You will have heard educators say that ‘property investing’ should be treated as a business and that is so true. There is one aspect of owning investment properties that needs special attention and that is the area of property management. After all the looking after a property is the process of looking after your growing wealth.

I have heard investors say, “the property was a in a real state, it was unkempt, there was damage to walls and the gardens had not been looked after at all… “

The point is that a property investor needs to ensure that even if they have contracted a property manager that they are getting reports from their property manager and are aware of what is happening at the property at all times. It would be nice to think that you could contract a property management team and sit back and relax, but the reality is not quite so real.

What I mean by that is that the investor needs to make sure that they are kept informed at all times about the state of the property and if an absentee owner, then digital photos should be sent with every inspection.

Where I live property inspections are carried out every 3 months, but that will depend on the management laws where your property is located.

As a property investor ensure that you are getting up-to-date and detailed reports on the property and on the finances of the property on a regular basis. You don’t want to hear 6 months later that you have a problem.

Appointing a Property Manager

Before appointing a property manager make enquiries in the area and find out the services that are being offered, at what cost they are being offered and also get some feedback from local sources if at all possible.

When signing your property management over to a company, make sure that the property management forms are filled out and signed by both parties. Make sure that you clearly list your requirements regarding the let, such as costs to be paid by the tenant, whether they can have pets and other requirements you may consider important.

Maintenance and repairs

Properties should be kept in a habitable condition at all times. Not only will your tenants appreciate a well maintained property, but when ‘repairs’ are left to become ‘replacements’ then the whole exercise can become very expensive.

It is a well known fact that, in most cases, if tenants are given respect by the landlord they will reciprocate and give respect to the landlord and the property.

Self-managed properties

Some property investors prefer to manage their properties but this can be a problematic area if laws and regulations are not adhered to. If you choose to self-manage your properties then ensure that you know the rules and regulations so that you do not end up in the court unnecessarily.

Understand which forms need to be filled out and signed, and the times that certain forms need to be handed out if required due to the particular circumstances, such as late rent or property damage.

As mentioned earlier, make sure that all responsibility is taken with caring for and managing your investment properties. Good property management helps grow your wealth and when a property is in good order you will have a better chance of borrowing against the equity to continue building an investment property portfolio.

The best finance idea for saving money when buying a car is multi-faceted. Before you head to the auto dealers’ lots and showrooms, the best auto finance idea is to use some of the online market guides to learn what your favorite cars actually cost the dealers and what their true market values are. If you can say, “This model only cost you $xxxx and most people are paying $xxxx for it” you’ll have a great deal of bargaining power. You should also research the best finance rates to buy your vehicle and get yourself pre-approved. You could, for example, say “I’ve been pre-approved for $xxxx. Any more than that I’ll have to go back to the drawing board and I plan on buying today.” That dealer will jump at the chance to meet your price and let you walk out with a new car.

Perhaps the very best auto finance process is to play the various auto dealerships off each other. Call them all for a written quote on the car you have in mind. Try to get them to email or fax that to you. Now you have that dealer’s best finance offer (so they say) in writing and you can use it to dicker with their competitor.

One additional tip as you look at the best car finance deal is to work towards the lowest total price, not the lowest monthly payment. You can work out those payment arrangements later. Get the bottom line settled first.

When it comes to finance and your wardrobe, if you keep it simple you can spend considerably less. Women, get yourself a pair of great looking black pants, a pair of great looking navy pants, and then three nice tops for each. Most, if not all the tops you choose will coordinate with both pants.

Shop online. If you regularly order from various retailers you’ll find yourself getting frequent emails encouraging you to spend more. Do a keyword search for specials and coupons, or free shipping before you place your catalogue order. Go to a major search engine and type the name of the company and the word coupons. You’ll find sites that tell you the details of the coupon, the code or link to take advantage of this best catalogue finance option, and the expiration date.

If, for example, you are ordering from the Roamans site, place the items you want in your shopping bag. Then keyword search Roamans coupons. You might find 30 percent off your first item, $20 off your entire order, free shipping, and so forth. While you can only use one coupon you get to choose the one that provides the best discount. You can even let the site do the math for you. Put in one code and see the total. Replace it with another code and compare.

Finding the best food finance option can be a considerable savings, as you spend hundreds month in and month out and always will. It probably goes without saying to look for sales and use coupons. The best savings, however, is in creating and sticking to a list. Impulse buying, even with groceries can cost you more than the total of the items you had intended – and needed – to buy.