Online Class: Landlord 101 — Managing Rental Properties

Our online property management course will provide all the crucial information you need to become a successful and profitable landlord.

Self-Paced, Online Class
Library Subscription
 
  • 12
    Lessons
  • 25
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 11
    Hours
    average time
  • 1.1
    CEUs
  •  
    Video Audit
    Available
 
 

Course Description

Mastering the Art of Property Management: Your Blueprint for Success

Embarking on the journey to become a landlord can be both exhilarating and daunting. With the potential to garner substantial financial rewards and personal fulfillment, it’s no wonder many are drawn to this lucrative profession. Yet, the road to successful property management is riddled with challenges. But fear not, for our comprehensive online course is meticulously designed to guide you every step of the way.

Course Outline:

  1. Self-Assessment: Dive deep into the intricacies of property management. Determine if this career aligns with your passion and goals, and familiarize yourself with the commitment it demands.

  2. Exploring Property Types: Unveil the merits and challenges of both commercial and residential properties. Understand the diverse spectrum of tenants you'll be catering to.

  3. Strategic Property Acquisition: The art of acquisition goes beyond just buying property. Grasp the nuances of evaluating potential assets and master the skill of making strategic offers.

  4. Know Your Rights (and Responsibilities): Delve into the vast realm of property laws, regulations, and the vital responsibilities that come with owning a property.

  5. Financial Mastery: Navigate the financial maze with confidence. Learn the secrets to determining optimal rental prices, ensuring a consistent revenue stream.

  6. Tenant Magnetism: Uncover proven strategies to attract the ideal tenants for your property, ensuring a harmonious landlord-tenant relationship.

  7. Navigating Tenant Dynamics: A deep dive into managing relationships, including identifying red flags and steering clear of problematic tenants.

  8. Tackling Challenges: From addressing tenant grievances to understanding the complex eviction process, arm yourself with the knowledge to manage conflicts seamlessly.

  9. The Power of the Lease: Discover the components of a foolproof lease agreement. Equip yourself with effective dispute resolution techniques to tackle any unforeseen challenges.

  10. Maintenance Mastery: Understand the multifaceted world of property upkeep, from routine checks to emergency repairs. Learn to anticipate common issues and tackle them proactively.

  11. Financing Your Dream: Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned investor, explore a plethora of financing options tailored to meet your acquisition needs.

  12. Sealing the Deal: Whether it's time to diversify or consolidate, grasp the intricacies of selling properties, ensuring you exit with maximum returns.

This course isn’t just a tutorial; it’s a holistic journey that transforms you into a savvy property mogul. From aspiring landlords to seasoned property managers looking to refine their skills, our course offers invaluable insights. Equip yourself with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to navigate the dynamic world of property management and soar to unprecedented heights!

Course Motivation

A Career in Income Property Management

Becoming a Landlord
 
You have decided that you want to own real estate property. You have some money to invest and you are ready for years of rental income, tax deductions, and equity growth. Real estate investment has traditionally been a relatively secure long term strategy to build wealth, and your strategy is to buy numerous properties and manage them yourself. However, what is it really going to take to buy and hold these investments, and make sure they earn you money over the years?

Even during strong economic periods, maintaining a portfolio of successful investments takes time, energy, and money. Owning an income property typically means being available at any time in case of emergency. Having the right personality, and perspectives, will determine whether a property owner succeeds or fails at holding and managing properties. Patience, responsiveness, and communication skills are hallmarks of a solid real estate management strategy.

The ability to plan is also an essential component for long term success. Developing a long term plan will help define goals and objectives and manage your growth. A solid plan is a reminder of where you are heading, and how you will get there.
The first step towards a career in property management involves self analysis. Before putting any financial effort into property management, you must ask yourself if you are prepared to commit to a long term strategy. What is your temperament?
Can you handle emergencies or financial difficulty? Are you a good judge of character, can you spot troublesome, potential renters? These and other questions should be addressed to make sure that you would be able to manage each rental situation.

Becoming a property owner involves six core disciplines requiring skills and knowledge.

Sales and Marketing

Ability to advertise and market to prospective tenants. Ability to sell property effectively.

Money Management

Able to understand and manage expenses. Knowing how and when to increase income.

Building Structure and Carpentry

Understand basic carpentry, electrical, plumbing and climate control systems. Understand property specifics, landscaping and building inspection requirements.

Communication

Ability to communicate with tenants, municipal officials, maintenance, and repair personnel.

Negotiation

Able to negotiate price, terms, conditions, and other facets. Able to deal with tenants and property sellers.

