Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?
Operating funds are monies that our real estate brokerage uses to fund our business. Operating funds are our money. However, escrow funds are different. Escrow funds are monies that Nesbitt Realty is holding on behalf of tenants, landlords, buyers and sellers. Escrow funds are not our money, but they are monies that we are trusted to safeguard. At any given time, Nesbitt Realty has hundreds of thousands of dollars in escrow accounts.
In Highgate, the Commonwealth of Virginia requires that all real estate licensees manage escrow funds in a particular manner. Most importantly the Commonwealth requires that escrow funds are properly accounted for at all times. In additional all escrow funds must be kept separate from operating funds. The biggest portion of our escrow funds are tenant security deposits, but also hold deposits for purchasers (and sometimes sellers) as we'll as contingency reserve funds for real estate investors.
Contingency reserve is a special type of escrow.
A contingency reserve account is money that is held in escrow to pay for repairs and other incidentals that occur during property management. Although the money is in our escrow account, the money belongs to the real estate investor. When the property management ends, that money is promptly returned to the real estate investor.
When a repair bill arises we use money in the contingency reserve account to pay that bill. When bills are paid in this manner the account is depleted. When the account is missing funds, at the end of the month when new rents are paid, Nesbitt Realty replenishes the count with money withheld from this rent. As property managers, Nesbitt Realty prepares a statement each month to show if/when money is depleted and how/when money is replenished into the contingency reserve account.
Property owners do not pay us money to set up the contingency reserve account. Instead, Nesbitt Realty withholds money from the first month of rent in order to set up the account.
Highgate Rental Management Resources
Basics
Basic info regarding rental managment in Highgate.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a reliable renter in Highgate fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for real estate investors?
Cost
An overview of prices of property management services in Highgate
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets renters for property owners.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental property?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Should you understand more about this local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful resource for everyone who hopes to review important real estate information about Highgate and surrounding areas. The Guide to Real Estate includes facts about what has sold and what is on the market, and some shocking facts that you may not know. Also, our Guide has some assets of life in Highgate. Yes, all of this is helpful for buyers and sellers, but owners and renters should also find these tools to be quite eye-opening.
Landlord Reference
a free reference for rental investors in Highgate
- Before you put a renter in your investment in Highgate
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During tenancy
- End of tenancy and what happens when a renter breaks the lease
- How does the owner get paid?
- How your property manager handles the association and your community
- How your property management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt finds renters
- Insurance matters for rental investors using our property management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Highgate property owner responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental property in Highgate
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your rental
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Highgate