Caring for Your Oily Skin - 9 Best Ways To Do It

For most people, summer is a very welcome treat. But for those with oily skin, summer can be very disastrous indeed! Anyone with oily skin knows that alongside the heat comes the heightened tendency of the skin to produce more oil. This, in turn, adds that unwelcome shine on your cheeks and forehead.

There are many factors, which lead to the development of oily skin. Heredity is one. If your father or mother has oily skin, there is a good chance that you will have it, too! Sadly, it does run in the family.

\"oily Skin\"

Hormones can also be blamed for this condition. Do you notice how many teens and young people under the age of 20 have that peculiar shine on their faces? And do you know that there are a lot of women who notice that their faces suddenly become oily when they are pregnant, are about to have their monthly periods or during menopause? All those hormonal changes going on at once in their bodies bring about this unpleasant change.

Caring for Your Oily Skin - 9 Best Ways To Do It

Fortunately, there are a number of ways for you to keep your oily skin from ruining your day. Here are some of the more proven techniques guaranteed to keep facial oil in check:

1. Keep your skin clean at all times. When your skin is unbearably oily, it does not only look dirty. It feels dirty! To prevent this, keep it clean at all times by washing your face at least twice daily using glycerin soap. It will also help if you can splash on some clear cool water on your face several times during the day to remove excess oil.

2. Seek help from astringents. To control oily skin, wipe the oily parts of your face with a suitable astringent in between washings. Or for a more affordable yet equally effective solution, try using rubbing alcohol or a combination of alcohol and acetone instead of perfumed astringents. You can also use pre-moistened alcohol wipes (available in the cosmetic department of most stores) to do the job. They make great travel companions especially when you are constantly on the go!

3. Wipe it up! Forgot to bring your alcohol wipes? No problem. You can use plain old tissue paper or some special oil-absorbing tissues to wipe away the oil.

4. Mist it! Cleansing and wiping all day long might eventually lead to over-drying. You wouldn't want that, would you? To prevent this from happening, use facial mists! Facial mists are specially prepared mineral water loaded with beneficial herbs and vitamins. They can be very good in adding moisture to your skin without having to add oil or chemicals.

5. Say no to moisturizers. Putting moisturizers on oily skin unnecessarily clog up the pores and may eventually lead to acne. So be kind to your skin. Just say no to moisturizers.

6. Scrub it! Scrubs are great in removing excess oil from the skin. However, if you have facial acne, you need to skip this part since it can only aggravate the condition.

7. Masque it! Facial masques can be used to reduce your skin's oiliness. You can try using clay masques or make your own masque by mixing Fuller's earth with a small amount of water (just add enough water to achieve a pasty texture). Apply the masque to your face using an upward motion and leave on to dry for about 20 minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.

8. Show off your natural beauty. As much as possible, go without makeup and let the world see you at your most natural splendor! Or if you should wear makeup, go for water-based ones.

9. Try some cupboard magic! Common place cupboard essentials can prove to be of great help in easing your face's oiliness. Freshly squeezed cucumber juice and aloe vera gel are both proven effective in combating oiliness when used as facial masques. Fenugreek seeds and red gram seeds can both be ground and used as effective facial scrubs. In fact, there is a whole lot more natural ingredients that can be used in countering the excessive oiliness of your skin!

Oily skin can be troublesome but if you follow these simple tips, you can be sure that you will get some great results!

Caring for Your Oily Skin - 9 Best Ways To Do It

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Skin Care [http://skin-care-guideto.com/]

The Four Types of Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property

If you own a business or are thinking about starting a new business, you should familiarize yourself with what is known as intellectual property. Intellectual property is a phrase used to describe certain legal rights that people may hold over "creations of the mind," such as works of art, writing, inventions, designs, ideas, music, or choreography. There are four main types of intellectual property -- copyrights, patents, trade secrets, and trademarks.

