Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?
Operating funds are funds that our property management and real estate business uses to fund our business. Operating funds are our money. Nevertheless, 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 Virginia Forest, 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 savings 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 landlord. If 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.
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.
Virginia Forest Rental Management Resources
Basics
Basic info about what property management in Virginia Forest.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a great renter in Virginia Forest fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?
Cost
A list of prices of rental management in Virginia Forest
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of renters for property owners.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Should you know more about our community?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful tool for anyone who wants to review important real estate information about Virginia Forest and neighboring communities. The Guide to Real Estate compiles facts about what has sold and what is on the market, and many interesting facts that you may not be aware of. And, our Guide has quite a few of the benefits of residing in Virginia Forest. As might be expected, most of this is interesting for buyers and sellers, but real estate investors and tenants might also find this data to be somewhat sobering.
Landlord Reference
a free source for landlords in Virginia Forest
- Before you move a tenant into your rental property in Virginia Forest
- 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 landlord get paid?
- How your property manager handles the association and your community
- How your property management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management finds tenants
- Insurance matters for property owners using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Virginia Forest landlord responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental investment in Virginia Forest
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your property
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting renters in Virginia Forest