This past month we at Harrity Real Estate Services announced we would be joining forces with the real estate sales company Royal LePage Atlantic. Harrity Real Estate Services offers Saint John Property Management services and will enable Royal LePage Atlantic to offer a one stop shop for investors looking for real estate investments in Saint John.
Harrity Real Estate Services provides a wide variety of property management service to manage and maintain our properties, increase the rental value of each unit, and improve the overall resale value of the property. Just a few things we take care of, rent collection, tenant placement, maintenance, project management, and more (visit our site for details).
We take care of everything you can imagine and more. For more information about our Saint John property management services, please visit our website at www.harrityrealestate.ca
Please let us know if we can help!
Luther Harrity - Harrity Real Estate Services
My top restaurants in Saint John, New Brunswick.
I've put together a list the top five places I eat in Saint John. Although these aren't my favorites, they are practical, quick and easy.
Hidden Gems & Other Favorites
These are some great places to fill up and relax. They didn't make the top five but they are highly recommended.
Feel free to coment with you're favorite restaurants.
As a real estate salesperson and the owner of a Saint John property management company, I see many people who buy rental properties and don't think they need a property manager (in most cases they own a small building or a single family home they rent out). Little do they know it's not only about collecting your rent cheque every month.
Here are some things to consider when asking yourself "Do I need a property manager"?
Residential Tenancies Act
First and for most is the laws governing rental units. Here in New Brunswick Canada it's called the Residential Tenancies act. It outlines the rights a tenant has, as well as the rights of the landlord. If you aren't familiar with them, you need to get familiar or find a manager that is - otherwise you could end up in some trouble with the law.
On call 24/7 365 day's a year?
As a landlord you need to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only do you need to be on call, but you need to be ready to get to your property in a hurry in the event of an emergency. Many landlord's tell me they are available 24/7 but they look a little puzzled when I ask them: "You're out on a Saturday night with friends and family, and you've had a couple glasses of wine. You're tenant calls and the toilet is flooding. What do you do?".
At the end of the day, you need someone on call and available to take care of these problems should they arise.
My building is brand new, we wont have any problems.
It doesn't matter how new your building is. Bad things happen to new buildings too! Toilets get backed up, leaks happen, there isn't anything we can do about it except be ready when it happens.
My tenants are great executive clients, there wont be any problems.
That's great, I'm glad to hear you've got great tenants. You can have a beautiful property, but it doesn't mean anything without the good tenants. The problem is that accidents happen with good tenants too (e.g. the bottle of bleach they just picked up at the store has a faulty cover, and gets spilled all over the floor - it's not because they are bad people). For this reason you must always collect a security deposit.
You have executive tenants, and they are looking for executive service. If they have a problem, they want prompt and professional service whether its 2 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning.
Who's to blame, and who's going to pay for that?
If you make a mistake, you're going to pay for it. If your property manager makes a mistake, they will be paying for it (or their insurance will).
The bottom line is, property managers have experience and knowledge in what they do (after all, that's how they make a living. If they weren't good at it, they wouldn't be doing it for very long). They have systems, and accountability. Before you say no to a property manager, sit down and talk to one (or two) and find out what they can do for you.
If you're purchasing rental property in the Greater Saint John Area give Harrity Real Estate Services a call, and we will set up a free initial consultation. If you already own rental property, give us a call and we will give you a free initial consultation to discuess how we can improve your investment, and give you the time for what matters most to you.
Thanks for reading.
Luther Harrity
The last couple of weeks I've been doing some research into LED lighting. We see it used in vehicles and flashlights all the time, but why not household lighting? LED's last for ages, are resistant to vibration and movement (they don't break!) and they save loads of energy compared to the regular energy saving bulbs.
Yes the new energy saving bulbs (compact fluorescent) that fit the traditional edison size fixtures are saving on our power bills, but not near as much as a led light bulb will (some LED light bulbs will output the same light as a 60W bulb while only using 4.5W) - not to mention the compact fluorescent bulb uses gases that are harmful to the environment.
You can purchase LED light fixtures for your home or business (they aren't easy to find though). I have recently seen some of the new track lighting LED's on shelves at Home Depot; however you're looking for a solution for your home or business other than track lighting you'll have to look to the Internet.
While searching the archives over at REM Online, I found an article by Randy Norman titled "Shame on you, David Suzuki". The article accuses environmentalist David Suzuki for promoting the compact fluorescent bulbs that are less energy efficient than the LED's and do harm the environment. He also credits David (and figures like him) to the lack of LED awareness and sales.
Due to the popularity of the compact fluorescent bulbs, LED's are slow to hit the market and expensive to purchase (although it is a good investment in the long term). It is my hope that everyone that reads this blog will help promote the LED bulbs and fixtures to their clients, and use them in their own homes and businesses.
The more awareness, the more people will buy them and the cheaper they will become. Businesses especially should be purchasing these bulbs, as they are in the greatest position to save on lighting cost. Once enough businesses step up to the plate, I believe (and hope) the LED bulb will come mainstream and hopefully the standard for lighting both in businesses and homes.
Here are a few LED Lighting websites:
If you've got some great websites or suppliers please share them with me.
107 Inglwood Drive is a six unit multi family located in the prime rental district in Grand Bay-Westfield.
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For more information, please call 1-866-593-7446 (option 2) or visit www.sellwithme.ca
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