Property Management Perspectives

A blog from Cal-Prop Management, San Diego

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Author: Rick Thornton

Born 1959 in Seattle, Washington and raised in Portland, Oregon to a family of business people. My grandfather taught high school in Lewiston, Idaho and Junior College in Centralia Washington. My father retired as President of American Steel, his older brother retired as President of Boeing Commercial. Three sisters as such: older sister retired from Chrysler, younger sister works for Intel and my other older sister married well. Investor in San Diego and Real Estate • Owned and operated, bought and sold five apartment buildings 4 homes, 35 units in San Diego. Currently Owns: • 20 Units, “Talmadge Palms” in Talmadge, San Diego, CA. • 10% of a 550-acre development project in Costa Rica • Four units in Salt Lake City, Utah. • 33% of Five units in Portland, OR. • “Columbia Shores”, 41,500 square feet Single Story office building at 501 SE Columbia Shores Way, Vancouver, WA University of Oregon, 1982 • Finance & Economics Engineered Components, Inc, 1983 to 1987 • Architectural Metal Roofing & Metal Building Components Division of Fortune 500 Company Ceco. 1983 Inside Sales. 1984-5 Manager- California Plant startup. 1985-7 Outside Sales – Start up Southern CA territory. Cal-Prop Management, Inc, 1987 to present • Founded May, 1987 by Rick Thornton • Currently manages 1710 units comprised of single-family homes, individual condominiums, apartments and commercial • Twenty-seven full time employees and six part time. • Created, wrote and published the “Property Owner” Newsletter from 1999 to 2003. • Licensed General Contractor & Plumber. CA- • 15-person maintenance & construction team. • Designed and implemented a program to gut, remodel and fully re-position older beach apartments for average cost of $50,000 per unit. Completed nine buildings over four year period with average cost of $350,000 per building. • Created website www.cal-prop.com in 1998. The first web site in the country with a real time automated rental list interfacing with vertical market property management software.
GUIDE: Tenant Qualification
Uncategorized

GUIDE: Tenant Qualification

Posted on May 26, 2021November 11, 2022 by Rick Thornton
Asset Management

In House Maintenance is the Best!

Posted on April 8, 2021April 8, 2021 by Rick Thornton

Our in-house maintenance team offers a wide variety of advantages to owners of investment real estate.  This is an alphabetical list of those benefits and…

Legal Update, California

Preliminary Move Out Inspection Refresher (click on title)

Posted on June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 by Rick Thornton
Great Billboard for Landlords!
Legal Update, California

Great Billboard for Landlords!

Posted on May 31, 2020June 2, 2020 by Rick Thornton
Multi-Family Market

“Emotional” Support Fakery

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Rick Thornton

Everyone supports those who need support animals for whatever reason, but there is clearly a large and growing population of individuals willing to game the…

2019 San Diego Apartment Building Boom – 4500 Units
Investing in Apartments

2019 San Diego Apartment Building Boom – 4500 Units

Posted on February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 by Rick Thornton

The vast majority of apartments built in San Diego County qualify as luxury apartments and the asking rents are at the high end depending on…

San Diego Architectural Masterpiece
Architecture & Cool Properties

San Diego Architectural Masterpiece

Posted on January 24, 2019May 15, 2020 by Rick Thornton

This is truly one of the finest buildings in America’s finest city. The architectural blending of classic religious themes with a modern architectural materials and…

Asset Management

San Diego -Rich City?

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Rick Thornton

Great article in the Wall St Journal about why housing is so expensive in the “Rich Cities”. It cites the main four: LA, SF, Boston…

Case Study:  1910 house Existing House- Renovate and add one Bathroom!!
Architecture & Cool Properties

Case Study: 1910 house Existing House- Renovate and add one Bathroom!!

Posted on December 18, 2018November 29, 2020 by Rick Thornton

The property at 911-9 Diamond St in Pacific Beach is a property not uncommon for the beach.  It started with a small house on two…

Apartment Owner Travel Tips:  New Orleans
Architecture & Cool Properties

Apartment Owner Travel Tips: New Orleans

Posted on December 16, 2018December 18, 2018 by Rick Thornton

The Pontalbo Apartments are reputed to be the first apartments in the United States.     Remember to consult your accountant on whether your travel is…

Legal Update, California

California State Government Increases the price of Housing

Posted on December 8, 2018December 18, 2018 by Rick Thornton

In a move that will increase the price of housing for all Californian’s somewhat in the short term and very much in the long term…

Legal Update, California

History of Real Estate Laws in California up to 1999

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Rick Thornton

The History of California Landlord­Tenant Laws The California Association of Realtors Web site had a posting of the history of Landlord/Tenant Laws in California up…

Property Management

Tenant’s Trash Mansion – Owner should have used a Property Manager

Posted on December 6, 2018December 18, 2018 by Rick Thornton

It is hard to know all the facts based on news articles, but I see not mention of a property manager and I see one…

Real Estate in Miniature
Architecture & Cool Properties

Real Estate in Miniature

Posted on November 28, 2018December 16, 2018 by Rick Thornton

Casa California Artist Chris Toledo creating magic with his miniature home called Casa California.    Fun fact:  On miniaturists sites ( who knew these existed)…

Creating the Real Estate of the future – Seasteading
Architecture & Cool Properties

Creating the Real Estate of the future – Seasteading

Posted on November 26, 2018November 28, 2018 by Rick Thornton

We all now chortle about the flying cars that always seem to be just out of reach and not all that likely, but it is…

Investing in Apartments

Proposition 10 California Rent Control Results

Posted on November 21, 2018November 21, 2018 by Rick Thornton

Prop 10 – Local Rent Control Initiative Loses 60% to 40% Proposition 10  would have repealed the 1995 Costa -Hawkins Rental Housing Act.  The actual…

Legal Update, California

Just Cause Eviction Ordinance in San Diego – 2004

Posted on November 21, 2018November 21, 2018 by Rick Thornton

The City of San Diego Seems to have confused the terms “Notice to vacate” with “Eviction”.   An eviction is correctly known as a removal from…

Current Market is a Great Time to Trade Up (A look back at 1999)
Investing in Apartments

Current Market is a Great Time to Trade Up (A look back at 1999)

Posted on November 20, 2018May 15, 2020 by Rick Thornton

In the spring of 1999 I wrote, “The early phase of a bull market in real estate presents a great opportunity to trade your current…

Investing in Apartments

How to Increase Rents Easily

Posted on April 9, 2018January 9, 2019 by Rick Thornton

This article was written in 1999.  I will be updating it this year 2019. Often the most daunting task we face as property managers is…

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  • Legal Update, California
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