Realty 411s Invest with Confidence Tour at the Pasadena Convention Center on  December 6^th, 2025

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Throughout 2021, we’ve seen our staff, investors, clients, and partners face each day with…

Creativity: If we had to choose just one trait that embodied this year, creativity would be a strong contender. We’ve truly seen “if there’s a will, there’s a way” in action throughout the past 18+ months. While we hope there’s significantly less need for creativity in the new year, we are grateful and amazed by the creative ways we’ve seen investors diversify, our property managers attract tenants, and construction adapt to changing needs. We will be channeling this creativity to always better serve our community in the days, weeks, and years to come.

Kindness: In multi-family and commercial properties, there is an inherent sense of community– after all your tenants are literally neighbors. But the new ways we have seen communities of all kinds (vendor partners, owners, and tenants) pull together and the kindness they’ve shown is nothing short of inspiring. As the world continues to change in the next year, leading with kindness is a lesson, and a practice, we will carry on.

Passion: There is no doubt that over the past year, our industry faced very difficult challenges. In addition to the regular difficult parts of the job, we’ve had to navigate eviction moratoriums and changing legislation. And through all these challenges, we’ve all worked with resilient passion. At the end of the day, passion is what drives us and, here at RRA, we are excited to enter a new year with renewed passion.

And since we are wrapping up the year, let’s take a look at some of the local market insights and opportunities for multifamily and commercial properties. (Numbers and statistics are as of Q3 2021.)

Los Angeles

Overall, the LA market has seen a very strong recovery. There has been a steady increase year over year in rental prices. Current prices are above 2020 and even 2019 numbers. As you will see below, the daily asking rate per square foot has increased 6% since the start of the pandemic. This is a strong recovery but lags behind the 11% we saw in previous years.

Another trend we’ve seen continue to develop is the strength of the affordable housing market. Affordable housing saw less of an impact throughout COVID and has seen a faster recovery than four and five star communities. This tracks with the changes in tenants’ desire for more space between neighbors and an increased need for space as the home became an office, schoolhouse, and gym as well. The village and tower style living became less popular during the pandemic and many people gravitated to older, more spacious buildings. 

With a massive increase in job growth, in both LA and the nation, the future is looking very strong. LA is currently the second largest metropolitan market in the nation. Currently there are 25,000 new units under construction and the sales volumes of apartment properties reached $10.5 billion. In addition, the average market pricing for apartment properties, $390,000/unit as of Q3, is well above the national average of $230,000/unit.

Orange County

Vacancy rates in the OC dropped off significantly during the pandemic and are forecasted to remain lower than pre-pandemic levels in the years to come as the demand and supply gap closes. This, coupled with the prediction that Orange County employment will fully recover by Q3 2022, offers a very positive outlook for the new year.

The industrial market continues to perform well, and showcase that it is a strong and consistent investment in both upward and downward markets. Currently the leasing volume is slightly lower than this time last year but more units are projected to come online soon. Over the next two years, we are expecting very high increases in demand and supply.

2021 has given us many lessons on our outlook and investments. The past two years have clearly demonstrated that when the market is down, apartments are in high demand and industrial units are consistently strong. So as we go forth into the coming years, keep in mind that multi-family and industrial properties are great, low-risk options for your portfolio. However, each investor and each portfolio has its own goals and strategies. If you are seeking guidance on your investment strategy in the new year, we would be honored to speak with you. Please contact us anytime we can be of assistance.

*Data and analysis from this article is courtesy of CoStar. This material should not be relied upon for predictions of future results but to provide you with background, information and education.

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Whether you choose to self-manage or hire a management team, there are several essential tasks that must be taken care of to have a successful and profitable investment. These include: 

• Advertising your property
• Determining rental rates
• Preparing the lease
• Screening applicants
• Collecting rent
• Managing preventative maintenance and regular repairs
• Remodeling and property improvements
• Customer service
• Moderating issues between tenants
• Evicting a tenant when necessary
• Sustaining a high occupancy rate
• Cost reporting
• Maintaining legal compliance 
• Finance management

Unless managing your property(ies) is your full-time job, this can be a lot to manage. Which is one of the many reasons many property investors enlist the help of a property management team. 

It is important to note that having a property management team doesn’t mean you cannot still be a part of the management and decision making process, if you choose. It does mean that you aren’t required to be involved on a daily basis and offers you many other benefits including: 

More Time and Less Stress: Probably the biggest advantage of using a property manager is the time and stress you will save. Being a landlord is a 24/7/365 job. Many of our clients have come to us because they want to spend their energy on their families, careers, travel, or other investments. (And many are simply tired of working nights and weekends!) Having a property management team means you don’t have to be “on the clock” anytime you don’t want to.

Experience and Expertise: Another invaluable advantage you’ll have by working with a property manager is their years of experience. Seasoned teams, like ours, have truly seen it all and know how to handle everything from difficult tenants, to confusing permits, to new market trends. 