Property

Copyrights

The Four Types of Intellectual Property

A copyright is a form in intellectual property that protects the original authors of both published and unpublished creations. The rights of authorship for these works remain solely the possessions of the originator for a specified period of time under copyright law. Once the time period has elapsed, then these works are open to others for reproduction and republication.

Copyrights are registered through the U.S. Copyright Office. Copyrights filed in or after 1978 will last for the entirety of the author's life plus 70 years after his or her death.

Patents

Patents are legal property rights applied to inventions (as opposed to works of any kind of art or literacy), and they must be distributed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Typically, patents apply to such items as processes, machines, manufacturing designs, biological discoveries, or "compositions of matter."

Like copyrights, patents are available to the inventors for only a certain period of time before they expire. Patents generally last for 20 years after the date on which the patent application is filed.

Trade Secrets

Trade secrets are practices, designs, formulas, processes, recipes, or ideas used by a company that allows it to gain leverage in its industry. Typically, trade secrets are kept hidden by one's own means, as opposed to being protected through government policies such as patents or copyrights. An example of self-protection commonly used with trade secrets is locking the pertinent information away in a bank vault. Since trade secrets lack legal protection, once they are leaked to the general public, they are available for use by anyone.

Trademarks

Trademarks include any words, phrases, symbols, logos, designs, or devices that are used in association with a particular brand or good in order to distinguish it from other products of that industry. Trademarks are used for identification purposes, and are legally protected once they have been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The Four Types of Intellectual Property

Joseph Devine

Contact Us

If you would like to learn more about intellectual property, please visit http://slaterandkennon.com/

Oily Skin - Why You May Have Oily Skin & What To Do About It

Do you have oily skin, continually feel the need to wash your face and wish you could find a way to make those pores looks smaller?

You and millions of other people with oily skin are in the same boat. Mind you, oily skin does not get lines and wrinkles as quickly or as deeply as people with dry skin... So that's got to be a bonus - although it probably doesn't make you feel any better about your oily skin problem, does it.

\"oily Skin\"

Often, oily skin is associated with acne, however, here we will focus on the classic oily skin type and look at the causes and solutions for oily skin.

Oily Skin - Why You May Have Oily Skin & What To Do About It

Oily skin may be the result of several causes:

  1. Hereditary
  2. Dietary
  3. Hormone levels; Age (puberty/adolescence, Menopause/change of life, etc); Birth control pill; Other medications
  4. Pregnancy
  5. Cosmetics and/or skin care products you're currently using
  6. Climate

Oily skin may well be in your genes. People from Mediterranean, some Asian and middle-Eastern countries may inherit oily skin from their parents. This is a genetic mechanism to help protect their skin from the high radiation of the sun. However, if you have inherited this skin type, but do not live in the climate it was designed for, this can be a problem and needs to be addressed.

Diet can be both the cause as well as the solution for oily skin. Eating greasy, oily foods will eventually produce oily skin. It is the diet's fat (and sugar which is converted to fat) content that ends up on the surface of your skin and that is a relatively easy cause to fix. Fix your diet and you'll fix your oily skin.

Hormonal changes especially during the teenage and change of life years can cause oily skin, often associated with acne. Similarly, pregnancy, during which your hormones change dramatically, may cause oily skin. Usually this is resolved soon after giving birth, menopause has passed or once a teenager's body reaches maturity.

Often however, the very products you are using are the reason for your oily skin. This can be cosmetic products or skin and personal care products.

Personal products such as soaps are particularly 'hazardous'. The reason soap is a no-no when it comes to oily skin is that the soap you use to wash your face will initially remove the oil, but it will also dry out your skin causing your skin to over-react and over produce oil which is then secreted onto the skin's surface and oops, you have oily skin again. This is a condition known as reactive seborrhoea.

Another factor that can lead to oily skin is the climate in which you life. A humid, hot climate may cause your skin to become oily.

Many people have oily areas in one area of their face, but other areas may well be normal or dry. This is known as combination skin. Often the oily area is in the

T-Zone. That is the area covered by your forehead, nasal section and chin. You may however only have oily skin in one of these areas or elsewhere on your face. Irrespective of where the oily skin is, you'll need to address the cause in order to fix it.

