5 Ways to Cool Down a Room Without Using Air Conditioning

By Enrique Jevons, Property Manager

It’s August 2017 and with some of the hottest days of the year set to come just about everyone is searching for ways to cool down their room, or homes without using air conditioners.

Not everyone can use air conditioners all the time for health reasons and most people would prefer to save money on energy costs during the summer months. Thankfully, using an air conditioner isn’t always necessary and you can cool your living space down simply by following these tips.

Tip #1 – Place Box Fans in Windows at Night to Bring in Cool Air to Your Home

In today’s world, most people will still continue to use their air conditioners during summer nights even if temperatures get down to the 60’s and 70’s outside because they don’t let the heat that’s accumulated in their homes out at night so the home stays warm even with the use of air conditioning.

If your home has windows in each room you should purchase box fans from a store like Walmart and place those fans in each window at night to suck in the cool night air.

Depending on your area you should leave the box fans in your windows all night long to bring in that cool air then removes them from your windows in the morning, close the windows and turn on ceiling fans or oscillating fans to keep that cool air trapped in your home during the day.

Tip #2 – Invest in Eclipse or Blackout Style Curtains for Your Windows

These curtains are important because they are made of thick material and will block out any heat or sunlight from entering your home if they are closed during the day.

Eclipse curtains also work well for keeping homes insulated during the winter and this makes them one of the best investments you can make for your home regardless if you’re renting or you own your home.

Tip #3 – Limit Cooking in The Oven on Hot Days

Unfortunately, we all can't limit our cooking but we can change the times when we cook on days that it’s very hot outside.

For example, instead of cooking dinner at 5:00 pm when you come home from work you could invest in a crockpot and let your crockpot do all of the cooking during the day so you can have a ready to go meal for your family when you come home.

If you enjoy baking you should avoid baking during the heat of the day and plan on baking later in the evening when it's cooled down outside or on weekends.

It’s also an excellent idea to invest in a nice barbecue so you can cook outside on hot days and avoid heating up the inside of your home.

Tip #3 - Invest in Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

During the summer months, it makes sense to cool your home any way you can and another great way to do this is to purchase energy efficient light bulbs.

This is a smart move to make because not only will these bulbs lower your monthly energy cost, they will also keep your home cooler during the summer months because they emit less heat than a traditional incandescent light bulb.

Can’t find energy efficient bulbs locally? Consider purchasing them online using sites like jet.com and you will be able to save money.

Tip #4 – Unplug Electronic Devices When You’re Not Using Them

Did you know that your electronic devices create heat? Even when you’re not using them?

If you don’t plan on using your tablet, laptop, DVD player, TV or PC during the day you should make sure that those devices are unplugged since this will keep them from heating up your home and also help you to lower your energy costs as well.

Tip #5 – Create A Cool Bed to Sleep In

Last of all, but most important, one of the top things you should do to get your home ready for those warm summer nights is to create a cool bed to sleep in.

This should be done by removing blankets and comforters that you may still have on your bed from the winter months. They should be replaced with summer bedding which includes cotton sheets and maybe one thin blanket.

After changing your bedding, you can also take it a step further by investing in pillows or a new mattress that’s designed to keep you cool when sleeping.

Thankfully, there are a wide variety of brands that produce mattresses and pillows that are made with materials like Bamboo which have been proven to cool down the body and contribute to a better night’s sleep.

Get Property Management Here

Are you interested viewing the latest rental properties or speaking with us about our property management services? Contact Jevons Property Management by calling us at (509) 895-7777 or connect with us online through our website.

Should I Invest in Rentals Out of State?

Should I Invest in Rentals Out of State?

By Enrique Jevons

Another property management question that’s been commonly been asked by investors over the years is if they should invest in rental properties that are located out of state.

This is a great question to ask because thanks to the internet every investor has the ability to research a rental property online and learn more about the area where the rental is located without having to take the time to visit it in person.

