Peter Bubel+ by | Jan 13, 2017 | Blog, Peter Bubel, Travel
It’s a new year, and with it comes resolutions for how to make this year a great one for ourselves. Why not make it an adventurous one as well by adding travel to your list of resolutions for 2017?
Travel is an important part of life for so many reasons. Not only does it provide us enjoyment and entertainment as we journey from one place to the next, it also provides us with invaluable learning experiences that we would be unable to find anywhere else. Absorbing new cultures and meeting new people helps us to expand our worldview and cean even make us more understanding and accepting of unfamiliar things. Travel not only better us as individual but as a society as a whole. Get out there, get exploring, and get learning in 2017 with these top travel destinations on which to set your sights.
Canada
- Take a trip to the Great White North this year and join the country for two very special anniversaries. Not only is the entire country celebrating the 150th anniversary of its Confederation, the Québec city of Montreal will be celebrating its 375th birthday in December. Be a part of history and join in the momentous celebration of a nation.
Cuba
- After more than 50 years, relations between Cuba and the United States were finally repaired in July of 2015, reopening travel between the two nations. Step back in time to the 1950s and see streets filled with cars half a century old in a country rich with culture as you walk along the historic streets in places like Havana. Keep an eye out for flash sales from airlines on tickets to Cuba this year to make your trip even easier.
Botswana
- If you’ve ever wanted to explore an African safari and live out real-life scenes from “The Lion King,” Botswana is probably worth marking on your map. Opening this spring is the Duba Plains Camp; at the center of this 77,000 acre area of the Okavango Delta, visitors will stay in a luxury tent camp and be able to observe elephants, lions, and zebras alike up-close in their natural habitats.
There are so many places to go and things to do that this list couldn’t even begin to cover them all, so get out there and find them for yourself! It doesn’t matter where you go this year, the important thing is that you travel!
Peter Bubel+ by | Jan 9, 2017 | Peter Bubel, Property, Property Management, Real Estate
Good property managers commit themselves to providing the ideal rental experience for tenants. They’ve sworn to manage tenant complaints, field queries and accommodate requests to the fullest extent their managerial powers allow, because they realize that tenants are the source of their profits, and therefore it would be mutually destructive to do anything less than keep tenants thrilled with their current living situation.
Great (and financially successful) property managers and landlords only become known as such by building effective professional relationships; they rely on the fact that their reputations for efficiency and attentiveness are cemented through heaps of praise from tenants.
Both tenants and landlords count equally on each other’s efforts to achieve peace and prosperity, which means landlords reserve the right to be as selective when vetting potential renters as tenants are when choosing places to live. And just like identifying the gems, recognizing possible indicators of a less than ideal tenant is essential to a landlord’s success, so below I’ve listed the major red flags to watch out for when screening tenant applicants.
- A bad credit score – Credit scores are maintained by making payments in a timely fashion, so it’s sensible to assume that applicants with bad credit might have trouble paying rent on time, or at all. Applicants with a score of 620 of greater are far less likely to miss payments.
- Lacking a steadily/adequately paying job – Employment status is a huge indicator of potential payment issues; if a tenant is unemployed, or employed at a job that doesn’t steadily pay at least 2.5 – 3 times the monthly rent, expect an occasional struggle when collecting their rent.
- A hurried move – Tenants might have their reasons for seeking immediate housing (leases ending, terrible previous experiences, etc.), but use your best judgement when considering these situations, as a tenant’s eagerness to jump into a rental agreement could equal their willingness to flake out of one, and stiff you.
- Needing additional time for the deposit – If a tenant can’t even manage a timely initial deposit, the probability of always receiving prompt rent from them may be practically nil.
- Poor or nonexistent references – A great reference from a previous landlord, or commendations from an employer can alleviate previous concerns about applicants. However, serious questions arise when references fail to answer questions relevant to a tenant’s reliability, or cannot be reached anywhere.
- Applicants new to living together – The potential for miscommunication between you and your renters rises slightly with each additional tenant per unit, but the main concern with multiple applicants is whether they can coexist peacefully as roommates, which hasn’t been proven if tenants have never before lived together successfully. Failed experiments in companionship easily lead to broken leases and lost profits.
- Over 3 (serious) convictions in 5 years – If tenants consistently break the law, it’s difficult to expect them to honor your building regulations, or respect lease agreements.
Peter Bubel+ by | Jan 3, 2017 | Peter Bubel, Property, Property Management, Real Estate
Owning property can be a goldmine, but it can also be a hassle, especially for anyone with obligations exceeding duties as a landlord. And when you add multiple properties into the mix, maintaining an accurate gauge on rent payments, late fees, complaints, repairs, new tenant prep and more can get very sticky, very quick, even for the most veteran of landlords. To help, I’ve summarized a few reasons why it might be wise for landlords to look into locating a good property manager to mitigate the responsibilities of leasing property.
You will free up time
As a manager and founder of PANA rentals, I regularly oversee anywhere from 50 to 100 properties, many of which are low income or student housing. I’ve often heard firsthand from clients regarding the burdens on time and freedom that accompany being a landlord. I’ve heard clients tell of their responsibility for older relatives, or children who constantly need care; sometimes these clients are simply unable to work in the additional hours which being a landlord demands. We are living, thinking, caring people, and precious little is as valuable as our time.
Anyone can dream of reaping maximum benefits with minimum time constraint. Purchasing and leasing real estate is one of the most efficient methods of achieving some financial breathing room, provided you find yourself a decent property manager to clear the air of unnecessary hindrances on your time and peace of mind.