How to fix your oily skin

Okay, you can't do much about the genes you've inherited, or the fact you're pregnant or going through a change in hormonal balance. But you can still help your skin to work at a more 'normal' level. You can influence the oiliness of your skin and you can take steps to normalize your skin's oil secretions.

Let's take a step-by-step look at how you can normalize your skin.

Basic steps applicable to all causes of oily skin type:

  1. Wash your face no more than 2x per day. If you do, you are likely to over stimulate your skin and this will cause it to produce more oil - not the result you want.
  2. Use hot water to wash your face. Hot water is best to dissolve oil. Cold and warm water just doesn't work as well.
  3. Do NOT use commercial soaps to wash your face. These types of soaps will dry out your skin and this again will result in your skin producing more oil to protect itself against the drying effect caused by the soap.
  4. Eat a healthy diet. What's a healthy diet? Simple, use unprocessed, fresh fruits and vegetables; do not use foods that have been pre-prepared and/or conserved; do not eat junk food. Stay away from rich, fatty meals.
  5. Drink plenty of clean fresh water (2 liters minimum per day).

The next step is to choose the right type of skin care products. Yes, it's a little more difficult than just buying a cleanser and moisturizer that smell nice and hope they'll help your oily skin.

Many of these essential oils help specifically in normalizing sebum production.

One of the biggest problems with oily skin is that the excessive oil being produced tends to clog up the pores and cause bacterial growth (Acne) and/or oxidation of the oil (blackheads).

So, looking at this as a 3-step process:

1. Follow a daily skin care regime:

  • Cleanse your facial skin using hot water and/or a natural cleanser (alcohol free) that contains essential oils and herbs to help remove oxidized natural oils and make-up residues. This will leave your skin feeling fresh and clean.
  • Use a natural toner to help remove any remaining cleanser and close the open pores. This prevents further loss of moisture and by closing the pores, this prevents bacteria and other microbes from entering the open pores.
  • Even though your skin is oily, you should still use a light moisturizer that contains oils such as Jojoba or Avocado as their primary ingredient.
  • There is one more thing you will need to do - Use a facial clay mask twice weekly. Use Green Clay as it is the most drawing of the clays and will most help oily skin. Then follow with the above cleansing, toning and moisturising.

2. Eat wholesome food and drink plenty of water.

3. Exercise

  • This step is an important step because regular exercise will promote increased blood circulation helping to nourish your skin, while providing improved blood supply to the very surface of your skin. The perspiration (and consumption of additional water) will help to flush out toxins from your skin's pores - but remember to increase the water consumption by at least 0.5 of a liter on days when you exercise.

Oily Skin - Why You May Have Oily Skin & What To Do About It

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter - it's fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

© Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2008

What Causes Oily Skin and Can it be Prevented?

Oily skin can cause a number of problems including acne and blackheads. It can also be particularly unsightly and can cause embarrassment to you if you suffer from it. So what exactly causes it and how can it be prevented?

The Causes of Oily Skin:

\"oily Skin\"

There are a number of factors though to contribute towards oily skin and it is usually more apparent in teenagers as their hormones change. However, as well as hormones, it can also sometimes be hereditary, down to the cosmetics which you use, or it could even be down to the contraceptive pill. Generally it can occur at any age, but usually skin tends to become dryer the older that you are.

What Causes Oily Skin and Can it be Prevented?

Oil is created by the Sebaceous glands and they are usually bigger around the nose area. In teenagers especially, Androgens are the hormones responsible for creating too much oil, which then leads to acne in many people. Oily skin often clogs the pores and that is what causes acne, not the actual oil itself.

