News
Organization tips for property managers
Property managers make sure that everything in the community runs smoothly. As the point of contact between the property owner and the residents, and works to make sure that both are happy. To do this means having some key management plans.
Contingency plans
Anything that can happen, will happen. Make sure that there are complete plans for occurrences that require rapid response like floods, recovery processes after a fire, etc. Having a ready-made plan ensures that even in a crisis, everything runs smoothly. And make sure that access is easy and understood by every employee who needs to know it.
Outsourcing
Keep a list of a proficient companies that you can call as soon as they’re needed, rather than fumbling through directories. satintouch is always a good choice for apartment turnovers, painting, carpet cleaning, maintenance and repair and trash outs.
Digital solutions
Use Property management software to reduce the need for paperwork, and to submit information electronically.
Protocol
Make sure that there is a way for residents to provide negative feedback, and for you to respond. The same applies to a communication channel with the owner – create a protocol for how to communicate about the property, and handling certain situations.
Avoid common eviction mistakes
It’s never fun, but in the property business, evictions will happen occasionally. And, even if you haven’t had one yet, the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure” truly applies to understanding eviction mistakes. When one does happen, preparing for it will make it go a lot smoother.
Note: We aren’t lawyers, and highly recommend that you speak to one about evictions, but here are some common mistakes to review as a starting point:
Waiting for the problem to fix itself
Some landlords allow tenant delinquencies to linger, hoping the tenant will eventually pay past due rent. However, delaying sending default notices and commencing evictions action often end up being long “rent-free” periods, versus if a landlord immediately responds.
Failing to read the default provision in the lease
It is in your best interest as a landlord to know the default provision of the lease, especially when, where, and why a default notice may be sent. Compliance with default provisions is something that many Housing Court judges and referees require.
Negotiating without eviction proceedings
Proceedings provide a deadline for when a settlement must be completed, and eviction action can give leverage to the landlord for items like lease modifications.
Failing to evict all occupants
Always know everyone who occupies the leased property before eviction proceedings. And, know that a tenant on the lease may not be the same as an occupant. Naming all occupants helps ensure the landlord will not have to take on subsequent eviction proceedings if some occupant other than the named tenant asserts rights to the property.
If it ever comes to the point of eviction at your property, satintouch is here to help with our trash out service to remove all items from the property, and take on the liability for those items. Before that point, however, here’s a list of common mistakes landlords have made in the past.
satintouch gives back
Helping our community anyway we can.
As a part of our new Give Back program, satintouch adopted a family in need. In December 2014, we were proud to present Gena Hasson a check for $4,000.
“I am happy that satintouch is able to help out a family who has seen some hard times, but continues to be an example of a hard worker who puts family first,”satintouch Founder Chad Lange said. “She’s truly an inspiration to all single mothers out there. She reminds me of my mom.”
For 21 years, Gena has been a single mother who has had the sole responsibility of feeding, clothing, and educating her children. Their father continues to remain uninvolved.
While that task alone is more than enough for one person, six years ago her family experienced a medical tragedy. Her daughter, Hope, was in a car accident with her grandmother at the age of five, and became paralyzed.
Today, she’s about to celebrate the birthday of her granddaughter Hudson, the daughter of her oldest daughter Ashlin, both of whom live with and depend on Gena.
“I’ve basically been a single mom for all of my adult life,” Gena said. “I love them all, and I want to able to provide for them.”
Being the sole breadwinner in a still recovering economy hasn’t kept her down. With a smile on her face and with a desk filled with photos of her children and grandchild, she works hard at her job to make sure that the needs of Ashlin, Hope and Hudson are met.
And sometimes that means she tightens her own belt to make sure they have what they need.
“I haven’t had new shoes for years, and the shoes I wear to work have holes in them,” Gena said. “Sometimes I feel a little embarrassed, but then I remember that I feel no shame putting my family first.”
satintouch hopes that our contribution will help Gena continue to put her family first, and bring some smiles to her children’s faces.
“We are so grateful for the gift satintouch gave us,” Gena said. “I plan to pay off a lot of bills.”
down to the details: carpet cleaning
While others just clean, we soften carpets.
From our feet to a spilled drink, not a day goes by that your carpet doesn’t take a beating. And, the time you most notice it? Moving day. Before you can rent or sell, you’ll need to reinvent your carpet. satintouch Detailers reinvent your carpet by softening it. How do our on-site Detailers soften a carpet? Just like our Eye for Detail, we have a process for it.
A Clean Carpet is a Soft Carpet
First, we pre-treat the carpet to loosen up all of the normal grime that’s accumulated, and add ph to the carpet. Then we carefully brush the carpet to kick up that dust deep down in the carpet that normal vacuuming doesn’t catch.
Next we use the finest, yet safest, cleaning agents available on the market today to assure a dynamic clean without compromising your, your family or pet’s health.
Finally, we soften the carpet because a crunchy carpet is unappealing. A crunchy carpet happens when a cleaner doesn’t carefully rinse and remove all of the solution in the carpet, allowing it to dry. Our Detailers thoughtfully and carefully rinse to remove all solution from every fiber of carpet. This process neutralizes the ph put into the carpet, creating a soft feel. And, as we use the highest end solutions to clean, what remains is a soft carpet you could sleep on. And, you just might.
Stains of all Shapes and Colors
While our carpet cleaning process handles most general stains in our first treatment, there are stubborn stains that require a little more attention. You know the culprits: red wine, bodily fluids, Kool-Aid, and just about anything red.
