Items to Take Apartment Hunting

Like everything else, it is important to prepare before you go apartment hunting. San Francisco can be a whole different animal when it comes to apartment hunting, so we thought we’d give you a list of items we recommend taking with you when you go apartment hunting.

When viewing the apartment:

• Tape Measure: This will allow you to measure out the rooms to determine if your furniture will fit well in the apartment. Be sure to measure your biggest pieces of furniture before you set out apartment hunting, so you can get an idea of how it will all fit in the apartment.


• Digital Camera: If the property manager or owner allows you to take a few pictures, you can use photos to later evaluate each apartment after a long day of apartment hunting.


• List of Questions: We recommend preparing a few questions for the person showing the apartment. Identify what is most important to you in an apartment and develop questions around those points. Below are a few sample questions you can ask the property manager or owner:
  
  
  
  • Are heat, water and garbage included in the monthly rental price?
  
  
  • What is your pet policy?
  
  
  • If we become a resident, how do we submit service requests?
  
  
  • Do you have a 24/7 emergency phone number in case there is a flood or some other catastrophe?

If you decide to fill out an application: Below are a few items we recommend bringing along in case you decide to fill out an application. This is based on the information Lightner Property Group requires in order to consider an application completed. All apartment applications at Lightner Property Group are reviewed on a first come, first serve basis.

• Drivers License: You likely already carry around your driver’s license on a daily basis, but be sure to double check that you have it. This will allow property managers and owners to confirm your identity if you choose to fill out an application.


• Checkbook: If you decide you like an apartment and want to fill out an application on the spot, be sure to bring along your checkbook for the following items:
  
  
  
  • Background check (Lightner Property Group charges $35 for each adult applying for an apartment)
  
  
  • Application fee (If you decide to apply for an apartment, Lightner Property Group asks for 25% of the first month’s rent to hold the apartment for you while your application is processed. If the application is accepted, the 25% fee goes toward the first month’s rent, if the application is rejected, the person applying for the apartment will be reimbursed).


• Pen: This is pretty obvious, but definitely important! In case the owner or property manager does not have a pen on-hand, this will allow you to finish filling out the application in a timely manner. Additionally, you can use it to jot down notes about the apartments you view.


• Past Rental Information: In the Lightner Property Group residential application, we ask applicants to fill out information including the name, phone number, address, move-in/move-out dates and reason for moving. We recommend preparing this information ahead of time, so you can easily complete the application in a timely manner.


• Prep banking & Investment Information and Employment Information: Additional information that you will need to have on-hand are your banking and investment information to qualify for the apartment (you can check with the property manager or owner to understand how people typically qualify), as well as recent employment information in order to verify income.


• Car Information: If you have a car, be sure to have the make and model on-hand as well as the license number.

Let us know your thoughts! What do you bring when you go apartment hunting?

Clogged Pipes: What Not to Put Down Your Kitchen Drain

The inspiration for this post came from a pipe that we recently had to remove from one of our properties that was badly damaged due to improper items being disposed of down the drain (pictured). As you can see, the pipe was severely clogged due to things such as grease and coffee grinds being disposed of in the kitchen sink.  

In a nutshell, the only things that should go down your kitchen sink drain are water and dish soap.

No Grease Please!

In general, we have found people feel that it is alright to dispose of grease down a kitchen drain, as long as they run the water. However, even if you flush water along with the grease, grease can still harden inside your pipes. What you may not know is that many pipes in San Francisco apartment buildings have several hundred feet to travel, so it is almost a certainty that any grease disposed of in your kitchen drain, regardless of whether you flush it down with water, will still harden along the inside of your pipes and cause slow and clogged drain issues later on down the pipe.  (Pun intended!) 

Other Items to Not Dispose of In Your Kitchen Drain

Additional items that are commonly found clogging a kitchen pipe include:

• Coffee Grinds
• dinner scraps/food
• hair

Have questions? Put them in the comments section below!

This post was written by Art Swanson, an award-winning San Francisco property manager and Chief of Property Management Operations at Lightner Property Group. Art has more than 20 years of experience managing properties in San Francisco.

San Francisco Resident Manager of the Year: Ed Milestone

Lightner Property Group is very excited to announce that our very own, Ed Milestone, won the San Francisco Apartment Association's (SFAA) award for 2009 Resident Manager of the Year. Ed Milestone and the rest of Lightner Property Group's resident managers are headed up by Art Swanson, Chief of Operations, and last year's recipient of the SFAA's Property Manager of the Year.

Ed won this award for his exceptional work as a resident manager of 1935 Franklin Street and 1920 Pacific Avenue. In addition to being a resident manager, Ed is also one of our on-call staff, responding to emergencies at any of the Lightner Property Group-managed properties (LPG has a 24/7 on-call staff). Ed’s work philosophy includes remaining optimistic and tackling all issues with a positive mental attitude.

All of LPG's resident managers are trained extensively so they are empowered to take on more responsibility. This allows our resident managers to  respond well to all situations that arise at our properties.

As a San Francisco resident, having a resident manager who is well-trained can make a significant difference in your tenancy. In the case of an emergency, a well-trained resident manager can remain calm and know the necessary next steps. Additionally, for day-to-day matters, you receive a different level of customer service. If you are looking for an San Francisco apartment, and are interested in living in a property that is taken care of by one of LPG's well-trained resident managers, we encourage you to take a look at all of our currently available apartments for rent.

