how much you can raise the rentMyth three: raise it every single year, no matter what
- Chasing your property manager for answers: signs it is time to switch, and how If you are the one chasing your manager for statements and updates, something is broken. Here is how to tell a bad month from a bad manager, and how a clean switch actually works. One bad month is normal; a pattern is notWhat owners tell us right before they leave a managerIs it the manager or the market?Weighing the cost of leaving against the cost of staying
- Before you sign with a property manager: the questions that expose a weak one Every property manager sounds good in the first meeting. These questions, and the answers you should expect, separate a company that runs on systems from one that runs on promises. The questions that matter, in one paragraphWho is actually responsible for your houseMoney questions that deserve a number, not a promiseHow they will price the rent and choose your tenant
- A year of upkeep on a North Texas rental house: what to service, when, and who pays Most expensive rental repairs start as small ones nobody scheduled. Here is the calendar we run on the homes we manage, season by season, and how the work splits between owner and tenant. Upkeep on a calendar, not a list of emergenciesWhy rentals here wear out faster than owners expectSpring: get ahead of the heatSummer: the foundation and the condensate line
- Moving away but keeping the house as a rental: what it takes to price, lease and manage it The job offer is real, the mortgage rate is good and selling feels wrong. Here is what happens between deciding to rent the house out and receiving the first rent payment, and where owners get hurt. The decision that feels obvious until you run the numbersWhy first-time landlords in North Texas get caught outWhat to work out before you list the houseSelf-manage or hire: when the math tips