The answer to this question is yes, you should consider investing in an out of state rental property but, you should answer these questions first before making this investment.

Do You Already Own Rental Properties in Your State?

This question is important because you don’t want to make your first rental property an out of state rental unless the rental property is a move in ready.

Why? That rental property may need renovation, and there’s nothing worse than having to manage renovations at a rental property when you’re out of state. Especially if you don’t have a property manager or team in place to help oversee those renovations.

Do You Have Experience as A Landlord?

In today’s Real Estate investment world many people think that owning an out of state rental property will be as easy as point and click but the truth is if you don’t have landlord experience already, and you plan on managing that out of state rental yourself, you may find that it will be more difficult than you imagined.

When you self-manage a rental property, you have to be ready for calls from tenants at all hours of the day (or night), maintenance requests, and other issues that will make out of state management difficult if you’re managing those rentals yourself.

Without a property management team that you can trust, managing an out of state rental will also require you to have a local vendor matrix so you will know who to call when problems arise at your rental property and you should also be able to either drive to your rental or fly out at a moment’s notice to oversee major repairs if they are needed.

Having a property management company, you can trust to manage your out of state rental will make the process of being an out of state property owner easy because you will have someone that you can trust to manage things like marketing your rental online, tenant selection and maintenance so you can continue focusing on building your portfolio of rental properties.

Make Sure You Hire a Strong Property Management Team

Regardless if you plan on investing in rental properties in Washington State, or elsewhere in the world, make sure that you hire a property management team that’s experienced with managing rental properties in the area where your rental is located.

When hiring a property manager make sure that you hire a company that has verifiable experience online. You should also find out how many rentals they currently manage, confirm their monthly fees, verify how they handle maintenance issues and make sure that they actually offer real customer service and not an automated system for dealing with their tenants.

Hire A Property Manager

Do you own rental properties in Washington State and are considering property management? Contact Jevons Property Management today by calling us at (509) 895-7777 or click here to connect with us online.

Washington State Rental Properties by Jevons Property Management

Top 5 Reasons for Using a Property Management Company

Top 5 Reasons for Using a Property Management Company

Do you own one or more rental properties and are considering hiring a property management company in Yakima but are not sure if this is the right decision for you to make or not?

You’re not alone.

Although you may be concerned about hiring a property manager we can assure you that this is the best decision for you to make especially for these reasons.

Reason #1 – A Property Management Company Will Save You Time

When you hire a professional property management company you can count on us to immediately save you time because you will no longer have to do all of the normal day-to-day tasks like tenant selection, rent collection, or maintenance that you may be doing yourself.

Reason #2 – Hiring A Property Management Company Will Save You Money

From the moment that you hire a property management company, rest assured that we will save you money each month.

Why?

You won’t have to do things like collect rent from your tenants, perform maintenance on your rental properties, or take calls from your tenants yourself.

You can count on an experienced property manager to perform those tasks for you, so you can focus on doing things that produce revenue and grow your portfolio of rental properties.

Reason #3 – The Best Tenant Sourcing and Screening

Another great reason to hire a property management company is we will provide you with the best tenant screening and sourcing possible so you can rest assured that only the most qualified tenants will be living in your rental properties.

Reason #4 – Avoid “Messy” Legal Problems

There’s no doubt that owning rental properties is an excellent way to build your investment portfolio so you can enjoy regular cash flow each month but legal problems at your rental properties can become messy very quickly.

Thankfully, with a qualified property management company managing your rental properties you can count on every aspect of the law being followed so you won’t encounter any potential legal problems or issues at your rental properties.

Reason #5 – Get the Income Balance Right at Your Rental Properties

Last of all, but most important, another important reason to hire a property manager is we will help you to get the income balance right at your rental properties by making sure that you’re charging the right amount of money that you should be really be charging your tenants each month.

Get Property Management Here

Besides all of the reasons to hire a property management company that we’ve mentioned in this article, you should hire a property manager because you will no longer hear excuses like “the check is in the mail”.

