Better Call WILL

Bill Veeck, the late owner of my White Sox employed some of the strangest people to do really weird jobs. There was Max Patkina a toothless contortionist with a “?” as his number in role of first base coach. Eddie Gradel was 3’7” with the number 1/8 on the back of his jersey. He was so tiny, that the opposing pitcher couldn’t throw the ball between his knees and chest. He was walked in four straight pitches. After the game, a height limit was put into effect for major league baseball.  Veeck’s antics of hiring the weird lasted until his son Mike, had a promotion, called Disco Demolition night. They literally blew up the field with 70,000 degenerate disco haters running onto it.  Mike the son was kicked out of MLB and regulated to the minor leagues. Netflix just did a great documentary film on his career, The Saint of Second Chances. Florida, also has its share of strange jobs. In the Keys, there is an underwater hotel and a pizza joint that has a diver use scuba gear to deliver an airtight pizza for room service.

However, those jobs are nothing!  Professional Real Estate Rental Management Specialist takes the cake.  When you need to rent your home, you Better Call Will Dean.

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Will Dean, Echo’s Rental Manager, has managed over 1,000 rental listings in his career. From Admirals Cove to PGA National to Condos all over town.  Will says a home is like a body. It eventually needs some type of maintenance or repair. Sometimes that maintenance can be planned. Other times not and usually that’s when it always pours and sometimes floods!

Will’s goal is to provide great conflict resolution with a smile.

The main reasons you hire Will to manage your rental are to get your place with a great tenant, stay out of trouble, and keep your sanity. The second reason is the stories. He has them and knows how to avoid them from happening to you.  Here are a few stories from before he managed the places. Will only manages his rentals now because he gets sucked in regardless.

911

A Florida woman calls 911 at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning as the smoke detector battery is low and it keeps beeping that the battery is low. Will wakes up at 6am with 20 messages on his phone. The tenant said she called 911 as there was nobody there to help change the battery. Will said, the detector is not on the ceiling but on the wall and you could replace it without a ladder. After 15 minutes of talking to her that he will never get back, Will came over and opened the drawer. He took out the batteries and changed the detector. The batteries were in the drawer as indicated in the move in sheet.  All the while somehow keeping his demeanor and sanity.

Desk Chairs

Real Text.

Sorry to be a nuisance, but someone lowered the height of the desk chair in the study, and I can’t reach my desk. Could you please raise the height a few inches? Thanks. Have a nice weekend.

Solution: Will went over and adjusted the height.

Driveway Do-Do

Real text

Poop in my driveway again and it is not my dog!!!

I would like to know who the person is who keeps complaining about something that is unnecessary. I went to go walk outside of my driveway and somebody let their dog poop in my driveway or they don’t poop in my driveway so one of the two but there obviously is a neighbor who is very unkind. Also, let me know if there’s anything I need to do for the pool for the possibility of a hurricane.

Solution:  This case actually went to an HOA tribunal. The tenant was allowed one dog but apparently her sister snuck in a dog that weekend. Irate neighbors complained that there were 2 dogs and the renter said that wasn’t so. The renter provided a text photo shot of the 2 poops side by side that someone left on their driveway to show they were different.  (Note – It’s Sunday morning and that photo didn’t make the cut to show you in this episode of Jeff’s Journal so as not to spoil your Sunday brunch). Will had to  sprinkle sarcasm in for the renter and told her at least it’s not Abacoa where they do DNA testing.

Capet Bugs

A Florida Man in Evergrene went bezerk because the tenant violated the lease by shampooing the carpets even though he paid for it. The tenant also paid for pest control and for this one asked to be reimbursed.  The landlord also was upset about this and said he never had an issue and would not reimburse the tenant. He then accused the tenant of bringing bugs into the house. There is more but these are the highlights.

Solution: Will fired the landlord

Burst Pipe in PGA National

Pipe bursts in the concrete slab. The townhome in Windermere turned into a water park. The tenant says carpet wet in primary closet. Tenant calls plumber on his own. An unlicensed plumber wants to charge an ungodly sum. The tenant paid them as they like to deal with things themselves. Then the landlord gets wind of this and calls Will. Will calls the vendor and finds out they are not licensed and won’t give their insurance number.  Will puts the breaks on him. Will gets a licensed plumber who finds the problem. The landlord had to rip up drywall.

