I have to admit, as the Social Media Director for the Property Management Software company Rentec Direct I've focused more of my time and money on Faceboook rather than on Google+. After reading various blogs yesterday regarding the usefulness of both for search engine optimization (SEO). I've decided to consolidate the information I've read and am going to compare the two social networks against each other so I can first, decide which of these features I even use and second, weigh the pros and the cons of the features i do use for business purposes.Facebookpros1. Can send private messages to friendscons 1. facebook reaches less than 10% of your followers2. facebook only allows you to have 5,000 friends before you must create a fan page2. facebook penalizes you when you try to add a per... 11/04/2013

La Jolla Homes for Sale - What Happened in the La Jolla Real Estate Market in September 2013? The La Jolla real estate market is one of the most expensive in San Diego County. A visit to La Jolla on-line, or better yet in real life, will quickly give you a good sense of why this is so. Having current, local information about La Jolla homes for sale is essential so you can make informed decisions about your home buying and selling in La Jolla. Despite the shift in prices, La Jolla remains an expensive real estate market, particularly for ocean view and ocean front homes. La Jolla, “The Jewel,” is an extraordinarily beautiful coastal community with many homes offering fabulous views of the ocean from the hills, and a trendy, up-scale village offering the finest in shopping and dining. La ... 10/24/2013

I want to get your thoughts on allowing tenants to reside on your property who have a medical marijuana card. In property management, there is always something to consider. In Oregon, the voters passed the Medical Marijuana Act in 1998 authorizing the use of medical marijuana, and exempting such use from criminal liability under state law. Today, Oregon is home to 35,500 marijuana grow sites producing marijuana for nearly 55,000 medical marijuana patients. How to handle this law as a landlord or property manager has been a little hazy, pun intended.Last year I performed an inspection on my duplex and during the inspection I noticed 5 six foot tall marijuana plants in the second bedroom (kind of hard not to notice that).  The tenant had medical marijuana cards for herself and two others ... 10/22/2013

As an employee at a property management software company and as a real estate investor the benefits of the new IRS regulations are exciting, well, as exciting as tax regs can be. Yesterday, we delved into routine maintenance and prior to that the small business safe harbor. Today I'm going to discuss materials and supplies. Materials and supplies are defined as tangible property used and consumed in the taxpayers operations.  There are five types, described below:1.Components that are acquired to maintain, repair, or improve a unit of tangible property 2.Items with a useful life of 12 months or less such as stationary and cleaning supplies (as a side note, i had to share this picture because i found it disturbing that anyone would put a toilet brush in there mouth)3. Property that cost ... 10/16/2013

  Has the question entered your mind: What steps should I take when buying a Bird Rock La Jolla Home?  This is a very good question because if the steps are not done properly, the home buying process can be very challenging.  Here are the steps you should take when looking to buy a Bird Rock La Jolla home: 1.        Interview more than one La Jolla Realtor that is a member of REBA (La Jolla Real Estate Brokers    Association). -  Why should a buyer do this first?  REBA members pay yearly dues to network with the best Realtors in La Jolla.  Every Wednesday, REBA members get to view the new Bird Rock La Jolla homes before they come on the market to the general public.  This allows the local La Jolla Realtors to get first glimpse of a home before the entire internet world sees the home.  L... 10/16/2013

Have you as a home owner always wondered if you should put your Bird Rock La Jolla home in a magazine when selling?  I get this question a lot when I talk to potential sellers when discussing marketing strategies for their home.  I’m going to be very blunt, honest, and candid:  HECK NO!! Let’s get real here…..do you know why you see all those fancy Bird Rock La Jolla homes in Dream Homes and Ocean Homes magazines?  It’s for the Realtor to promote themselves, not your home!  I’m sure a Realtor or two will disagree with me but I don’t care.  As a seller/consumer, it is a waste of money and resources to have your Realtor put your home in magazine thinking it will attract a buyer.  You know where the money should be spent?  It should be spent on professional videos and pictures to be used ... 10/11/2013

No matter how long you have been investing in Real Estate, it’s important to always follow a procedure.  Of course the most important step is to get started, don’t get stuck in the planning phase! 1. Get With the Plan Figure out what your short and long term real estate goals are then create a profitable plan. Determine what steps you need to take to get started. Some of the steps include; setting up your business entity, determining your market, and building a team to help put the plan into action. 2. Analysis paralysis  Find a good analysis tool or spreadsheet to determine the numbers that will make the deal work for you. Once you have that in place, analyzing property transactions is pretty simple. If you plan on selling, calculate what the property will be worth when it is done, and... 10/08/2013

