Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?
Operating funds are monies that our real estate brokerage uses to pay for our business. Operating funds are our money. Still, 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 Fairfax Plaza, 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 buyers (and sometimes sellers) as we'll as contingency reserve funds for landlord clients.
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 rental management. Although the money is in our escrow account, the money belongs to the property owner. When the property management ends, that money is promptly returned to the landlord.
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.
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.
Fairfax Plaza Property Management Resources
Basics
Elementary info regarding management services in Fairfax Plaza.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental property management
Find A Tenant
Market your property to rent to find a great tenant in Fairfax Plaza fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for real estate investors?
Cost
A breakdown of prices of rental management services in Fairfax Plaza
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of tenants for property owners.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rentals?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Do you want understand more about the area?
Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a free tool for everyone who wants to find out more about Fairfax Plaza and neighboring communities. The Guide to Real Estate compiles information about what has sold and what is currently listed, as well as many shocking facts that you may not be aware of. Not to mention, our Guide highlights some fundamentals of residing in Fairfax Plaza. As might be expected, most of this is helpful for purchasers and sellers, but real estate investors and tenants might also find these resources to be very useful.
Landlord Reference
a good archive for landlords in Fairfax Plaza
- Before you move a tenant into your investment in Fairfax Plaza
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the renter
- During tenancy
- End of tenancy and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the landlord get paid?
- How your management company handles the association and your community
- How your property manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management finds renters
- Insurance matters for rental investors using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Fairfax Plaza rental investor responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental investment in Fairfax Plaza
- 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 Fairfax Plaza