Proper Treatment and Care of Oily Skin:

There are a number of ways which you can help to keep oil levels to a minimum and these include:

Cleansing the Face

Cleansing the face will often help to unclog the pores and reduce the amount of dirt on the face, therefore eliminating or at least helping to reduce acne and blemishes. However, it is important not to wash in very hot water or particularly harsh soaps and cleansers as this will usually make the problem worse. Usually all store bought acne treatments have a drying effect on oily skin so they are definitely worth checking out.

Avoid Oil Based Products

If you have oily skin the last thing you need is to add extra oil to the skin. Some moisturizers and cleansers often have oil in them which is better suited to dryer skin. Also, some cosmetics are oil
based and they will only aggravate the skin if used. Always read the label and seek professional advice if you are unsure of how much oil a product has in it.

Always Remember to Take Your Make Up Off At Night

Obviously this does not really apply to you men, but women often forget to take their make up off, or they simply ignore it and leave it on because they cannot be bothered to remove it. Whilst it may seem harmless enough, make up clogs up the skin and can cause the body to produce more oil.

Always Try To Relax

There is definitely a link between stress and oily skin, so always do your best to relax. Androgens produce a lot more oil when the body is stressed which inevitably leads to oily skin! You do not even have to be suffering from mental stress, physical stress such as colds, allergies and menstruation can all be contributing factors to oily skin.

There are various different treatments available which are specially developed to clear up oily skin. Benzyl Peroxide is one of the best as it works in two different ways. Firstly it attacks the bacteria which are a leading cause of acne, and then it also peels off dead skin cells inside the hair follicles which keep the plugs from forming.

Overall, be careful not to clog your pores up further with heavy duty moisturizing creams, and oil based cosmetics. Most acne treatments are great for eliminating oily skin, and a change in your diet could also do you good. If you are still unsure as to what is causing your oily skin you could always talk to your doctor and see what they advice.

If you are a woman and you are taking the contraceptive pill, it is worth finding out if that is contributing in any way to your oily skin. There could be many different reasons why you are getting oily skin, but know that you are not alone, and it is treatable, even if it does take a couple of months!

What Causes Oily Skin and Can it be Prevented?

Keep YOURSELF looking great with these great Skin Care secrets from http://www.NaturalElements.co.uk In seconds you can access over 36 beauty topics that will keep you looking younger and more radiant. Help your skin with a variety of organic Oily Skin Care products at Natural Elements

Can My Parents Gift Real Property To Me Directly From Their Living Trust?

Question: I am not sure if this is the place, or if this question can be asked / answered here.

My parents have property / real estate currently held in a trust whereby they are both the Grantor and the Trustee. I am the Successor Trustee.

Property

Is it possible to transfer 'ownership' of this property from that trust to me prior to their death?

Can My Parents Gift Real Property To Me Directly From Their Living Trust?

I am aware there are several methods to do this. However, what we would like to do is simply transfer ownership (not sell), whereby I become the legal owner of this property.

Would the trust simply have to be changed whereby I am now the Trustee, hence, the owner?

Also, what might the tax considerations be when the property is transferred from one person to another without the property being bought / sold? Regards, W.F.

Answer: Dear W.F. - Yes, the property can be transferred from your parent's trust directly to you via a quit-claim deed. However, there are two things that you have to be concerned with: (1) will the property be "marketable" if you decide to sell it at a later date, and (2) what will the tax consequences be as a result of this transfer?

Let's look at the "marketability" issue first. By "marketability" I mean, will you be able to prove to a prospective buyer that you have good title to the property? A deed that comes from a living trust may not be acceptable unless the prospective buyer can also look at the trust instrument to see that the transfer of the property is authorized. Your mother and father could amend the trust instrument to authorize the transfer but, remember, as trustees they are acting in a fiduciary capacity. That means they aren't acting on their own behalf, they're acting on behalf of all the trust beneficiaries. If there are other beneficiaries of the trust, they would have a legitimate complaint if the property was given to you as a gift. To be safe, you'd probably want all the other beneficiaries to sign-off on the transfer. If I was to purchase this property from you ten years from now, I would want to know that the other beneficiaries didn't have a claim to the property.

