Police warn of phony rental scam on Craigslist

LAKELAND -- 
Lakeland police are warning residents about a scam involving phony rental listings on Craigslist.
Police said the scam involves an ad for a home in Lakeland. The suspects list the residence with pictures, showing the house as a great deal, and then when someone who is interested responds, the scammers ask for a deposit to be paid using Western Union.
The incidents have reportedly taken place between mid-July and the beginning of August. Sometimes the ad will be listed as a vacation rental at a reduced monthly price. Police said the listing is generally designed to appeal to as many people as possible.
Police said phony rental listing scams have become more frequent and sophisticated in recent years, and that some of them even involve the use of fake rental application forms online, which the scammers then use to obtain third-party information for identity theft.
Officials said residents should take the following precautions to avoid being victimized:

• Do not send anyone money for a rental property unless you have personally inspected it and met the landlord.
• Do not send money to a foreign country for a rental property that is local.
• Never wire funds via Western Union, Moneygram or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is likely a scammer.

Anyone with suspicious information regarding a possible scam is asked to report that information to the police department.

Craigslist scam: Woman says she rented nonexistent Newport house

A Spinning Wheel Road woman told police she rented a non-existent house in Rhode Island for her daughter.
The woman told police she rented a Newport, R.I., house on Craigslist for one night.
The supposed landlord provided bank account information for the woman to transfer money into, and she reportedly did so, paying $150 plus a $400 security deposit.
When her daughter arrived in Newport on Aug. 14 she couldn’t find 7 Van Zandt Drive. When she spoke to a neighbor, she was told there is no address and this has happened numerous times.

Top 6 Tips for Letting Your Home

If you've decided to rent your home, there are a number of handy hints and tips that can help make the process an easier process. Getting prospective tenants can be something of a headache, so use some of these ideas to get your home let in no time at all.

1. Getting ready to let

There are many things that you'll need to take into account when you're preparing to get your home on the letting market. Do you want to let your property furnished or unfurnished? Will you manage the property yourself or would you rather find an agent to take the strain? What are the costs you need to cover with your rental and will you be able to cover it with the kind of rent you'll be able to charge?
Take some time before you start to answer these questions. Once you know how you're going to approach your let, you have a good starting point for getting your property ready for prospective tenants.\

2. The power of the facelift

When you're looking to attract people to take on your home for rental, there are things that you may have become accustomed to overlooking that will be glaringly obvious to any prospective tenants. Many of these things are relatively easily fixed and can make all the difference in terms of the ability to attract the right kind of tenants.
From the outside view of the property, it's time to tidy up and repair any cosmetic issues that might turn people off on first view. Many tenants will drive by before they actually look inside and if they don't like what they see you've lost a potential tenant before you've had the chance. Cut the grass or the hedge, pull the weeds, repair cracks or holes and give the woodwork a lick of paint if it's looking a bit tired.

3. The power of advertising

Knowing the type of tenants you're looking for will have a big impact on how you advertise your property to any potential tenants. Are you looking for a young family or a professional couple? That could make the difference between advertising a three bedroom home or a house with two bedrooms and a study. If you're looking at renting to students or individuals taking on separate rooms, you will need to decide whether you advertise the whole house or take rental for each room individually. Once you're clear, it will make getting the right people much easier.

4. Pitching your price

With a clear understanding of the costs you need to cover in order to break even, you can consider how you decide the cost of rental. While most people take into account the cost of the mortgage and, for fully inclusive lets, the cost of bills but it can be the hidden extras that take you into tricky territory.
When working out how much you can afford to let the property at, make sure you include a premium for any maintenance work needed on an on-going basis, insurance and fees for solicitors and agents to make sure you're not overstretching yourself.

5. Choosing your agent

If you decide to go with an agent rather than managing the let yourself, you'll need to choose someone who deals with the market you're targeting. Many agents specialise in student lets or have contracts with nearby firms bringing overseas workers to jobs in the UK. Picking the right one can speed the process of letting.

6. Getting your tenants

There are a few things that are simple common sense when you get into the letting phase. When you have tenants coming to see the property, make sure it's clean and tidy to give the best possible impression. Be open and honest about any issues with the property that you need to sort out to save ending up with a disgruntled tenant and always make sure that you have a pot of coffee brewing!

