It’s probably the first thing I should write about so that anyone reading my thoughts, ramblings (I’ll try not to write only ramblings) and advice, might see some value in the pursuit of information on real estate management. The information that I will try to express comes from my experiences and education and common sense. My readers may not always agree with my thoughts and comments and that is fine, but so everyone understands that my opinions come from years of experience, and even though I will reference the Rochester New York area where I live and work, the advice and comments will be applicable to almost any real estate management situation. Since this is a blog relating to my personal experience it not meant to be legal advice (I am not an attorney) nor is meant to instruct the reader in what or what not to do. Everyone reading this can make his/her own decisions and is responsible for them.

I started as a child (whoops too far back), actually I began learning property management in the 1980’s. My wife and I purchased several 2 – 5 unit buildings for investment. I had a real estate license and knew a little about managing rental units. Over the next several years I took courses and received the CAM designation (Certified Apartment Manager) from the National Apartment Association, the ARM (Accredited Residential Manager) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management and my brokers license in New York. I also made every mistake in the book dealing with tenants and buildings to which I attribute the major part of my educational experience. In 1993 I founded Zona Properties, Inc. Real Estate Management in Rochester New York. We specialize in managing single family homes and 2-50 unit properties. At the present time we are managing over 200 buildings and more than 750 units totaling more than 550,000 sq’.

I will try to cover many subjects near and dear to my heart and try to keep up with questions and inquiries. My plan at the present time is as follows: (not necessarily in this order)

Rochester investing – home values and problems
Dealing with drugs and other illegal activity
Single family investing vs. doubles & larger buildings
Working out rental payment plans & deals
Offering rental incentives
Dealing with Social Services and other agencies
Lead paint issues

If anyone has other issues that I might be able to cover please email me at dick.zona@zonaproperties.com.