For those tough to clean stains, our Detailers apply pressure and steam to transfer the stain from the carpet fiber to a cloth – ensuring that it doesn’t smear or damage the carpet. Even wax is no match for our Detailers, who can easily peal away the wax with our system of pressure and steam.
No matter what your carpet needs, the end result is the same: a clean, soft carpet free of stains.
meet a Detailer: marcell
He’s dedicated to reinventing your rooms.
satintouch quarterly: satintouch does everything from painting and cleaning for commercial and residential spaces, but for you, what kinds of jobs do you love doing?
marcell: I’m proud of every job that I’ve done for commercial and residential properties all around the state. But, I absolutely love carpet cleaning. It’s the last thing you see, but one of the first things you notice with your feet. Does it feel crunchy on my feet or soft? Then you look down. Is it clean? Is that a stain hiding over there. And, making sure that no one asks those questions about your space is my job, and one I’m proud to do.
STQ: Carpet cleaning sounds very difficult – especially when you walk into a room where who knows what kind of punishment the carpet’s received or what kind of stain is hiding around the corner.
M: Yeah, and that’s why I enjoy it so much – the challenge. I’ve seen all kinds of hard to clean stains like wax, red wine, Kool-Aid, and even mystery stains that to this day, I’m still not quite sure what it was, but was able to remove it. Thankfully, through my years of experience as a Detailer and the process we use with satintouch, I walk into those situations confidently, and with the right tools to get the job done.
STQ: You mention process and tools … what is that process and those tools, and how does it translate into your job cleaning carpets?
M: It’s all about walking in with the right tools. Like all Detailers, I only use the highest quality carpet cleaning solutions, finest brushes, high-powered vacuums. But, even with the best tools at a Detailers side, they need process. That’s where I lean on our Eye for Detail process to methodically prepare and clean a carpet. First we pre-treat the carpet, then brush it, and finally soften it by removing all traces of cleaning solution. Then for tough to get out stains, I rely on steam and pressure to transfer, not wipe or suck, the stain out of the carpet, while not damaging it.
STQ: And when someone sees you wearing a satintouch uniform, what do you want them to think?
M: First, a smile. Then, “Marcell cleaned and softened my carpet, and I can’t believe he was able to get that stain out!”
satintouch facts
new logo, same great service
satintouch updates its brand to showcase its pillars of service.
After more than six years of service to the Twin Cities and the Midwest, you may have noticed that we’ve had a bit of a facelift to our verbiage and logo. Our commitment to excellence and customer service are at the core of our business. Our logo reflects this mission. The name satintouch reflects the end result of our care and precise work in every room we enter. The emboldened word satin snugly nudged up against a thin line touch shows the artistry and precison of our onsite Detailers. You’ll recognize any room has received the satintouch.
The color wheel outlines the encompassing nature of our services, including: residential panting & cleaning, commercial painting & cleaning, carpet cleaning, common area cleaning, trash outs, and maintenance and rehab. At the center of our services is a star connecting each pillar of our service to the core of satintouch, our Eye for Detail process that all services utilize to give our service that recognizable satintouch finish that reinvents every room that our talented Detailers enter. Longtime clients will agree, and our Detailers look forward to introducing their work to rooms around the area.
the satintouch story
Founder Chad Lange tells us about the company’s origins and mission.
satintouch quarterly: What was the inspiration for starting the company?
chadlange: It came out of my experience. Just like my clients today, I sat in the very same seat as the property managers. Working in the industry gave me the opportunity to wear many different hats, including maintenance, leasing, marketing, assistant property manager and property manager. From this, I was able to learn about and work in every facet of the property management business.
The most striking lesson was experiencing the “end-of-month.” It was my least favorite and most stressful part of the job. It was stressful simply because with a lot of renters moving in and out, a property manager needs to coordinate, schedule, and project manage multiple vendors to handle all the cleaning, painting and maintenance before the new renters moved in. And, all of this takes your focus off of what I believe to be the most important job in property management, focusing on my current residents, staff and the community.
I thought that there has to be a better solution. So, I sought out to create that solution: a trusted vendor who can handle everything at the end-of-month, and is just one phone call or email away; hence, satintouch, Inc. was born.
STQ: Tell us a little bit about how you made the company what it is today.
CL: satintouch was born with the mentality of constantly raising the bar of quality craftsmanship and client service in the painting and cleaning business. It was my hope to create lifetime relationships with the property managers and property management companies that we are fortunate to team up with.
STQ: What’s your fondest memory of creating this business?
CL: My fondest memory was when we hired our first painter. He truly believed in our company’s vision of raising the bar in this industry. And, the great thing about owning a company like satintouch is that I get to relive and create new fond memories each time we are blessed to add someone to the satintouch family.
STQ: What does the future hold for satintouch?
CL: Our company continues to evolve and is focused on helping those we work with gain the recognition they work extremely hard to receive. It is our mission to help, in whatever capacity they need us to, property managers, their staff and property in general win a Multi-Housing Achievement in Design, Advertising and Community Support (MADACs) award. By doing this, we know we have done our job.
Moreover, it is our company’s belief that everyone, no matter their economic class deserves a clean place to call home. Recently we gave back to the community by sponsoring a family in need. satintouch will continue to find ways to give back to our community.
STQ: What is the one thing you want the name satintouch associated with in the minds of your clients?
CL: That satintouch cares about the success of my business and properties.