Conclusion

Renting your home can involve a lot of hard work, but if you take the right steps you can be sure that you find the right tenant at the right rent.

Real-Estate Tycoon Gives $200 Million to University of Michigan

Stephen M. Ross, a self-described academically average transfer student who graduated from the University of Michigan, will become the school's biggest benefactor Wednesday with a gift of $200 million.
The real-estate developer's gift, the single largest in the university's history, will be split between its business school—which is named for Mr. Ross, a 1962 graduate—and its athletics program.
The university, based in Ann Arbor, said the gift would bring Mr. Ross's lifetime giving to the school to $313 million. That puts him in the upper ranks of donors to their alma maters, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who this year committed $350 million to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
"I believe you give till it feels good," Mr. Ross, 73 years old, said in an interview. Mr. Ross, a Detroit native who attended the University of Florida before transferring to Michigan and earning an accounting degree, is the founder and chairman of the 40-year-old Related Cos., a New York-based real-estate development company with some $15 billion in assets.
In 2004, Mr. Ross gave $100 million to construct a new building for the University of Michigan's business school and to bolster the school's endowment. The latest gift is meant to "finish the job" in upgrading the business school's other buildings, Mr. Ross said.
"He's finishing the vision and it's a big vision," said university President Mary Sue Coleman.
Mr. Ross, who owns the Miami Dolphins football team, played intramural sports at Michigan and has made past gifts to support student athletes. The new donation will build out the athletic campus, which will carry his name, to serve some 900 student athletes. He said he wanted to boost athletes who aren't part of Michigan's marquee sports programs.
Mr. Ross will serve as the chairman of the university's next major fundraising campaign, to begin this year. In May, Mr. Ross joined the Giving Pledge, a public commitment started by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates for the super-rich to donate the majority of their wealth. Mr. Ross said he plans to give away half of his net worth, which Forbes magazine has estimated at $4.4 billion, and Related Cos. now estimates at more than $5 billion. "I will be leaving more than I've given to Michigan, much more," he said.
Write to Melanie Grayce West at melanie.west@wsj.com

Vancouver real estate sales jump by half

Greater Vancouver housing sales volume roared ahead 52.5 per cent last month.
The number of properties sold on the Multiple Listing Service reached 2,514 in August, up sharply from the same month of 2012, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said Wednesday.
While buyers rushed back into the housing market, the increased sales came after a weak period in the summer of 2012. In July last year, the federal government reduced the maximum period on government-backed mortgages to 25 years from 30 years. Real estate experts say the change, which knocked some first-time buyers out of the market, contributed to the slowdown in housing sales in Vancouver in August of 2012.

Hyannis Home Improvement Contractor Expands to Include Residential Property Management Toby Leary Fine Woodworking adds high end property care division and hires a new manager to oversee the department.

Toby Leary Fine Woodworking will now include a residential property management division known as Toby Leary Property Management. Along with the new department, manager Patrick Callaghan has been hired to supervise the division.
Many properties around the Cape Cod area are vacant in the fall and winter, while homeowners live some distance away. “We want to offer peace of mind to area homeowners, assuring them that their investment is in good hands, while they are away,” says Toby Leary, owner of Toby Leary Fine Woodworking.
Toby Leary Property Management will make sure property is well maintained, safe and ready for a homeowner’s arrival. Their services range from supervising landscaping needs, pool maintenance, event preparation, home improvement repairs and being listed as an emergency contact for alarm calls.
“Hiring Patrick to supervise the property management division will allow us to bolster the department while he crafts our services to suit the needs of homeowners around Cape Cod,” says Toby.
Patrick will manage the fine property care division as well as drive sales of custom interior building projects. His 20 years of experience include project management for Stonhard's polymer floor group in Massachusetts, award winning business development in NYC for ADP's retirement and benefits division, establishing High Tech Consulting, a property development company for land and investment property, and commercial account lending for Wachovia Bank.
Most notably Mr. Callaghan has worked with Absolut Spirits, Sunbeam Bread, Loews Hotels, Handy & Harmon, Nutramax, Web MD, Cape Cod Potato Chips, Marquis Jet Partners, Turkish Airlines, Ewing Partners and Connecticut Closets.
Patrick graduated with a degree in International Studies and Economics from Iona College. “In my experience, listening to people is the surest way to make a sale and listening to clients is the surest way to build a relationship,” says Patrick. Patrick and Carolina his wife, their 3 beautiful girls, enjoy Sunday Mass and brunch together, games of charades, Charoodles, baking cookies, the Beach and singing loudly for all to hear.
“I am interested in developing streamlined methods to maintain high-end property and make off-season improvements while preparing property for your arrival,” says Patrick. “We want to be the point person for all your maintenance needs while caring for your property.”
Toby Leary offers design, production and residential building and remodeling services.
For more information about this company, call (774) 836-5571, or visit their website at http://www.tobyleary.com.
About Toby Leary Fine Woodworking
Toby Leary Fine Woodworking is a full-service design, construction and building company specializing in high-end finish trim and custom casework. Established in 2003 by Toby Leary, the business has grown and is now operating out of an 11,000 square-foot facility at its headquarters in Hyannis, MA. Toby Leary Fine Woodworking is the area’s direct source for fine architectural and woodworking services. The staff includes designers, construction supervisors, custom furniture and cabinet makers, and highly skilled finish-trim carpenters. They have an A+ rating with the BBB and serve Martha’s Vineyard, Hingham, Osterville, Cohasset, Weston, Wellesley, Newton, Wayland and Chatham.