Solution: The tenant than had to go to a hotel. Will massaged the situation. Will found them a place to stay at and they agreed to a $100 dollar credit. I asked Will, how did he get them to agree to so little?  Will said that he sold them on the beautiful brand new carpet in the closet which was a much better upgrade than what they had.  Sidenote: A rental agent who manages property is part mental health therapist and real estate agent in one. The big difference is the sale doesn’t end in rentals when they close. If anything, that is just the start.

The Dishwasher

Landlord has the same tenant for 20 years. He renovated the house in his mind to today’s standards it but really wasn’t. The landlord also did the renovation himself. The problem came when he forgot to hook up the dishwasher. The water now is everywhere with the new tenants. The floor was destroyed. Will is called in at this point.

Solution: His job to supervise renovating the kitchen. Will again managed again to convince the tenants to take a low amount, $500, for their troubles as they were getting a new kitchen and flooring. The property would be worth at least $500 more a month with the updated home.

13 Cats

Will has a property with a hoarder and 13 cats in Bay Hill Estates. She (the hoarder) finally left but also left half her belongings which she didn’t want.

Solution: Will not only had to dispose of the items but had to deal with the 13 cats who once evicted roamed the house looking for a way in. He had to clean up the walls and floors and get animal shelter involved. The owner felt bad about everything as did Will, but he fixed it up and eventually sold the property.

Toilets not flushing strong enough – Toilets too low. ADA issue?

Will managed one home in BallenIsles. The landlord gets a call that the tenants aren’t using the toilet. The tenants can’t use toilets because the toilets don’t flush strong enough and are now  using garbage cans for doing their business!

Solution: The landlord who is freaking out brings Will back into the fold to purchase new toilets. Will, again, wasn’t managing the property at this point. This is an example of Will getting sucked into the problem which is why he only takes on homes that he can manage start to finish.

Anti-Anxiety Leak

In another country club, Will gets brought in after the landlord got sued because they didn’t fix a leak fast enough. The tenant has anxiety and now has to take anti-anxiety medication. The case is going to an non-jury trial.

Solution:  Hired Will to take over and save the sanity.

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Will says he is not interested in becoming Dr. Kevorkian for his clients. Life is not ruined. When you hire Will you are not only hiring his know-how but also how he keeps things positive and finds solutions. Lots of it is, “my lease says xyzy, but I don’t think I should have to do this.!”

In case you or someone you know has investment properties or is looking to rent out your home, here is a long long list of what Will does when securing a rental and managing it. Understanding everything below will not only result in increased profit on a rental but it will further ensure the property is taken care of, properly maintained, and reduce surprises. So before you venture into a rental nightmare…..Better Call Will!

Market Analysis of Rent Value

Do CMA. This is how much your rental is worth. Rent on monthly basis. Sales based on income produced.

“Rent-Ready” Review

What do we need to do to get on the market? Paint, flooring, etc. What is the cost.  Will helps with this and has vendors.

Marketing

Echo’s marketing and advertising program is extensive. Our reach is deep as well. We do in-house photography, Zillow 3D tour, along with drone aerials. We take a floor plan, professional write up description and community photos along with amenities. Our videographer will do a video tour. Social media is then completed by our In-House IT team.

Tenant Application and Screening

Will pre-qualifies tenants, (prior to showing) and with any application made. Reason for moving and past history. Any pets and weight. Go through any community restrictions that could be an issue. What is the move in date? After that its full credit report, income verification, vehicle types and numbers. Plus trusty google to find out if there’s anything else.

Lease Preparation & Execution

Will has to complete and finalize the lease. Most  important is ensuring both landlord and tenant fully understand the lease terms. This reduces and helps eliminate future issues. Will also has to ensure receipt of move in funds, chase down everyone for signatures. Within a 36–72-hour period he finalizes the lease, ensures total move in money is received, and HOA application submitted. This is usually 14-60 days before the lease starts.

Then it’s who pays for what. Utilities like water, sewer, cable, internet, pool, pest, minor repairs, repair deductibles, who is the vendor and is there a required vendor?  Is there a termination fee?  Is there a termination notice requirement period? It’s not just about the price.

Setting clear expectations is key. Will’s deals do not fall apart!

