Technology and Today’s Property Manager

 It’s Amazing How Much We’ve Evolved isn’t it…?

Because every day it seems I’m checking out the Fry’s and Best Buy ads in the paper.   I’m amazed at the prices for digital cameras and video “camcorders”.   I can’t believe how little they cost anymore.

 

 

I purchased my first Sony Digital Camera back in 2000 for almost $500 that used floppy discs to store the images.   I could only get about 15 or so high quality pictures on a disc and sometimes the disc would be defective.   Which meant that I’d have to go back out to the site and get new pictures.

Now…?   I’m almost afraid to purchase anything because if I wait a couple of weeks I can get it much cheaper because the next “big thing” was just put on the market.

Video – What We Do With It.

• Advertising – We’ve been using video in our Real Estate Sales business for about a year now and Digital stills in our rental ads.   That changed about a month ago and we are now using Digital Video in our Rental Ads
• At Move in & Move Out  –   In addition to the “move in-move out” sheet that the new tenant would ordinarily fill out, we now do a video and “hi-lite” the areas that have “dings” or “stains”.   We then keep this in the tenants file and send them a copy too. 
• Annual inspection – If you are an out of town owner, wouldn’t it be nice for your property manager to do an annual inspection so you the owner can see how your investment has been maintained ?    I did one just a few days ago over in Granite Bay.  And…as a side note,  when I’m in the area of a rental we manage I’ll drive by and just take a still with my Palm Pilot.
• Emergencies & Repairs that come up  – Recently we made some repairs to a roof and gutter system in an apartment complex so I got a video of the work for an out of town owner.    We’ve also used videos of fallen trees and sent them over the Internet to out of town owners to keep them up to speed.

Bottom LIne…?

Keep in mind that you don’t have to have commercial radio quality “Voice Over Tonality” to do these videos.   It’s the pictures that do most of the talking.   So just narrate enough to describe what you are shooting and remember that “Youtube” is your friend.

 

I hope this helps…

Make it a Great Day…!

 

Ed Favinger, Broker CRS, GRI         916-203-1260 Mobile         favinger@rwnetwork.com