Читать книгу Property Management Kit For Dummies - Robert S. Griswold - Страница 29

Like many property managers, you probably consider your property to be an investment. If you continuously lose money, having the property isn’t worth the hassle or the expense, right? Not to worry. Although you can’t predict bad weather or crime, you can safeguard the value of your investment by doing the following:

 Being aware of environmental hazards that can occur: Minimize your risk, and be prepared for natural or environmental hazards such as storms, fire, carbon-monoxide gas, bedbugs, and mold. See Chapter 19 for details.

 Buying the necessary insurance: You can’t avoid buying insurance, so I make sure that you know enough to be dangerous when your insurance agent says you need coverage for snowstorms at your duplex in Phoenix. Chapter 20 covers the types of insurance you need to consider.

 Paying your taxes: Property taxes are a reality of life almost everywhere. Chapter 20 makes sure that you know how they’re calculated and what you can do to minimize your tax payments by appealing your property’s assessed value when market conditions decline.

 Tracking your money: You may not want to be a greedy landlord, but you’d better track your income and your expenses, as you’ll need to file income tax returns annually. In Chapter 21, I cover the best way to organize your files and the top property management software that you can use to streamline and simplify this important but potentially time-consuming aspect of managing rental housing.

 Increasing your cash flow: Sometimes, recouping all the costs for your property isn’t easy, so you may need to find ways to get more cash in your hands. As you discover in Chapter 22, a wide assortment of options awaits, including government-subsidized housing programs, special niche housing markets, and lease options.