Building a relationship with tenants and protecting your real estate investment is the goal when creating a lease agreement.  I have compiled a list of tips for landlords to use as a tool for creating a lease and guidance on rental property management in general.1. Fair Housing Act  When advertising for a new tenant, it is critical to understand and comply with the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from using any of the following criteria when evaluating prospective tenants: race, color, national heritage, religion, gender, disability, and familial status. Landlords should use financial data, credit histories, and other background data to evaluate potential tenants.2. Know your tenant Tenant screening for each prospective renter is crucial to avoiding problems. ... 10/02/2013

Below are the top five reasons why you should use a La Jolla Realtor when buying a home in La Jolla.  The home buying process can be a complicated process.  Early this year, the California Association of Realtors did a home buyer survey to find out why buyers should use a Realtor.  Here are the results  of the survey. 1.        86% of the buyers felt you should use a Realtor for negotiating prices. 2.       71% of buyers felt you should use a Realtor to negotiate the terms of a sale. 3.       61% of buyers felt you should use a Realtor to determine comparable homes for sale in the neighborhood.  4.       43% of buyers felt you should... 09/26/2013

As a landlord or property manager you may have asked yourself if prohibiting tenants from keeping guns on your, or your clients rental property is considered discrimination or an infringement of there Second Amendment rights?  Survey says……No! The Second Amendment is a limit on government power, not a limit on private citizens. And if a private citizen such as a landlord wants to ban guns in his or her rental properties, there is no Second Amendment violation. Through a little research I have come to the conclusion that it is within a landlords rights to keep there property free of firearms. I was a little surprised and I wonder if there will be any liability or law suits that will stem from a landlords decision to prevent guns on there property. I came across all sorts of information, ... 09/18/2013

Unfavorable reports (specifically retail sales & Michigan sentiment) are contributing to improved mortgage pricing thus far today (although minor, it is a step in the right direction). This daily mortgage interest rate report is designed to provide Borrowers & Real Estate Profesionals with factual data regarding where rates are at any given time and what trends are propelling current mortgage pricing on any given day. Feel free to browse the library and research historical rate updates dating back over 2 years at www.JasonGordon.info whenever desired.  To make things easier, I have also posted a quick report on How To Read The Charts Below. Also, make sure to learn THE TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MORTGAGE RATES (to help understand the relationship between rates & fees/credits) along wit... 09/13/2013

La Jolla Homes for Sale - What Happened in the La Jolla Real Estate Market in August 2013? The La Jolla real estate market is one of the most expensive in San Diego County. A visit to La Jolla on-line, or better yet in real life, will quickly give you a good sense of why this is so. Having current, local information about La Jolla homes for sale is essential so you can make informed decisions about your home buying and selling in La Jolla. Despite the shift in prices, La Jolla remains an expensive real estate market, particularly for ocean view and ocean front homes. La Jolla, “The Jewel,” is an extraordinarily beautiful coastal community with many homes offering fabulous views of the ocean from the hills, and a trendy, up-scale village offering the finest in shopping and dining. La Jol... 09/11/2013

Craigslist is an excellent tool for listing rentals, or homes for sale. The majority of the property managers and landlords that I talk to say they get more leads from craigslist than from any other source.  Managing my own rentals, I can say the very same thing.  Craigslist is a great medium to get the word out about your vacancy or home for sale.What I want to address today is not just how great craigslist is for listings, but I want to show you how to make your listing STAND OUT from the rest. Pictures.  The default craigslist layout is text only, formatted in old style times new roman font.  As a buyer, seeing any ad in the default text layout that craigslist provides turns me off instantly.  Craigslist provides the option of adding pictures; however, they show at the very bottom of... 09/03/2013

  Planning a trip or a move? Here are 10 exciting attractions in La Jolla, California.       When contemplating a move to La Jolla, CA there are many things to consider. -Are there good schools? Answer: Some of the best in the nation! -Can I find a home with all the amenities and still affordable? Answer: Yes! See below. -Will I have to travel far for entertainment? –Answer: No. See main attractions below. -Is it safe? Answer: Very! La Jolla one of the safest areas in San Diego!     1. La Jolla Cove- swimming, diving and snorkeling! La Jolla cove is a great place for water sports and one of the most famous dive sites! Take the kids to visit the highly visited seal hang out they are sure to love it!   2. Torrey Pines Gliderport- a paraglider’s playground! A great place to paraglide, sigh... 08/27/2013