The world of multi-family real estate also involves a long list of ever-changing laws, regulations, requirements, and best practices you need to be aware of. When you work with a property management team, it is their job to understand the ins and outs of the rental industry and ensure you are always up to date and in compliance with items such as: lease management and tenant notifications, Fair Housing, ADA, and COVID-19 regulations, employment laws, payroll and tax requirements, city and build codes, as well as overall risk mitigation.

Ease of Filling Vacancies: Even when the rental market is hot, you always want the best tenants at the best price point and achieving this magic balance requires a deep understanding of the industry and the local market. A strong property management company will have the tools to effectively market the property, screen applicants for the best tenants, increase retention, and drive occupancy, and rental rates to their maximum potential.

Cost savings: Property management teams typically oversee the management of multiple properties (we’ve managed over 1,000), which means we have industry knowledge, connections, and teams needed to get the best professionals at the best rates when it comes to maintenance, construction, and any other outsourcing you may need.

For example, here at RRA, we have a team of in-house maintenance specialists and contractors available to you at a discount! Because of our large portfolio, we are able to leverage economies of scale and support multiple complexes with the same team. We then are able to pass on substantial cost savings through our reduced labor rates and corporate negotiated wholesale direct material prices.

Your property manager will also have a working knowledge of existing multi-family property operations and finance modeling, which gives them the ability to identify which options will work best for each particular owner and property. Their experience and expertise will provide you with cost-saving measures and increase your overall NOI. However, when looking for a property manager, it is important to find a team that understands your specific goals and is able and willing to create a customized strategy for you.

In addition to the above benefits, sometimes property management is simply more practical. For example, you might live a good distance away from some, or al,l of your rental properties, you might have significant day-to-day responsibilities that would make emergency calls or last-minute requests complicated or impossible to deal with, or you simply may not have the industry knowledge and experience to get the highest possible return on investment.

Finally, it is important to note that you may change your mind overtime. You may have enjoyed self-managing for many years but don’t want the full time responsibilities anymore. If this is the case, know that property management does not mean you have to give up the parts of the job you do enjoy! Our property management services are all about providing excellence in customer service– which means we understand no two clients are identical and we customize our model to best fit each client’s needs.

Once you decide if a professional property management service is the right choice for you, the key to moving forward with the right property management company is to find a company that will work with you. Click here to read our blog on how to find a property management team that fits your needs.

If you are interested in learning more about our full-service property management, please click here or email elizabeth@reynoldsrealtyadvisors.com to learn more.

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If you didn’t get a chance to visit us and have a question about your current or future investments– know that our team is always here for you! Reach out to us anytime at elizabeth@reynoldsrealtyadvisors.com or (866) 613-7772. And be sure to mark your calendars for December 2nd! Our founder, Elizabeth Reynolds, will be hosting a webinar in partnership with the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles on How to Increase Your Property Value and Cashflow Through ADUs. Stay tuned for more details.

P.S. Looking to stay up to date on the latest real estate trends and updates? Connect with the RRA team on Facebook and LinkedIn.

The post 2021 AAOC Trade Show Recap appeared first on Reynolds Realty Advisors.

How to best protect your assets

The numbers you need to know

Revenue generating tips

Cost savings musts

How to add value and take your property to the next level

And exit strategies

Register at http://bit.ly/increase-your-cash-flow.

• Commercial Real Estate Sales and Purchases
• Multi-Family Property Management/Development
• Strategic SVM/Supply Chain and Outsourcing
• Consulting and Advising Client
• Market Analysis
• Site Selection
• Program Delivery/Execution
• Sourcing, Contracting, Vendor Management Procurement, Logistics and Distribution
• Sales and Marketing
• Team Building
• Technology Management
• Corporate P&L Management

The post Property Management Tips to INCREASE Your Cash Flow appeared first on Reynolds Realty Advisors.

As surprising as it may sound, COVID has been a part of our lives for a full year! During Q1 2021, our founder, Elizabeth Reynolds, hosted a series of webinars helping rental owners learn about protecting their assets both in the short and long term.

During these presentations, we explored…

• Real estate market updates and how to manage the effects of COVID-19 on the real estate market
• Tenants’ rights post COVID-19
• Landlords’ options regarding rent collection, possession and evictions
• And which property management options will serve you best now and long term

Whether you were able to join us for these webinars or not, we invite you to send us your questions. Our staff is here to help!

To download the presentation slides, click here.

The post The COVID Impact on the Rental Market –Is it time for Professional Property Management appeared first on Reynolds Realty Advisors.

Even if you have never owned multifamily real estate, now is the time to capitalize on these rates and make your first investment. Because multifamily homes up to four units are considered residential for the purposes of financing, you can buy them with mortgages similar to those used for single family homes. Once you have more or more units in a property, you will need a commercial real estate loan.

