Real Estate: Exhibitors
Also Stress a Water
Conservation Theme
Faster and more comprehensive credit reports at a lower price were one bit of evidence at the San Diego County Apartment Association’s convention the Internet is making its impact on the apartment industry.
The convention, held the weekend of June 23 at the San Diego Convention Center, had displays by three credit reporting companies promising fast reports on prospective tenants available over the Internet.
This development contrasted with previous years when the reporting companies offered only a facsimile service for their reports.
CreditLink Corp., with an office in San Diego, promised online access to credit reports that also pick up judgment liens, bad checks and evictions as well as the usual consumer credit card information. For $9.95, the information is available now online to subscribers.
The San Diego office of U.D. Registry Inc. offered a similar service for a similar price, and for an additional $28 the company will run a criminal records check on prospective tenants, said Dan Firestone, account executive.
First American Registry of Rockville, Md., was also promoting its tenant screening service at the convention.
The Internet
“Predicting whether an applicant will pay the rent is the most important decision you make,” said Charles Conti, an account executive with First American Registry. “Just a few delinquencies can significantly affect your bottom line.”
Two Internet companies were offering their marketing facilities to landlords at the convention as well.
Locally headquartered SanDiegoApartments.com was joined by Chicago-based apartments.com. Both companies offer Web sites complete with photos that feature apartments for rent.
The San Diego offices of tenant finders Apartment Search and Spectrum Apartment Search were also on hand to promote their more traditional methods of finding reliable tenants. They offer walk-in prospects to their offices help at finding an apartment. Landlords only owe them a fee when a rental agreement is signed, their salespeople said.
Use of the Internet to screen tenants wasn’t the only use that was promoted at the convention. Two companies, Pipeline DSL of San Diego and ReFlex Communications Inc. of Seattle, were there to encourage apartment owners to allow them to set up high-speed Internet access equipment. Landlords who sign up for the two companies’ services receive a commission on what tenants pay for Internet access.
Monitoring Keys
KeyTrak Inc. of Duluth, Ga., even brought remote computer monitoring to the mundane task of keeping track of apartment complex keys with its steel cabinet and drawer. It not only registers who has been inside the box, but also what keys they took with them.
Water conservation was another theme stressed by exhibitors at the convention. California Utility Co. of Irvine was offering its sub-metering system to help landlords bill tenants for water.
Wascomat of Inwood, N.J., touted its energy- and water-efficient side-loading washing machines and the San Diego County Water Authority was promoting a voucher incentive program to encourage apartment landlords to install water-conserving washing machines.
The $300 vouchers are available on a limited basis to landlords who buy high-efficiency washers.
Other businesses offering less high-tech services also made their pitches at the convention. Among them were M.B.F. Interiors of San Diego, which makes curtains and window blinds for apartments, and Realty World Parkway of El Cajon, which offers full-service property management.
Bill Howe Plumbing Inc. of San Diego; Joefixit.com, a scheduling service for repair personnel; and Sully-Jones Roofing Co. of El Cajon were there also to publicize what they can do to fix an ailing apartment house.