Whether the deed to the property is a quit-claim deed or a warranty deed, a prospective buyer wants to know that he's buying good title to the property. In order to have that assurance, he'd want to see the trust instrument recorded along with the deed to the property, and he'd want a signed and notarized consent from all the other beneficiaries of the trust recorded on the land records as well. That's not something that most trust owners want to do.

You see, when you're taking title to real property, you want to be sure you can sell it later on for it's full value. Being able to show a good title to the property is vital to its marketability. When you take property from a trust, it gets a lot harder to prove good title.

There's a couple of other issues that you should be aware of when you take real property from a trust. If your parents have a title insurance policy on the property, you should check with the title insurance company to see if the policy will be canceled as a result of the transfer. It's likely that it would be canceled because you would not be a "successor in interest" under the policy. In that case, you would have to purchase another title insurance policy and pay the additional premium, or simply go without and incur the risk of having a defect in the title.

If your parents have an existing mortgage on the property that is being transferred to you, then you need to check with the lender before the transfer to see whether there is an existing due-on-sale clause. If there is, then the lender may try to call the loan when the transfer is made. The lender may be prevented from calling the loan, however, under the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982. Under §341(d)(6) of that Act, an exemption may apply in the case of a real property loan that is secured by a mortgage on residential real property where the spouse or children of the borrower become an owner of the property. You'd have to check to see if that exception applies in your case.

Now, let's look at the tax consequences of transferring the property directly from the trust. Since this is a gift, there will be no realization of capital gains or ordinary income on the transfer. You will, however, inherit your parent's tax basis in the property. This is the same result that would be obtained if the property was transferred directly from your parents.

From a gift tax perspective, however, there is a distinct disadvantage to transferring the property from the trust; that is, the annual gift tax exclusion (currently ,000) would not apply because gifts from a trust do not qualify for the annual gift tax exclusion. If your parents have an estate large enough to be concerned with estate taxes, then they probably won't want to give up that annual exclusion because it would require that they use up that much more of their unified credit against estate and gift taxes.

You should be aware of state gift tax laws as well. Certain states, for example, only provide for a gift tax exclusion equal to the federal annual gift tax exclusion. If the federal annual gift tax exclusion is not available, then an actual gift tax will have to be paid in the year of the transfer. This alone will often kill the deal once it becomes known to the transferor.

As you might have gleaned from the above, there are some real disadvantages to gifting real property from a living trust. However, those disadvantages can be avoided entirely by simply transferring the real property back to the grantor (your mother and father in this case), then having them transfer the property directly to you.

By so doing, you avoid problems with a due-on-sale clause if there is a mortgage on the property. You avoid a termination of any title insurance policy on the property. You insure a prospective buyer that you have good title to the property without having to record the trust instrument and without having to obtain the blessings of the other trust beneficiaries. And, finally, your parents can claim the annual gift tax exclusion, which may save considerable estate taxes somewhere down the road.

In the final analysis, it may cost a few extra dollars to transfer the property back to your parents and then to you, but it will be well worth it.

Can My Parents Gift Real Property To Me Directly From Their Living Trust?

Attorney Michael Pancheri is a practicing attorney and the founder and CEO of the Living Trust Network. You may contact him by email at info@livingtrustnetwork.com. You may also contact him at the Living Trust Network's web site. Its URL is http://www.livingtrustnetwork.com.

Copyright 2006. The Living Trust Network, LLC.

The Best Refinance Investment Property Interest Rate

If you are considering a refinance of your investment property mortgage, now is still a very favorable time. While interest rates are no longer at rock-bottom prices, the rates are still historically low.

Refinancing your investment property mortgage loan is never a simple matter, but there are a few things which you can do to insure that you get the best refinance rate possible. Here are 4 tips you can use to help you in the process:

Property

Tip #1: Get the Best Refinance Investment Property Interest Rate by Doing Your Homework

The Best Refinance Investment Property Interest Rate

Even if you choose to use a mortgage broker, you will find that interest rates constantly change, literally hour by hour. By taking the time to educate yourself about mortgage rates you can help yourself to better gage when the rate is at its best it is likely going to be. By reading about mortgage rate trends, the U.S. economy and other financial news you can help insure you get the best refinance mortgage rate possible.