MRI Software Announces Release of Property Management 4.5

Focusing on a user-friendly interface and harnessing the power of web-based applications, MRI 4.5 is now available. 

 

MRI Software announced today the availability of MRI Property Management 4.5, the most recent release of the company’s award-winning property management software. With its MRI 4.5 release, the company makes available additional modules in the MRI Web environment, new feature enhancements to MRI Budgeting & Forecasting, Resident Connect, and Tenant Connect, usability improvements that include multi-tasking abilities inside the web-based interface, and numerous updates and fixes.
The 4.5 platform focuses on the customer experience, with increased functionality and usability inside the highly configurable property management system. With a heavy emphasis on the Property Management Web interface, MRI has added several products to its browser-based system: JobCost, a development and construction accounting application that enables the tracking of real estate projects as they progress through the project life cycle; Purchase Order, a critical piece of accounting functionality that allows clients to efficiently enter, print, approve, and invoice purchase orders; Enterprise General Ledger, a system designed to support the most sophisticated corporate consolidated and portfolio accounting requirements.
“MRI recognizes the growing importance of mobility-enabling web functionality. We are excited to add new modules to our user-friendly web environment that empower clients to access their MRI information in an intuitive, browser-based interface,” said David Post, CEO of MRI Software. “We are dedicated to continually improving our highly configurable, award-winning suite of property management solutions, and are confident that our customers will appreciate the enhancements our 4.5 release will bring them.”
For the multifamily market, MRI’s award-winning Residential Management product received several updates, including improved reconciliations capability for check scan batches, enhancements to the DHCR leasing and renewing process, and auto non-cash credit applies for Web. MRI Resident Connect, the powerful online portal that enables residents to manage their accounts online, directly submit service requests, pay rent, and even renew their lease electronically, has been integrated with RentPayment to allow for resident credit card transactions. These enhancements further illustrate MRI’s commitment to the Multifamily industry, as these products create the most robust end-to-end resident life cycle solution in the market.
In the commercial market, MRI’s award-winning Commercial Management solution received multiple updates, including the introduction of batch entry shortcut keys, improved data entry capabilities, and security enhancements to MRI Tenant Connect, the secure tenant portal where commercial clients can make payments, enter sales data, review account status, and initiate service requests. In addition, MRI’s Budgeting & Forecasting solution now includes integrated recoveries functionality, CPI calculations and estimates, further integration to LeaseFlow, and column-style comparative budget reports.
Lastly, the 4.5 release featured several international enhancements to support the global markets, including, but not limited to, Accounts Payable International EFT framework, EMEA service charge enhancement, and country pack updates for China, Australia, and New Zealand.
For more information on MRI Property Management 4.5, click here.
About MRI Software
MRI offers property management software solutions to the global real estate management and investment industries. As a leading provider of real estate enterprise software applications and hosted solutions, MRI serves the global multifamily and commercial property industries, helping them improve their bottom line and maximize their returns on their diverse business portfolios. MRI leverages its more than 40 years in business to develop long-term successful relationships with its clients. For more information, please visit our website.