Property Management Maven

I got a VERY NICE letter faxed from our local newspaper - LARGE VA publisher Media General - wanting me to re-sign a rate contract for min 4 lines at $1.47 per line for another year….this, they were quick to point out, is not an increase in my current rate.

I in turn sent them a nice letter indicating not only am I NOT signing another contract, I was pulling my 5 inch 2-column ad and using only a 6-line 2-column ad in future with hot link to my website.

Since my client/property owners pay a pro-rated amount of my ad costs depending on the # of days their property listing appeared in my ad, this does not really cost me anything; however, the administration and accounting is a hassle….and is no longer justifiable.
 
Since I cover the costs of my website, daily postings to CL and our local MLS, I do not think that this additional owner expense is justifiable it in the long run. If an owner insists on their property being featured in the local newspaper, I’ll insert an ad and they can pay full rate charges for the # of days it runs.

In order for a rental prospect to find a rental property in the newspaper, they would have to be in town to pick it up from a news rack or Google “VA newspapers” to find The Daily Progress online…..I think most rental prospects are now attune to using CL or other housing websites rather than searcing for local print media classifieds…..sort of like the Yellow Pages for phone numbers, this is a print media that has segewayed nicely to the internet and will be appearing on telephones and PDAs that are web-enabled .

Maybe there is hope for me that I am not SO OLD as to not be able to break 40 years of real estate training to depend on the daily newspaper…..for NASCAR race results or rental classified advertising.

As a frequent poster to Craigslist for rental properties and a frequent “flagger” for discriminatory ads, I am glad to see that the suit from several Chicago area attorneys has been dismissed. Craigslist is an electronic bulletin board * they do not write or even proofread the ads that are posted UNLIKE the faceless print media classified voices or e-mail addresses that we use to insert print media ads. I have seen numerous discriminatory ads for my area on Craigslist and it is these individual landlords that need the attention of Fair Housing agencies rather than the 800 lb gorilla in the Bay Area….unfortunately, there is little or no potential for media attention on individual landlord complaints so it is more likely that these “big splash” cases will continue to be filed in an attempt to extort $$$ for the agencies tasked with investigating and filing these complaints….KUDOS to Craigslist for hanging in there!!!