Brendan O'Brien - Articles

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Should you Invest in Overseas Real Estate?
On a purely rational basis, investing in your own country usually makes much more sense than investing overseas. Overseas investments only make sense in certain very special cases, for a small percentage of investors that meet certain qualifications. Read
By: Brendan O'Brien | 21/11/2007 | Real Estate
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57

Property Management Software - What to Look for
While many property managers still use Excel spreadsheets or a pencil and paper to manage their investments, there are much better tools available. The property management software you choose should be flexible, inexpensive and easy to use. Read
By: Brendan O'Brien | 08/11/2007 | Real Estate
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67

Thirty Questions to Ask your Property Manager
Finding a good property manager is like any other vendor search – it’s worth your time up front to make the best possible choice. Here’s a thirty-question checklist for interviewing prospective property managers. The answers you get will provide a very solid understanding of each manager’s qualifications. Read
By: Brendan O'Brien | 22/10/2007 | Real Estate
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50

Landlord Tools for Organization
Along with a strong work ethic and a lot of patience, the most important trait for a landlord is organization. You need an organizational system that you can update quickly, get information from easily, and keep all your records secure. Read
By: Brendan O'Brien | 26/09/2007 | Real Estate
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50

Landlord Tips - Who’s Going to Do your Maintenance?
Most landlords only rely on professional contractors for some maintenance and repair tasks. The reason, of course, is price. Why pay a contractor big money to do a job you could do yourself, or find an inexpensive handyman to take care of, or even leave to the tenants? You must weigh at least three factors in deciding who will do a job. Those factors are cost, reliability, and quality. Read
By: Brendan O'Brien | 20/09/2007 | Real Estate
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50

Landlord Tips - Avoiding the Huge Costs of Tax Preparation
I use property management software to organize all of my income, expenses and assets, and make sure that my bank account statements match up with my own personal accounting. It's faster than maintaining my records in Excel, and it only takes a little longer than the method used by lots of old-school landlords; stuffing all their records into a shoebox and hoping for the best. Read
By: Brendan O'Brien | 19/09/2007 | Real Estate