Tip #2: Get the Best Refinance Investment Property Interest Rate Possible by Using a Mortgage Broker

Brokers are professionals in their trade. Just as an accountant is the best person to do your income tax returns, a commercial mortgage broker is trained and skilled in helping you to find the best refinance investment property rate possible. A broker has access to literally thousands of lenders and programs to choose from. They can suggest lenders for just about every scenario possible. If you have bad credit, if you are self-employed, etc., no matter what your unique situation is a commercial mortgage broker can help find you the absolute best deal possible.

Tip #3: Get the Best Refinance Investment Property Interest Rate by Buying Down

Assume for a moment that the best commercial mortgage rate available today is 6%. By buying down your rate you can lower your interest rates over the length of your loan. This is also called "paying points." If you were to buy down the 6% rate, you might easily end up with a 5.5% mortgage. The cost to you would be a few thousand dollars at closing; however, this would save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage term. Paying points always makes sense if you have the available capital and do not need to use it in other areas of your business.

Tip #4: Get the Best Refinance Investment Property Interest Rate by Negotiating

A little known fact is that mortgage rates and even fees are always negotiable! By playing two lenders, or even two brokers, against each other, you can come up with an absolute rock-bottom interest rate. Successful negotiation requires that you are always prepared to walk away from the deal, that you say "no" until you get what you are looking for, and that you are both patient and well educated.

By educating yourself, using a mortgage broker, paying points, and using simple business negotiation skills, you can get the best refinance investment property interest rate available. Whether you have excellent credit, or not so good credit, you can find an excellent rate and refinance your current commercial mortgage. By doing your homework you can save yourself thousands of dollars over the life of your investment property loan.

The Best Refinance Investment Property Interest Rate

Get the best refinance investment property interest [http://www.kiscl.com/whatsnew_sitemap.php] rate by doing your homework. KISCL, http://www.kiscl.com has all of the tools of seasoned real estate pros to help you navigate the commercial market. With our program you can analyze your property instantly and know the deal is right!

What You Should Know About Property Management of Commercial Properties

Now that you have made an offer to acquire a commercial property and are waiting to close escrow, you may want to start looking for a property manager to professionally manage the property. Your real estate investment advisor should present you with 2 or 3 local companies, each with its own proposal. Your job is to decide which company you will hire. The property manager will be the main point of contact between you, as the landlord, and the tenants. Her main job is to:

  1. Receive and collect the rents and other payments from your tenants. This is typically simple until a tenant does not send the rent check. A good property manager will somehow get the tenant to pay the rent while a lousy one will throw a monkey on your back!
  2. Hire, pay, and supervise personnel to maintain, repair and operate the property, e.g. trash removal, window cleaning, and landscaping. Otherwise, the property loses its appeal, and customers may not patronize your tenants' businesses. The tenants then may not renew their lease. As a consequence, you may not realize the expected cash flow.
  3. Lease any vacant space.
  4. Keep an accurate record of income and expenses, and provide you with a monthly report.

Property

A good property manager is critical in keeping your property fully occupied at the highest market rent, the tenants happy and in turn helps you achieve your investment objectives. Before choosing a property management company, you may want to:

  1. Interview the company with focus on how the company handles and resolves problems, e.g. late payment.
  2. Talk to the person who will manage the property day to day as this may be a different person from the one who signs the property management contract. You want someone with strong interpersonal skills to effectively deal with tenants.

What You Should Know About Property Management of Commercial Properties

The property managing company normally wants a contract for at least one year. The contract should spell out the duties of the property manager, compensation, and what will require the landlord's approval.

