AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE: 512-688-6476

VA/MD/DC

703-776-9223 (VA/MD/DC)

TX

512-942-0024 (TX)

Author: edward

Why list us as Additional Insured for Landlord Policies

To ensure that we are unified in our efforts to address any joint risk, we ask Landlords to list us as “Additional Insured” on their Landlord policies. “Additional Insured” is not the same as “Additional Interest.”  “Additional Interest” simply means we are notified of cancellations, renewals and policy changes, it does not extend any coverage.  

Mars Hill Realty has proven risk-reducing processes, but it’s also important that we carry proper insurance.  At minimum, we carry workers compensation, employment practices liability, commercial general liability, business auto coverage and errors and omissions.  

As part of our overall risk management strategy, property owners are required to add “Mars Hill Realty Group, INC” as “Additional Insured” on their landlord policy to protect us from claims that may arise when managing their home.  Although we have no financial interest in the property, we take on a lot of the risk and liability.  If litigation were to take place, having the owner’s policy cover both the owner and Mars Hill would help to structure a unified defense that could reduce the total legal expense. Since the owner is ultimately responsible for these expenses, it would mitigate overspending by giving the owner more control.

When a Landlord is reviewing coverage, they might as well inquire about other benefits such as “Loss Rent Protection” and make sure their coverage is adequate.  We have put together a list of companies and contacts that can help below.  

TEXAS

Safeco – Evans, Ewan and Brady (Spanish speaking available) – 512-869-1511, MelanieA@eebins.com

State Farm – Todd Hargrove – 512-863-2587, Todd@Toddhargroveinsurance.com  

Farmers Insurance – Rob Hilton (Spanish/French speaking available) – 512-864-1719, rhilton@farmersagent.com

VA/MD/DC

Travelers – Brock Norton (Marie White) – 571-723-4473; Marie@BrockNorton.com

State Farm – Jim Chen (Spanish/Chinese speaking available) – 410-766-4484; jimchenagent@gmail.com

Farmers Insurance – John Weis (Spanish/Korean speaking available); 703-475-4333; jweis@farmersagent.com

Central Insurance – Danaher-Skews and Associates (Sharon Brown) – 703-969-6286; Sbrown@danaher-skews.com

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The Law Of Attraction – How a 35 year Old Townhome Beat the Market

The Law of Attraction?  Don’t worry, I’m not talking about a mythical dating strategy.  The foundation for any great real estate investment is the type of occupant you attract.   The Law of Attraction is that you generally will attract an occupant that is somewhat equal to the condition of your property.  To some of you, that may be a scary thought!

This year, I purchased a home that needed a LOT of work.  Click here to check out the details in a video I posted.  

Since it was my own home, I had FULL CONTROL of the decisions and knew what upgrades were needed to maximize the Law of Attraction.  As a result, we broke a 16-month record for the oldest Townhome to rent, for the highest price, in that entire zip code in under thirty days.  It took us five days and we received multiple applications.

Do you want similar results?  Our most successful real estate investors are those that give us full creative control to make updates and repairs to maximize the Law of Attraction.  They experience less time on the market, less problem tenants, higher rent and multiple applications.  We understand that there are no guarantees, and the budget plays a large role, but if you let us, we’ll put the Law of Attraction to work for you!

Thanks for your continued trust in our property management services!

Your Favorite HOMEboy,

Edward W. Lui, Broker/Owner

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Mars Hill Filter Delivery Service

Changing your HVAC air filter monthly is one of the smallest home maintenance habits you can develop but it can result in the greatest positive impact to your health and finances.

– Edward W. Lui, Mars Hill Realty Group Broker/Owner

Over 90% of our owners have participated in this program to ship filters to our residents on a monthly basis so that they can have a visible reminder on their doorstep to perform this often neglected task.

Our Filter Delivery Service is a mandatory program for our residents when the owner has opted in to this service.  We believe the health, preventative maintenance, and long-term financial benefits far outweigh the program costs.

Here are the benefits to our residents:

1. FINANICAL
Save up to 30% on operating costs – A dirty coil can reduce airflow and drop the efficiency of your equipment. This means you will pay more to run the system longer than it needs to. Research conducted by LSU shows that residents can save about $30/month with a clean system that is serviced regularly.

2. HEALTH
Reduces the amount of particulates in the air and prevents mold from developing in the system.

3. COMFORT
Reduce the likelihood of a surprise HVAC failure – HVAC’s never fail at a convenient time. In fact, when it fails during the summer months, it could take several weeks for a replacement due to the busy workload of technicians, equipment ordering delays and need for multiple bids.

4. PEACE OF MIND
Receive a visible reminder to replace your filter each month – Failure to change your filter each month will result in an HVAC servicing charge to your deposit. This charge alone could pay for your filter program. Now you will never forget because the filter will be delivered to your doorstep!

5. CONVENIENCE
Save time from having to purchase filters – No need to make trips to Home Depot or browse around on the Internet. We take care of finding out the right size and sending it to you each and every month.

Here are the benefits to our owners:

1. Higher chance of filter replacement
Most residents have not developed the habit of regular filter replacement. Proctor Engineering Group conducted a study and found that more than half of all air conditioning problems are due to a dirty or clogged filters and/or coil.

2. Protect your HVAC unit from the expenses of early repairs and failure
Early repairs or a full replacement can cost several hundred to several thousand dollars.

3. Protect your HVAC ductwork
Reduce the need for cleaning of the duct work and other related components.

4. Convenience
Tenants receive filters every month regardless of how many are needed in the home. We fully manage this program as tenants come and go.

5. Increased Accountability
Although the lease requires filter replacement, there really is no way to enforce it. With this program, we show our residents how to change the filter during our walkthrough and each filter is packaged with directions and an expiration date so we have increased accountability.

Case Study:

You can read about benefits all day long but sometimes all it takes is a photo to see the difference!

In a home we manage in Virginia (where the air conditioning is not running as hard as in Texas), we took a photo to compare two filters, that are replaced monthly, after just 1 month of usage:

This HVAC unit probably runs less (more efficient) than our average rental home unit if you consider the following:

• The home’s entire HVAC system (unit, ductwork, duct location, etc.) was designed and engineered for efficiency and properly sized according to the load calculations.

• The home was constructed in 2017 using SIP panel construction (eliminates thermal bridging and provides a more consistent R-value), spray foam and highly insulative Low-E 366 with Argon Gas Aluminum clad windows.

• This home uses a Carrier Infinity two-stage variable speed furnace and 17 SEER variable speed 2 ton heat pump. The home has an Aprilaire de-humidifier dedicated to removing moisture in the air to improve the system’s cooling efficiency.

• Ceiling fans are installed in almost every room in the home.

Regardless of all these fancy HVAC credentials, this unit still benefits from a monthly filter change. We would much rather have a clean filter in our HVAC unit instead of breathing air from the dirty one for an additional two months, wouldn’t you?  Operating with a clean filter would also result in less strain on the HVAC system, prolonging the longevity and reducing unexpected maintenance calls.

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