Regulatory

Knowledge of building code, zoning, and other restrictions. Understand permitting requirements and process.

Once you determine that you have the ability to become a property owner, it will be helpful for you to understand what issues are involved in property management. As you can see by the table above, there are several disciplines that intersect when you own and manage real estate. Once you understand each discipline, and design a strategy to handle elements within each discipline, running a property will be easier. Let us look at some basics of income property management.

  • Finding the right property. Searching for solid properties with good rental potential; what to look for during inspection; how to analyze income and expenses.
  • Buying the property. How to negotiate price, terms, and other considerations in your favor; what type of mortgage to use, and when to refinance; when to use creative financing to purchase the property.
  • Attracting and retaining tenants. How to bring in tenants, keep them happy and generate profit from them; knowing what channels to use to attract the best tenants; how and when to increase rental income.
  • Resolving building and property issues. Handling repairs, weather damage, code violations, equipment replacement, and updates; dealing with neighbors and community issues; complying with regulations and requirements.
  • Handling tenant issues. How to deal with delinquent payments, damaged property, community violations (loud noise, unsafe conditions), occupancy violations, and other lease issues, handling special requests.
  • Dealing with vacancies. Limiting empty space; promoting rental openings; preventing vacancies by creating long term relationships.
  • Financial activities. Paying expenses such as repairs, maintenance, updating, and waste removal; paying debts on the property; collecting rental payments on time.
  • Dealing with contracts. Creating effective agreements for purchases and leases; handling clause violations directly (minor offenses) or through litigation (major offenses); and ending a contract.
  • Complying with laws. Meeting structural codes (fire, safety, others); operating according to property owner and tenant laws; meeting housing regulations.
  • Keeping good records. Performing financial accounting; documenting activities; maintaining complete, accurate, and updated records.
You do not have to be an expert in each discipline of property management; however, you will have more success and fewer headaches if you become familiar with each aspect. Remember, if you want to remain in this career for the long run, you will be better off if you take the time to become more knowledgeable.

Setting Goals

The next step in your journey to becoming a successful income property manager is to determine your personal goals and your financial goals. Your personal goals may include how many and what types of properties that you want to manage, how much time you will be involved in this effort, and where the properties will be located. Financial goals should include income and expense objectives, return on investment (ROI), short term (3 to 5 years), and long term (10 to 30 years) net worth calculations. The goals that you set should be firm but flexible; they will become a map for you to follow, but changing circumstances may force you to alter your goals occasionally.

To ensure that your goals as a property management professional are solid, they should follow the well known acronym S.M.A.R.T.

Specific. Use actual dates, dollar figures, locations, resources, and other criteria that will make up your goals. Specific goals provide focus and clearly define your efforts as you proceed with this endeavor. If you simply indicate general objectives such as, "You would like to earn more money." your goals will be difficult to manage and to measure.

Measurable. To track your progress, use measurements (such as dollar amounts) that can be easily compared and analyzed. Establish monthly, quarterly, and annual figures for each of your objectives. Concrete data allow you to stay on track, push to reach target dates, and feel a sense of achievement when the goals are reached.

Attainable (Achievable). Establish goals that can be reached by effort, by committing yourself to improving skills, attitude, financial capacity, abilities, and knowledge. As you achieve and experience more, your goals will seem closer and opportunities that you once ignored may be realized.

Realistic. Determine what you want to achieve by setting reasonable benchmarks. Goals are not dreams; they should be rational, given your financial status, education, experience, attitudes, and abilities. If you want to stretch yourself, establish two sets of goals, one set that can easily be reached with appropriate work and another set that might be possible with a lot of hard work.

Timely (Time Sensitive). When setting goals, connect achievement with a timetable. By establishing goal dates, you will create a sense of urgency. This sense of urgency can drive you to achieving your goals; without it, you may not push yourself enough and you may become disappointed or lose focus. (T can also stand for tangible.) Have goal achievement affect your senses. By rewarding yourself with a sensory experience, such as an expensive meal or new clothing, you "feel" goal achievement through a direct physical connection.