Agent's Compensation: you will have to pay someone to manage and lease the property. You may have one company to manage the property and a different company to lease the property. However, it's best to work with one company that handles both managing and leasing to save time and money.

  1. Management fee: the fee varies between 3-6% of the base monthly rent for a retail center, depending on the amount of work needed to manage the property. For example, it takes much less time to manage a M retail center with just a single tenant than a M retail strip with 12 tenants. So, for the center with 12 tenants, you may have to pay a higher percentage to motivate the property manager. You should negotiate the fee as a percentage of the base rent instead of the gross rent. Base rent does not include NNN charges. Ideally, you want a lease in which the tenants pay for their share of property management fee.
  2. Late fee: when a tenant pays late, he is often required by the lease to pay late fee. The property manager is allowed to keep this fee as an incentive to collect the rent.
  3. Leasing fee: this fee compensates the property manager to lease any vacant space. In a typical lease contract, the leasing company wants 4-7% of the gross rent over the life of the lease. It also wants the leasing fee to be paid when the new tenant moves in. In addition, the leasing company wants around 2% of gross rent when the lease is renewed. The tenant may also ask for Tenant Improvement (TI) credit, typically between -20 per square foot to pay for construction expenses. So if a new tenant with a 10-year lease goes under after one year then you may lose money. As the landlord you should:

  • Approve a long term lease (10 years or longer) only when the tenant's financial strength is solid. Otherwise, it may be better to reduce the lease to 3-5 years.
  • Make sure the new lease has a provision for some kind of rent escalation, preferably based on Consumer Price Index (CPI), i.e. inflation which is 3-4% a year instead of lower fixed 1-2% annual increase.
  • Consider TI request from the tenant as one of the factors to approve a lease. The TI credit depends on whether you need the tenant more or the tenant needs you more.
  • Negotiate for a flat rate renewal fee, e.g. 0 instead of paying a percentage of the rent for the life of the lease. The negotiation is easier with one company that handles both leasing and management.
  • Negotiate to pay the leasing agent a lower percentage, e.g. 4% when no outside leasing broker is involved.

You can see that it's very important to minimize tenants' turnover rate as it has a direct impact on the cash flow of your commercial property. A good property manager will help you achieve this goal.

Monthly Report: each month the property manager should send you a report on income received, expenses incurred, and property status. You should Review the report to see if the numbers make sense. You should:

  1. Request a report showing both rent and CAM fees received.
  2. Request a separate bank account for your property and have a monthly bank statement sent to you. Without this, the property manager will deposit and commingle all the rents from all properties that she manages into her company's bank account.

If you instruct the property manager to send you the excess cash flow then you will also get a check.

Landlord's Approval: the management contract should specify the dollar limit for exceptional maintenance expense above which would require your approval. This amount varies from landlord to landlord as well as the type of property. However, it's typically somewhere between 0 to ,000 dollars.

Communication with property manager: in the first few months, you and the new property manager should communicate often to make sure things go smoothly. You should give instructions in writing, e.g. email, to your property manager and keep records of all your correspondence. If the property manager does not do what you instructed, you may refer to your records and minimize disputes.

If you want to work hard for your money, you may want to manage your own property. However, if you want to work smart, your partner should be a good property manager.

What You Should Know About Property Management of Commercial Properties

David V. Tran is the President and Chief Investment Advisor at Transmercial (formerly eFunding, Inc.), a commercial real estate & loan brokerage company in San Jose, CA. His website is http://www.transmercial.com He may be contacted at (408) 288-5500. Transmercial does business in all 50 states. He is the #1 US commercial real estate expert author. David currently offers 3 FREE real estate investment seminars:

  1. How to invest in commercial real estate for early retirement income.
  2. How to maximize cash flow with 1031 tax-deferred exchange.
  3. TIC: Fractional ownership in high-value commercial properties.

David's blog features a daily list of Best Commercial Properties in the US to invest for early retirement income.

You are welcome to share this report, unedited and in its entirety, with anyone you like. You may not remove this text. © 2007-2009 Transmercial.