You also won’t have to be the “bad guy” ever again, and you can have confidence that someone is watching out for your rental properties so you don’t have to.

Working with a property management company means that you will have the freedom to invest in other rental markets without having to be tied down managing the rental properties that may be close to where you live.

For professional property management contact Jevons Property Management, today by calling us at (509) 895-7777 or click here to connect with us online.

www.jevonsproperties.com

Should you invest for cash flow or appreciation?

By Enrique Jevons, Real Estate Investor

Following the collapse of the Real Estate market in 2008 many people have invested money in Real Estate especially in Yakima Washington.

Over the years one of the top questions that we’ve had from investors is whether it’s important to invest for cash flow or appreciation?

In this article, we will break down the answer to if you should invest for cash flow or appreciation and what’s the difference between the two.

Investing for Cashflow 

What is cash flow? Cash flow refers to the amount of money that you are able to collect from your rental property each month. How does it work specifically? Your property management company collects the rent (gross income) from your tenant, they deposit it into your account, and you pay your expenses including insurance, mortgage, taxes, management fees, and repairs, then what’s left is your cash flow (net income). Cash flow is ideal because it’s money that you’ve earned from your Real Estate investment each month that you can also use for covering your expenses rather than paying for those expenses yourself out of pocket. The key to success when investing for cash flow is to take the time to calculate in advance what returns you can expect before you invest in a rental property. Another important thing to do when investing for cash flow is to calculate the price to rent ratio because not every area of the United States offers rental properties with good price-to-rent ratios. For example: In Los Angeles, CA many properties have high purchase prices, with lower rents, making them have a bad price to rent ratios for investors.

Investing for Appreciation 

What is appreciation? It’s the increase in the value of the rental property (or asset) over a period of time. Appreciation can occur for a variety of reasons including low mortgage interest rates, demand for Real Estate, or weakening supply. Since the Real Estate market started rebounding in Washington and across the United States it’s almost impossible for most Real Estate investors to have not seen their Real Estate investments appreciate during the last two to four years.

Investing for appreciation can offer excellent returns especially if the property you invested in is located in a state like California where Real Estate has appreciated significantly there in recent years. The key to success with investing for appreciation is all about timing because you have to know specifically where the Real Estate market is or you could face the real possibility of having to hold onto your Real Estate for a lot longer than you expected.

Cash Flow Vs. Appreciation – Which Option Is Better? 

Now that’s we’ve discussed cash flow and appreciation the big question you may have is which option is better for you? The answer to this question is it all depends on your financial goals. Investing for cash flow requires dedication because it may only bring in only a few hundred dollars per rental property each month, but those returns will add up over time while investing for appreciation can reap a big return once the property has appreciated but you have to know where and when to invest for appreciation.

Learn More 

To learn more about if you should invest for cash flow, appreciation, or to speak with us about our property management services, contact us today by calling (509) 895-7777 or connect with us online through our website.

  

Enrique Jevons Speaking Engagement at Fixated Real Estate

A Renovation in Progress

Sometimes an apartment is not always left in great shape when a tenant moves out.  Here is an apartment that is going to be renovated as a result.  I'll update photos weekly of our progress.

Hey There Good Neighbor

Having neighbors can be great or awful.  They can end up being your best friend or your best enemy. Either way it isn’t always easy dealing with problems with your neighbors.

You want to get along, be respectful and respected, but issues can arise.  Your neighbor might sing all night getting ready to be the next great star of America’s Got Talent. Maybe your neighbor thinks she is Martha Stewart and vacuuming at 2am is normal.  

The best way to handle these situations is to get to know your neighbor.

• Be friendly and say “Hi” when you pass by.
• Introduce yourself to new neighbors. Being familiar with them can go a long way in solving problems.
• Write them a note about the issue. If you are upset, wait until you calm down so your note can be clear and concise.
• Ask other neighbors if the issue is bothering them too. They might have talked to the neighbor about the issue already.