You will get more/better tenants
Good property managers know how to draw interest through marketing campaigns using all available resources, techniques and industry connections, strategies which generate a larger, healthier prospective tenant base. Highly developed screening processes also allow property managers to choose tenants who possess qualities which the landlord feels are ideal, such as keeping noise down at night, or being employed. Property managers also provide a barrier of professionalism by handling tenant interaction, which separates landlords from the painful and difficult decisions that can occasionally spring from becoming too personally involved in tenants’ lives.
You won’t have to worry about constantly traveling to and from properties
Whether due to damage, decay or negligence, issues with property are a given for owners, and being a landlord without a manager means you’ll have to be present whenever a problem needs solving. Living within feasible driving range becomes a necessity, unless, of course, you hire a property manager to act in your stead.
You can make money regardless of whether you have previous property management experience
There is no limit or minimum amount of control that must be ceded to a property manager. Both longtime landlords and novice property owners are able to maintain a level of involvement in the management process completely suited to their personal preference, meaning anyone can profit, no matter their current experience level.
Peter Bubel+ by | Dec 6, 2016 | Blog, Peter Bubel, Property, Property Management, Real Estate
For those looking to increase their wealth through investment, there are two basic investment types to make: investing in stock or investing in real estate. While each method has been proven effective, real estate investment is a highly lucrative game that could end up making you rich in the long run — of the 1,810 billionaires living today, 163 of them, or 9%, got their start in real estate, making the industry the third-largest source of wealth. However, real estate investment isn’t for everyone. Take a look at the pros and cons of investing in real estate before deciding if it’s the right investment method for you.
Pros:
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The investment is physical.
Believe it or not, this is actually a huge deciding factor for many people when choosing how to invest their money. While investing in the stock market is also a great way to make money, for many people the main turn off is the way you can have money one minute and lose it the next. With real estate, this isn’t a concern. Your piece of land, your investment, is one you can reach out, touch, and even stand on. While money can come and go, your property investment will always remain.
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You are in control of your investment.
With each new property that you purchase, you essentially become the owner and CEO of your own small company for which you’re in charge of hiring (renting), maintenance (general upkeep), and growth (additions and renovations). By making renovations to improve the house, like a bathroom or kitchen remodel, you’re increasing the value of your investment, something you can’t do with stock investments.
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Real estate is a relatively stable investment.
When you invest in real estate, there is very little — if any — fluctuation that occurs in terms of value. While stock prices can double and halve in mere hours, real estate offers a stable alternative for investment for those who aren’t looking for the stressful ups and downs of stock market investment.
Cons:
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The investment is illiquid.
One of the major cons that deters people from investing in real estate is how illiquid — or how difficult to convert from asset to cash — the investment is. Where buying and selling stocks can be completed in a matter of seconds, selling a piece of property can take weeks or even months for proper paperwork to be signed, payments to go through, and sales to be finalized. So while real estate is a far more stable investment,
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It requires a lot of work.
Where stocks are easy in that, once you invest in them, your work is primarily done, real estate investments require a lot of work to be put into them for you to see substantial returns. Often times, people choose to hire property managers who act as the middleman and take the burden of maintenance off of the shoulders of the landlord, but if you don’t then you’re looking at fixing minor repairs as they arise, maintaining the property, finding your own tenants, and enforcing the lease on your own.
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If you can’t find tenants, you’re paying for your investment.
Another huge con of real estate investment is that you need other people to make your investment profitable. If you’ve purchased a rental property, you’ll need tenants to occupy the building or else you’ll end up losing money each month as you pay for mortgage, utilities, and general upkeep.
Peter Bubel+ by | Dec 6, 2016 | Blog, Peter Bubel, Property, Real Estate, Travel
In the dead of winter, it’s tempting to sell off everything you own to move to a tropical, exotic location whose atmosphere is a complete 180 from where you are now. Unfortunately, with exotic travel destinations often comes exorbitant price tags, and unless selling everything you own is a viable option, you’re going to need to find an alternative. Skip on the international plane fare and take a trip to an exotic land right in your own backyard; visit these hidden travel gems you can find right here in America.
This scenic, glacial California valley is home to a number beautiful sites. Measuring 8 miles long, the valley is chock full of trails for hikers and explorers, and is a hotspot for photographers as well; when the sunlight hits just right, some falls refract the light into beautiful rainbows that will take your breath away.
Founded way back in 1565, this beautiful holds claim to being the oldest city in the United States. It was founded by Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez Avilés, and remains heavily influenced by Spanish culture today. Walk along the historic streets, and bask under buildings that existed long before this country did.
While it’s not in the continental U.S., Hawaii offers many beautiful sites for visitors to take in, and it’s least developed island is no exception. Also referred to as “the Garden Isle,” this beautiful island is a popular place to visit for those looking to get away from society and experience raw, beautiful nature. The lush, tropical rainforest that covers most of the island gives the feel of being in the Amazon without ever leaving the country.
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Joshua Tree National Park, Ca.
If you’re looking for an otherworldly travel destination with the price tag of a local vacation, then look no further than California. The park sees two different types of desert ecosystem converge where the Mojave desert meets the Colorado desert, with a landscape that could be from another planet; large rock formation, vast desert scapes, and strange, barren plant life render this desert an alien planet. When you’re ready to head back to civilization, stop by the village of Joshua Tree and experience first hand the wide range of inhabitants and food the area has to offer.
If you’re dreaming of the wineries of Italy but know the Mediterranean is out of your price range, your next best bet is to visit the lush vineyards and rolling hills of Napa Valley. Colloquially known as “wine country,” this area was originally settled during the silver rush of California and is now renowned as the wine capital of California.
