Most real estate agents and landlords in California decide to charge a rental application fee when screening tenants. This is a widely accepted practice that can help cover the direct costs associated with screening tenants.
But the seemingly simple act of collecting rental application fees in California can be a big area of risk for you if you don’t do things the right way.
Part of being a real estate agent requires that you negotiate on your client’s behalf to get them the best deal possible. Often, you will be negotiating with other real estate agents or directly with homeowners or buyers.
Your ability to negotiate relies heavily on the local and national real estate market.
As a landlord or property manager, you’ll sometimes need to increase the amount of rent that your tenants are charged. They won’t be happy about facing a rent increase, of course, but by handling these changes professionally and courteously, the experience of notifying a renter does not have to be uncomfortable.
If you’re interested in buying an investment property, you’ll want to be thoroughly prepared and knowledgeable about your decision. Rental homes can be a great way to bring in extra income, but it can also involve some unexpected expenses as well as other issues that can cause you to lose money on the deal.
When selling a home, you want to make prospective buyers fall in love with each room and the exterior when they view it virtually or in-person. As a full-time or part-time real estate agent, consider staging your client’s home to successfully catch the attention of viewers and increase the home’s selling price.
If you’re interested in joining the exciting field of real estate, the first step is to get started on your pre-licensing courses. And with the pandemic still a major concern in most states, online options are more attractive than ever. To help you make the best decision, below we’ve broken down our top seven picks for real estate classes online along with tips for succeeding on your journey as a real estate professional.
Are you currently a member of any professional real estate organizations or associations? If you're not, you should be!
Whether you're new to the industry, or a veteran with years of experience, local realtor associations can help take your business to the next level! There are plenty of associations and industry organizations for agents, including those that specialize in buyer's agents, those that specialize in sellers agents, organizations that monitor ethical guidelines, and those that promote change to elevate industry standards.
Webinar Recap
The latest C.A.R. Business Products webinar, “Expand Your Earning Potential with Rentals in 2021: Advice from California's Top Agents” was a huge success, with over 1,500 registrants! This panelist-style webinar focused on tips and tricks to utilize rentals to expand your income and build your real estate business.
If a potential client learns about your business via an online advertisement, prospecting postcard, or business card, your real estate slogans are the first pieces of information they’re going to gather about your brand. Because of this, your slogan needs to be top-notch.
Gig work has exploded and because it has there is no way that it should be considered a red flag on a standard rental application. What used to be a set of jobs shared by only a few, gig work has expanded across the country with the growth of food delivery apps such as UberEats, GrubHub, DoorDash and more.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the real estate market and a number of trends emerged during 2020, including:
Housing inventory declined up to 39%
The typical home spent a median of 65 days on the market between January and October 2020, two days less than the previous year
Housing prices through October 2020 were up nationally by an average of 3.4%, but only up by 1.4% in top 50 metro areas
Larger rental units were slowly returning to pre-COVID prices, while studios continue to experience decline
The largest generational group (25%) of buyers were older millennials
In order to help real estate agents better prepare for a successful 2021, we’ve assessed data to break down the most relevant real estate trends and housing market predictions.
In a perfect world, only qualified applicants would apply for your rental -- but we all know that's not how it works. When it comes to property management, there will be times when you must turn down a potential tenant. Any landlord or property manager should know how to turn down an application with both grace and authority.