For the purposes of today’s article, we will be addressing how you can make the most out of the low mortgage rates and invest in 2-4 unit properties. The first thing to decide if you will be an owner-occupant, meaning you plan to occupy one of the units, or investor, where all the units will be rented out. This will affect what types of mortgages you can qualify for.

Owner-Occupant Financing Options

If you are an owner-occupant, you can take advantage of FHA loans, also known as “FHA- insured financing.” Because these are government insured loans, the FHA loan is widely known as one of the best mortgages available. Traditionally, these loans are easier to qualify for, require a lower down payment, have lower closing costs and offer the lowest fixed rates.

In many cases, getting an FHA loan for a multi-unit property is just as simple as it is for a single family home. Multi-unit properties must meet FHA minimum standards and pass an FHA appraisal. Just like any property purchased under an FHA loan, your multi-unit properties will be subject to FHA minimum standards. Borrowers will find FHA down payment and credit requirements are the same for single-unit and multi-unit properties, but lender standards may vary.

In late 2020, the FHA loan limits were increased for multifamily properties. In many high cost areas, including Orange County, the loan ceiling goes above $1.5 million for a four-unit property.

FHA Multifamily Loan Limits

Chart by The Mortgage Reports

And even better, though loan limits have increased, FHA mortgages are still available with a credit score starting at 580 and 3.5% down.

Another option you have as an owner-occupant is a VA loan. VA loans are suited for military service members, veterans and their spouses. VA lenders are likely to give you more favorable terms than you’d otherwise get with a conventional mortgage, due to the VA guarantee on a portion of the loan. These loans also offer a number of benefits including no down payment, no private mortgage insurance (PMI) and no minimum credit score. And yes, these loans can be used to finance properties with up to four units if the qualifying applicant lives in one of the units.

Investor Financing Options

Now if you don’t plan on living on the property and getting a loan as an investor, there are still good options for you. However, investors typically need a higher down payment than owner- occupants. Lenders typically assume a higher risk with investment properties and will require 20-30 percent down, depending on the rates on the offer.

One of the most common options for investor financing are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, AKA “Agency loans.” Fannie and Freddie loans typically offer high leverage levels—75% to 80% and low interest rates.

As an investor, you can use these types of loans to buy or refinance multifamily properties and both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have “small loan" programs with terms and pricing for investors of multifamily properties with under 50 units or under $7.5 million.

Finally, whether you are an owner-occupant or an investor, you might be able to use the projected rental income from the additional units if you are an owner-occupant, or all units if you are an investor, to qualify for your loan. Typically for these payments to be taken into account, you must already have a signed lease by the renters.

Next Steps

And the best news of all, is choosing to become a multi-family property owner does not mean you need to take on all the work of being a landlord. Everything from marketing to maintaining the property can all be taken care of by a property management team like ours! Here at Reynold Realty Advisors, we provide multifamily and commercial property owners across Southern California full management service including tenant leasing, compliance management, remodeling, finance management and more. We invite you to learn more about our services or request a free property assessment.

The post Mortgage Options for First-Time Multifamily Property Owners and Investors appeared first on Reynolds Realty Advisors.

Tune in for this FREE event: Property Management Tips During the COVID-19 Crisis Thursday, November 5th at 10am.

In this event, you will discover:

• What Steps are Property Management companies taking during Covid19 for their Clients, Tenant and Property Managers?
• What steps are Property Owners taking during Covid19
• Are Owners asking for mortgage and/or tax relief? And are they receiving it?

Click here to register!

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Southern California — and the nation as a whole — is experiencing the biggest apartment construction boom in a quarter century.  In the last 34 months alone, new apartments have been springing up from San Clemente to Sylmar, from Murrieta to Marina del Rey.  More than 37,000 new apartments have been built in these regions since the start of 2015, according to data from commercial real estate tracker CoStar show.  Currently, more than 36,000 more are under construction.

The majority of the 2.5M multi-family apartment units are under rent control: with 65% under statewide rent control, 25.1% under local rent control ordinance, and only the balance of 9.9% not under any type of rent control.  Rental rate growth throughout the United States remained strong and constant from 2010 forward, after the recovery from the fall out in 2009.  The average rent increase ranged from 2% to 4.1% nationwide between 2010 through 2019.

With absorption rates high and price indexes remaining very strong, we can expect to see cap rates remaining low throughout Southern California in 2020 and 2021.  Projections indicate we will realize a correction in the real estate marketing within the next couple of years and will continue to see a strong influx of investors within the United States and internationally.

The post The State of the Economy and Its Impact on Multi-family Housing appeared first on Reynolds Realty Advisors.

Special Thanks to Our Judges Who Made This Event Possible!

Elizabeth Reynolds, President/Broker/Owner and Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin Board Member, Reynolds Reality Advisors and Re/Max Platinum Properties.

The post An Evening With the Stars appeared first on Reynolds Realty Advisors.