Is Focus Real Estate the Right Fit for Your Property Management Needs?

Joe Phillips • June 5, 2025

Is Focus Real Estate the Right Fit for Your Property Management Needs?

Is Focus Real Estate the right fit for your property management needs? We spend a lot of time talking to prospective property management clients early in the process as we help them answer that very question in their minds.

To save time for you and for us, we wrote this blog post that explains who we’re a good fit for…and who we aren’t a good fit for! Providing great service is largely dependent on knowing our ideal client and pouring all your efforts into serving them, rather than trying to be the right fit for everyone.

Before we jump into this post, I want to mention that we provide both brokerage (buying/selling) and property management services to the Central Park community. If you need either of those services we’d love to help, and you can find more info on our website.

Ok…back to helping you decide if we’re the right property manager for you. Property management is a long-term relationship and it’s critical that both you as the property owner and us as the manager feel good about the relationship. If we’re not a good fit based on investment philosophy, communication style, personality type, etc we’d rather figure that out upfront as that’s best for you and us. Let’s review who we’re a good fit for and see if that’s you! If you prefer to watch a video on this topic you can find that here.

We’re a good fit to be your property manager if:

You have a relatively newer home (built in 1990 or later) and it’s located within Central Park or 15 minutes of there. Why are we only serving this area? Because this is where we live, where we’ve been buying/selling homes for 13+ years and where we are confident we can provide a high level of service. We don’t believe in the “we go anywhere and do anything” approach to business, which we think often results in a diluted, generic level of service. (Here is a sample of the homes we manage)

Your focus is on the protecting and growing the value of the home long term. Our best clients are mindful of short-term cash flow, but primarily focused on the benefits of owning the home and caring for it over the long term. If monthly cash flow is your primary focus homes in Central Park may not be the best investment for you.

You have other things to focus on in life and you’re open to trusting us with control over the management of your asset. Our best clients trust us to manage the details of their property for them so they can focus on what matters most to them in life right now. Those more important things could be things like time with their kids, travel, work, focusing on health, or just leisure time. If a client is going to struggle to give control of the management to us, we suggest they self-manage. Why pay a property manager then also be so involved you’re still stressed about it? By the way, as the owner you’re still involved with decision making on repairs over $500, on rental rates, on lease terms and on other key items.

You care about providing a good experience for the tenants. We are your fiduciary as the owner of the property, but we also think it’s wise to provide a great experience for the tenants. Tenants are paying a lot in rent in Central Park and should receive a safe, comfortable and well-cared for home. This is also just good business! By caring for the tenants needs we keep the homes in great shape, we are able to charge top dollar rental rates and we minimize costly vacancy caused by unnecessary tenant turnovers.

You are “cash flow positive” or at least break even on a monthly basis. In our experience homeowners that are cash flow positive or break even on a monthly basis are more likely to be ok with the inevitable maintenance investments that must be made as a landlord. Things will break over time, and they will require investment from you as the owner. When an owner is cash flow negative each month already we often find that they struggle to make the necessary investments in ongoing maintenance. Note: We have noticed that owners who purchased their home before Spring of 2022 will typically be cash flow positive and those that purchased their home after Spring 2022 will be cash flow negative. Why? Interest rates went from 3% to over 5% that spring, dramatically affecting an owners cost of owning a home. What if you understand your home will be cash flow negative but you still want/need to rent it out? We’re happy to still help you manage the home, we’ll just want to have a conversation early about cash flow and investments in maintenance.

You understand repairs will happen and inflation has happened. Repairs on rental properties are inevitable, and we work best with owners that understand there will be times when they need to contribute money to keep the property in good shape. Furnaces break, leaks happen, paint fades. An owner that can keep an eye on the long-term value understands that these investments are worth it. We mention inflation as well because the cost of everything has gone up the past 5 years, and that includes all materials, equipment and contractor hourly rates.