Property Inspections and Reports

Will does a property walk through to ensure the lease is followed and documents the property condition.

Pre-Move-In Inspection

Will sets up professional cleaners along with ensuring any agreed upon repairs are taken care of by qualified vendors. He looks at it as making sure the property is move in ready. The same as he would want it. It’s part of his turnkey service.

Rent Collection and Accounting

Will ensures rent is paid on time or early into the landlords account, via ACH debit. Electronic payment requirement reduces/eliminates nonpayment issues. Annual income summery goes to the landlord.

Lease Quality Control & Enforcement

Will makes certain that the lease complies with all statute changes. Statutes often change both on the state and federal level.

Determination of Landlord and Tenant Obligations

Will turns into the “Mediator”, when issues arise between landlord and tenant outside the lease terms having knowledge of chapter F.S 83. More often than not, Will’s personality and temperament can solve the problem. In many ways, Will has a weird skillset that can handle an enormous amount of pressure while at the same time being able to communicate with all parties in putting things into perspective.

Obtain Estimates and Bids for Services

Someone has to secure quality vendors. Someone has to coordinate vendors coming in and out with both landlord, vendor, and at times the tenant.

Maintenance and Repair Coordination 

Coordination with both the tenant and vendor for preventative services or surprise issues. Will then has to secure ARC approvals to comply with HOA rules. All this reduces liability by preventive care and reduces expectations by understanding potential issues.

Determine Actions on Tenant’s Requests

Will has to understand the lease terms and respond to requests that often are conflicting with lease terms and unhappy tenants. Will then has to know HOA and POA restrictions which all vary greatly. Some include vehicle and pet restrictions, and home improvements such as fences, screen enclosures, pools, and lots more.

Review and Process Tenant Repair Requests

Will ensures that work is completed! Sounds like a given. Nope says Will. There are lots of distractions in Florida and many would rather spend time at the beach or on the golf course. One property Will manages was built by a national builder that took over 9 months to fix a pool pipe resulting in sinking pavers around the pool.

Prepare Agreements with Tenants as Needed

Will has to prepare addendums to add or remove tenants. Same with pets. Property improvements such as a fence that a tenant wants to install, AC, water heaters or trash enclosures.

Online Portal Account

Will ensures that the tenant understands portal access and use for maintenance and payments and that there is clear documentation.

Process Tenant Request for Reasonable Accommodation

Will has knowledge of Fair housing statues and rental related statues.

Move-Out Inspection

Will ensures the lease terms are complied with and the property is left in move in condition. More often than not, this requires turn over (time sensitive to minimize vacancy for the landlord and maximize ROI items, such as repairs and cleaning

Move-Out Summary preparation.

Now Will is a moving company. He lists all “turn over” needed and or required.

Will is able to assist in completing these items.

Security Deposit Claim

Will will assist in resolving disputes related to security deposits. Often resolving issues between the landlord and tenant. He has knowledge of statute requirements. and the goal is to take care of issues before they escalate with attorney and small claims court.

Response to Tenant Objection to Deposit Claim

Will provides landlords with resources should issues arise requiring their assistance. He is often able to resolve these issues before reaching this point, while compiling with state time constraints

Understanding the above will not only result in increased profit, but it will also further ensure the property is taken care of, is properly maintained. and reduce surprises.

Call Will for all your rental needs!

Will Dean

561.602.7373

[email protected]

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Jeff Lichtenstein, originally from Chicago, got his start in the home furnishings textile business where he traveled over 35 weeks a year selling fabrics. After the family business was sold, Jeff moved to Florida and became a real estate agent. Today he is the owner and broker of Echo Fine Properties, a luxury residential brokerage voted best brokerage of the year. Jeff manages a non-traditional model of real estate that mimics a traditional business model. Echo has 80 agents, an average of one million dollars per transaction and over 500 million in annual sales. Between traveling for work and annual family trips to national parks with his wife and 2 now adult children, Jeff has visited 49 states. He is also one of the few Chicago White Sox fans you’ll ever meet.  Some publications he has been quoted in.

Author of business & leadership book How Making a Sandwich Can Change Your World –  The Amazing Success of the PB&J Strategy – Available to Buy Now!

Feel free to ask him a question directly at [email protected] including a complementary  valuation of your home.