Property Management Education

Learn more about property management and real estate investing on our informative and educational blog series, which features videos and articles.

A well furnished living room in the house with white couches ,TV hanging to the wall and staircase going up next to the couch

Learn More About Property Management

We are always expanding our knowledge base and areas of expertise. We want to help landlords and homeowners learn more, too, so follow our educational blog for property management tips and advice. You’ll learn how to identify a great property, where to find rental data to help you price your home, how to screen tenants, what a marketing strategy looks like, and ways to keep repairs affordable.

Featured Blogs

Our topics are chosen based on the questions that we’re most frequently asked by property owners like you. So, don’t hesitate to contact us with your own question. We might just turn it into our next blog!

132 Corral Cir, San Ramon, CA

by Jody Stowers

Amazing opportunity in Bollinger Hills. Relax on the expansive front porch and enjoy the mature landscaping in this desirable court location. This meticulous home has 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths with one bedroom and updated bath downstairs. Freshly painted inside...

Landlord Horror Stories: How to Avoid Your Next Nightmare in Danville

by Jody Stowers

Everyone has heard the landlord horror stories. If you are currently renting out property or you’re thinking about renting out property, someone has surely told you about some nightmare scenario where a house was trashed or an illegal drug ring was being run out of a rental home’s basement.

How to Handle Security Deposit Returns – Lamorinda Property Management Advice

by Jody Stowers

Security deposit returns should not be difficult; you’ve been holding the tenant’s money throughout the course of the lease, and when the tenancy has ended, you return the money minus any charges.

Buying Real Estate in Danville – Don’t Get Overwhelmed

by Jody Stowers

Buying real estate in Danville, California (or anywhere, for that matter) can be challenging and all-consuming. It’s easy to get lost in the details, and working with experienced professionals will help you manage the process without losing your mind.

What to Expect From a Full Service Lamorinda Property Management Company

by Jody Stowers

When you’re looking for a professional Lamorinda property management company, it’s important to choose property managers who understand and meet your needs. A full-service management company should handle everything from leasing to management to maintenance and accounting.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

Want to Learn More?

If you’d like to learn more about our properties and what it’s like to work with Stowers Real Estate Property Management, get in touch. We’d be happy to talk more about our rental properties, our application requirements, and our leasing process.

"*" indicates required fields

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT US

Miao Zhang

2023-07-15

Stowers makes the process super easy for me and Jody is very resourceful and prefessional. I highly recommend Stowers to anyone who is looking for a real estate management service.

Qiang “Charlie” Zhang

2023-06-27

One of the best rent agencies I had before.

Au won

2023-06-18

Had a walk-through inspection after the tenant moved out. There are six permanent stains left on the carpet. Missing two vintage dressers. Three broken plantation shutters. Missing a new 12-foot ladder from the garage. Missing a wall-mounted TV in the master bathroom. Missing one six-foot tall garden shed plus smaller ones from the side of the house. Missing a fireplace screen. Invoiced $180.00 for backyard stone repairs that were never repaired. Invoiced $375.00 for three new window screens that were never ordered Invoiced $219.00 for shampooing carpets. The tenant was also invoiced $219.00 for carpet shampooing. Invoiced $95.00 to retighten a loose screw on a shower plate Invoiced$135.00 for yanking out wires from the home alarm panel due to chirping. Only need to replace a one-dollar battery. Property management policy no need to notify the owners for repairs under $500.00. Management company response is in total denial of missing properties and invoice billings for repairs that were not done. As of today, no compensation for the missing properties, damages, or return of funds for work orders that was not done Sharing an accurate, truthful, and factual account of my negative experiences with this unprofessional property manager

Nick Bricaud

2023-05-24

Stowers Real Estate is wonderful to work with and makes the entire process easy! The team is professional, super responsive and timely with any requests. The entire staff is helpful and always friendly. I highly recommend this team to anyone looking for a home. They are a class act!!!

Matthew Kerchner

2023-05-23

tl;dr: Very professional, prompt, and communicative! Read below for more details. From 2022 to 2023 I rented an upscale 1 bedroom condo in downtown San Francisco through Stowers Real Estate. They were not the owners of the unit, but handled every aspect of the rental. I inquired about the rental after finding the listing on Zillow, and received a call back the same day. They make all of the lease information available through their tenant web portal, which is also where you can pay and setup automatic payments. The deposit was reasonable (1 month's rent), and the pet rent was very cheap. (They use a service to help classify your pets - if you have any - and determine a reasonable pet rent/deposit. My one small cat wasn't determined to be a menace to society and I was given the minimum fee.) I was worried about the move-in process because I needed to rent something while I was out of state and unable to travel for tours. Stowers made this a non-issue. They prepared the key and a welcome package for me and gave me detailed instructions for how to access the apartment and my included parking space in the garage. There was a minor issue with the bed that I found upon moving in, but they had a repairman out the next morning to fix it and ensure I was satisfied. My unit was furnished and beautiful. I didn't encounter any major issues during my stay with the unit itself or the furnishings. I had a bit of a scare with the dishwasher not seeming to drain at one point, but Stowers responded to my inquiry immediately. The problem ended up resolving itself without any intervention needed, but I was happy that they jumped on the problem and were willing to send out a technician without any hassle. I was so happy that I was planning to stay another year. Unfortunately, the unit's owners needed to take it off of the market. I received a call from Stowers explaining the situation, during which they were very apologetic and willing to discuss possible move-out scenarios with me. I told them that I would probably need two months to find a new place and move out and didn't get any push back from Jody. I kept in touch with their team during my search for a new place and they were very flexible when I ran into scheduling issues that delayed my move-out. My cat turned out to not be such an upstanding citizen after all and damaged two pieces of furniture. I was upfront about this and the Stowers team noted both pieces during their move-out inspection. The charges were added to my account in the tenant portal and about 5 minutes later I received a call to explain what the charges were for as well as to ask if I had any questions about them or wished to dispute any of them. After a pretty calm discussion about the items needing repair, they agreed to remove one of the smaller charges and we settled on a fairly reasonable cleaning fee and repair fee. Overall, this was my BEST leasing experience in the city since moving to SF in 2016. I was heartbroken to have to move out, but I would absolutely rent through Stowers Real Estate again.

Sarah Romeo

2023-05-20

As first time home buyers, we could not have asked for a better experience than working with Jody and his team! Jody has an exceptional understanding of current market conditions and takes the time to thoughtfully explain every step of a typically stressful process. The entire team was very responsive and always quick to answer our many questions. We were able to close on an amazing Pleasanton house thanks to Jody! I would recommend Stowers Real Estate team to anyone looking to buy or sell - you will be in excellent hands.

Ian Arcellana

2023-05-17

Stowers Real Estate has been fantastic! Their team is very responsive through any form of communication and punctual for in-person / zoom meetings. As first time homebuyers, Jody was able to provide a lot of insight about the Pleasanton / Tri-valley area. Overall, I could not ask for a better experience purchasing our first home and I hope to connect with them again in the future!

Jeff Ramer

2023-05-09

The Stowers group managed our property as a rental for a couple years after we moved out of state. Jody's team did a great job managing the rental operations and keeping up on the required maintenance on the property. Recently we decided to sell the property, and that whole process proceeded without issues as well. We are completely satisfied with Jody's group and all the interactions we had with them.

Michele Krause

2023-03-27

Very easy sign up of the lease with them, all digital files easy to access, very friendly business! Always stays on top of any maintenance requests as well. All in all a great experience renting a property with them.

Brooke Hulsey

2023-03-07

I've been a tenant for over 4 years and their office is always wonderful to work with. Responsive and helpful with whatever questions or needs I may have.