Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?
Operating funds are monies that our property management and real estate business uses to fund our business. Operating funds are our money. Conversely, 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 Discovery Square, 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 property owners.
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.
Discovery Square Property Management Resources
Basics
Fundamental information regarding rental managment in Discovery Square.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental property management
Find A Tenant
Market your property to rent to find a great renter in Discovery Square fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for real estate investors?
Cost
A list of fees associated with rental management in Discovery Square
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of tenants for landlords.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rentals?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Do you need understand more about this local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful tool for anyone who wants to review important real estate information about Discovery Square and surrounding areas. The Guide to Real Estate has facts regarding what has sold and what is for sale, as well as some interesting facts that you may not know. Furthermore, our Guide highlights some fundamentals of residing in Discovery Square. Of course, most of this is helpful for buyers and sellers, but landlords and renters should also find this information to be quite edifying.
Landlord Reference
a free source for rental investors in Discovery Square
- Before you move a tenant into your rental property in Discovery Square
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the renter
- During the lease term
- End of lease term and what happens when a renter breaks the lease
- How does the rental investor get paid?
- How your property management company handles the association and your community
- How your property manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Realty finds renters
- Insurance matters for landlords using our property management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Discovery Square landlord responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your property in Discovery Square
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your property
- When owners don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Discovery Square