Experts suggest that you document your goals in writing. While you may be able to determine and set goals simply through a thought process (and perhaps repeating them to yourself), written goals are the most effective way of managing and achieving each objective. By writing goals down, you create a record to follow, you can visually share your goals with another person, and you will establish the significance of setting each goal.
Areas of Study
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.4 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(6,886 votes)
  • Lesson 1. A Career in Income Property Management

    This lesson introduces you to property ownership and management. We cover the basics of property ownership requirements and discuss setting personal and financial goals
  • Lesson 2. Property Types

    This lesson covers the two primary real estate classifications: commercial property and residential property. We examine retail, industrial, and office buildings, and discuss what to look for in a commercial property. Then we cover residential investments
  • Lesson 3. Buying Your Property

    This lesson covers the steps involved in purchasing an income property. We will start with analyzing a property, then discuss financing options, and continue with the strategy of making an offer. We end with an examination of the basics of a purchase and
  • Lesson 4. Rights and Responsibilities

    This lesson covers the obligations that are involved in landlord and tenant relationships. We begin with the responsibilities you have as a property manager, including your duty to maintain the property. Next, we provide an overview of income property.
  • Lesson 5. Financial Considerations

    This lesson covers the financial aspects of managing properties. Starting with elements of a budget, we proceed to a discussion about setting your rental prices. We conclude with the tax implications of property ownership.
  • Lesson 6. Tenants

    This lesson covers how to attract and retain quality tenants. We start with a discussion on how to reach the best possible prospects. Then we will examine how to choose the tenants you want. The lesson concludes by offering ways to keep good tenants.
  • Lesson 7. Dealing with Tenants

    This lesson covers a property manager's greatest challenge, the tenants. We will discuss things that can go wrong, how to avoid bad tenants, and an effective approach to handling situations involving tenants.
  • Lesson 8. Tenant Issues

    This lesson covers the management of issues involving tenant behavior. We will discuss how to manage tenant behavior, five common problems involving tenants, and the eviction process.
  • Lesson 9. Creating a Lease

    This lesson covers the essential tool for property managers, the lease agreement. We will explain the importance of a lease then cover essential terms within a lease. The lesson concludes with a brief discussion on how to resolve disputes regarding the le
  • Lesson 10. Property Maintenance

    This lesson covers maintenance issues involved in property management. We discuss the types of maintenance required and examine common areas that may need maintenance.
  • Lesson 11. Financing

    This lesson covers the elements of financing an income property purchase. We start with fundamental concepts and what lenders look for. Next, loan types are discussed. The lesson finishes with some creative ways to finance a purchase.
  • Lesson 12. Selling Your Property

    This lesson covers the process of selling an income property. We explore whether a real estate broker is necessary then discuss the selling approach. The lesson finishes with an examination of what buyers look for.
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Summarize career opportunities in income property management.
  • Define property types.
  • Summarize buying your property.
  • Describe rights and responsibilities.
  • Summarize financial considerations.
  • Define tenants and what to look for in a tenant.
  • Describe dealing with tenants.
  • Summarize common tenant issues and how to resolve them.
  • Create a lease.
  • Describe property maintenance responsibilities.
  • Determine when to sell the property.
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: Landlord 101: Managing Rental Properties
Course Number: 7550158
Lessons Rating: 4.4 / 5 Stars (6,886 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is online and available in all 50 states including: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Last Updated: October 2023
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 1.1 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Instructor: Linda Zavadil
Syllabus: View Syllabus

Student Testimonials

  • "It was extremely helpful and I am glad I took this course. I learned a lot of information and I needed it all to understand how to pursue property management successfully. As far as the videos--those helped also because I could play the audio, take my notes, and still listen. I'll be more than happy to recommend this course to anyone." -- Kelton B.
  • "The course was very thorough and offered a great opportunity to learn how to be successful at property management." -- Nasheika M.
  • "Loved the course! It was on my time, I did not feel rushed or pressured. The teacher was quick with grading my assignments and tests. I look forward to looking at other online classes and taking them at UniversalClass." -- Candace W.
  • "This is a very helpful resource for me and it has really expanded my scope of income property management. The course layout and lesson content are excellent. Thanks." -- Nurudeen I.
  • "I am applying and seeking multi-family homes through NACA program and they required that I take a landlord class with certification. This course was very helpful. I am so glad I took this course." -- Margret R.
  • "I would highly recommend this course to anyone who decides to be a property manager or become a landlord. Very informative and hands on." -- Tawana B.
  • "This is one of my favorite courses I've taken so far! This landlord certificate is a great feather in the cap for my resume. Thank you!" -- Simon E.
  • "The course was well structured and the content in all 12 lessons was extremely helpful. The instructor is very knowledgeable with the topic." -- Iyeika M.
  • "Course was extremely helpful in expanding my knowledge base." -- Kenya C.
  • "Very much helpful and knowledgeable in every aspect." -- Oscar L.
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