Interest rates are quietly improving over the past couple of days. Although we have some major ground to make up, this most recent trend is promising. See below for details. This daily mortgage interest rate report is designed to provide Borrowers & Real Estate Profesionals with factual data regarding where rates are at any given time and what trends are propelling current mortgage pricing on any given day. Feel free to browse the library and research historical rate updates dating back over 2 years at www.JasonGordon.info whenever desired.  To make things easier, I have also posted a quick report on How To Read The Charts Below. Also, make sure to learn THE TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MORTGAGE RATES (to help understand the relationship between rates & fees/credits) along with THE TRUTH... 08/27/2013

On the heals of a rough day for rates (69 basis point worsening), Jobless Claims came in slightly higher than expected this morning which has caused early market volatility. This daily mortgage interest rate report is designed to provide Borrowers & Real Estate Profesionals with factual data regarding where rates are at any given time and what trends are propelling current mortgage pricing on any given day. Feel free to browse the library and research historical rate updates dating back over 2 years at www.JasonGordon.info whenever desired.  To make things easier, I have also posted a quick report on How To Read The Charts Below. Also, make sure to learn THE TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MORTGAGE RATES (to help understand the relationship between rates & fees/credits) along with THE TRUTH... 08/22/2013

La Jolla Homes for Sale - What Happened in the La Jolla Real Estate Market in July 2013? The La Jolla real estate market is one of the most expensive in San Diego County. A visit to La Jolla on-line, or better yet in real life, will quickly give you a good sense of why this is so. Having current, local information about La Jolla homes for sale is essential so you can make informed decisions about your home buying and selling in La Jolla. Despite the shift in prices, La Jolla remains an expensive real estate market, particularly for ocean view and ocean front homes. La Jolla, “The Jewel,” is an extraordinarily beautiful coastal community with many homes offering fabulous views of the ocean from the hills, and a trendy, up-scale village offering the finest in shopping and dining. La Jolla... 08/14/2013

La Jolla 92037 Homes Sold in 2012per SANDICOR MLS   Detached Homes = Single Family Homes Attached Homes = Condos, Town Homes, Row Homes & Twin Homes   La Jolla Detached Homes Sales (almost one per day) - 360 Closed Escrows in 2012 Lowest Sales Price: Sold in the Mount La Jolla Neighborhood & HOA: Caminito Herminia - 3 bdrms/2 baths, 1,700 sq. ft. Sold Price $485,000 (originally Listed at $495,000) Highest Sales Price: Sold in the Lower Hermosa Neighborhood (Bird Rock Area with Ocean Views): Camino de la Costa - 7 bdrms/9 baths, 10,000 sq. ft. Sold Price $15,000,000 (originally listed at $16,000,000). La Jolla Attached Homes - 351 Closed Escrows in 2012 Lowest Sales Price Sold in Torrey Pines Arroya Neighborhood (La Jolla Estates HOA): Torrey Pines - 1 bdrm/1 bath, 633 sq. ft. - Sold Pr... 08/10/2013

OK so attack is a bit dramatic but, my husband ahem, I mean business partner, spent several hours this morning rebuilding a gate at one of the properties we own and manage. The gate that was on the property had recently been kicked in and was in need of some serious repair.  Rumor has it that it was a neighborhood teenager that wanted to get in the back yard so he could smoke his marijuana. Who knows, I'm sure we will never know who the culprit was I just hope it doesn't happen again.The tenant requested that a taller gate be installed and we obliged.  While we were honoring our tenants request we also wanted to beef up the strength of the gate significantly to try to prevent any vandalism in the future. We don't generally have issues with vandals as we try to purchase properties that a... 07/25/2013

La Jolla Homes for Sale - What Happened in the La Jolla Real Estate Market in June 2013? The La Jolla real estate market is one of the most expensive in San Diego County. A visit to La Jolla on-line, or better yet in real life, will quickly give you a good sense of why this is so. Having current, local information about La Jolla homes for sale is essential so you can make informed decisions about your home buying and selling in La Jolla. Despite the shift in prices, La Jolla remains an expensive real estate market, particularly for ocean view and ocean front homes. La Jolla, “The Jewel,” is an extraordinarily beautiful coastal community with many homes offering fabulous views of the ocean from the hills, and a trendy, up-scale village offering the finest in shopping and dining. La Jolla... 07/13/2013