SFAA 2009 Resident Manager of the Year Certificate

LPG Featured in Fortune Small Business for Use of DocuSign: What this Means for Residents

Today, Lightner Property Group was featured in Fortune Small Business for its use of electronic signature software, DocuSign. We are very excited about this piece, and want to share it with our readers.

The article in essence describes how LPG uses electronic signature software for every facet of its business (in addition to managing apartments, LPG also manages commercial office space, does real estate development and expert witness work) to reduce time and money spent, and also to reduce hassle for its clients (residents being one of our “clients”) and also to be green (we save a whole lot of paper using this technology).

So, how does using this service make our resident’s lives easier?

• Resident’s can sign leases from the comfort of their home or office.  Also, if at the time of the lease signing, they are living in a separate state, it makes the paperwork a lot easier for both the resident and LPG.
• Have you ever signed and faxed a document only to later find out that you by accident forgot to sign your name one place, and then have to fax it all over again? We have too. DocuSign makes sure that you do not miss any places where you need to sign.
• DocuSign is a binding contract. Yes, it offers all that convenience and it is binding, so you don’t have to worry about the legality of the document.

At LPG, technology is central to our success. In addition to DocuSign, LPG also uses the following technology services to offer convenience to our residents:

• FixIt: Residents can e-mail their repair requests instead of having to fill out a written form. Written forms are still available to residents, this is just another option.
• Central Desktop: LPG uses this Web-based, secure service to streamline key elements over the course of residency such as fix it requests, notices to vacate and more.  
• Comprehensive Web site: If you are a resident, you can register for our Web site and have access to tons of information that is helpful over the course of your residency.
• Vertical Response: This is helpful for both potential new residents who are looking for apartments and also current residents. Potential new residents can sign up to get weekly e-mail alerts about apartments that have just come onto the market for rent, and current residents get e-mail notifications regarding their building or LPG-specific promotions.

Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions about any of the technology LPG uses to provide convenience to our residents.

Halloween-Themed Recipes from LPG

Jason Swanson, LPG staff member and fabulous cook, in his kitchen in San FranciscFor all you San Francisco renters who enjoy a nice holiday-themed recipe, we thought we would blog a few recipes from Jason, who in addition to being the Lightner Property Group office coordinator is also a fabulous chef.

The two recipes that Jason has provided, Pumpkin Soup and Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds, can be created using 1 pumpkin and a few other basic ingredients.

Pumpkin Soup

What you will need:

• 1 large pumpkin
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• ¼ cup honey
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• salt and pepper
• 1 white onion
• 2 low sodium 18 oz. chicken broth

Directions:

• Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Step 2: Cut out the top of the pumpkin, as you would if you were carving it and gut the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin seeds to the side. Rinse to get rid of all the gunk, seeds should be completely cleaned.
• Step 3: Peel the pumpkin rind using a knife or vegetable peeler. Jason always uses a knife.
• Step 4: Cut the pumpkin into cubes. Place to the side.
• Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, mix together ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), ¼ cup honey, 1/8 cup brown sugar and salt and pepper.
• Step 6: Toss cubed pumpkin in mixture in the large mixing bowl.
• Step 7: After tossing cubed pumpkins in mixture, place the cubes on a large baking sheet. Be sure to use a spray of Pam before placing the pumpkin cubes on the baking sheet to avoid “stickage.” Place baking sheet in preheated oven.
• Step 8: Bake pumpkin until cubes are “fork-soft” If you have chosen as Jason puts it, “a good, hard pumpkin,” it will take approximately 45 minutes for pumpkin cubes to get “fork-soft.”
• Step 9: Dice the white onion. In a large soup pot, sauté the diced onions until they are translucent. Fill the pot halfway with chicken broth, this will take approximately 2 18 oz. chicken broth. Jason recommends using low sodium chicken broth to reduce the amount of sodium intake. Bring mixture to a boil.
• Step 10: Once pumpkin is “fork soft” add to the chicken broth and onion mixture in the large soup pot. Cook until the pumpkin is breaking apart, which should take about 15 minutes.
• Step 11: Use an immersion blender until you get the desired consistency for your soup. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can alternately transfer the soup mixture to a blender and blend. Just keep in mind that you should not completely cover the blender to avoid it exploding.

Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

What you will need:

• Cleaned pumpkin seeds
• EVOO
• Salt and Pepper (or a variety of other spices, see the recipe for options)

Recipe:

• Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• Step 2: Mix all EVOO and salt and pepper together. Alternatively, if you want sweet pumpkin seeds you can mix brown sugar and cinnamon with EVOO. If you want spicier pumpkin seeds, try mixing spicy cayenne pepper and garlic salt with EVOO.
• Step 3: Spray a large baking pan with PAM and spread cleaned pumpkin seeds. Place in preheated oven . Cook until seeds are browned.
• Step 4: Take out seeds after they are browned and immediately transfer to spice and EVOO mixture. Toss in large bowl. Jason recommends doing this step last because the seeds tend to hold onto the spice mixture better when they are hot.
• Step 5: Serve and enjoy!