You see the value in our service and are ok with our fee structure. We have a team focused on property management and we provide a high level of service for the fees we charge. (You can see those services and pricing here). Our fees are what allow us to operate this business in a sustainable fashion. Our best clients see the benefits of paying the fees and understand that it frees them up to focus on what is most important to them.

We’re likely not a good fit if:

You have an older home (built before 1990) and/or it’s located outside of Central Park or more than 15 minutes of there. We don’t believe in the “we go anywhere and do anything” approach to business, which we think often results in a diluted, generic level of service.

Your focus is on short term cash flow over protecting and growing the value of the home long term. Clients focused on short term cash flow are more likely to be happy owning property in a less expensive area where the required investment is lower and the likely return on investment in terms of monthly cash flow is higher.

You want tight control over the small details of the management of your asset. If you struggle with this idea of giving over control of the asset to a property manager you’ll be happier self-managing it. You won’t likely be happy with Focus Real Estate or any other property manager.

You don’t care about providing a good experience for the tenants. Owners that only care about making money and don’t have empathy towards the tenants are not for us. This is a business and we run it as such, but we believe providing tenants with a good experience is good business. It keeps your property from deteriorating, it helps you avoid vacancy and it allows you to charge top dollar rents.

You are “cash flow negative” on a monthly basis. In our experience homeowners that are cash flow negative on a monthly basis are less likely to be ok with the inevitable maintenance investments that must be made as a landlord.

You don’t think repairs will be needed and don’t recognize inflation has happened. Repairs on rental properties are inevitable. Any time we’re hiring someone to do a repair we have to pay them for their time and expertise. An owner that is not a good fit sees a repair and thinks “I could have done that cheaper myself”. Yes, if you do it yourself and you don’t have any labor expense for your time you could potentially do it cheaper. Our best clients value their time and don’t’ want to to spend it on doing repairs they aren’t experienced in.

You don’t see the value in our service and aren’t ok with our fee structure. We have a team focused on property management and we provide a high level of service for the fees we charge. (You can see those services and pricing here). Our fees are what allow us to operate this business in a sustainable fashion. Clients that don’t see the value in our service and push for discounted fees are typically not our ideal clients.

Hopefully that explanation of who we work best with helps as you decide which property management company is for you! If you like what you read and think we’d work well together set up a call using the link below. We’d love to get started and manage your home for you!

Schedule a Call to Discuss Property Management

< Older Post

How Much Would My Central Park Home Rent For? We have the Cheat Sheet!

By Joe Phillips • April 16, 2025

Considering renting out a home you own in the Central Park neighborhood of Denver but not sure what it would rent for? We’ve got you covered! Check out our latest version of the Central Park Rental Rate Cheat Sheet below. At Focus Real Estate we help busy people in Central Park with their real estate needs, whether they want to buy, sell, rent or need help with property management. We focus exclusively on Central Park so we can provide our clients with a very high level of service. In this post we’ll focus on the property management side of our business, and specifically on helping you understand the rent you could expect to receive on your Central Park home. When we talk to homeowners who potentially want us to manage their home one of their first questions is naturally “What would my home rent for?”. Of course, the exact answer is dependent on a lot of factors; the time of year, the availability of other similar rental homes, the finish level of the home, the location of the home, the bedroom/bath count, the layout and more! That said, because we just focus exclusively on this area, we can provide a general rental range for homeowner’s based on their home type, and that’s exactly what we’ve done with our Central Park Rental Rate Cheat Sheet! Before we give you the cheat sheet, we want to explain a few key points: The cheat sheet is broken out by property type and includes a likely rental range for carriage homes (also called a “mother-in-law” apartment), small/large condos, small/mid/large/luxury townhomes, small/large paired homes, and small/mid/large/luxury single family homes. The rental rates in this cheat sheet assume the home is in good condition, is unfurnished, would be available for lease in ~ 12 month increments and the tenant pays all utilities. In short, these are typical long term rental rates, they are not short term rates (night by night Airbnb) or mid-term rates (30/60/90 days). Why would we give away this information? Couldn’t a homeowner take it and go rent out their own home without us as their property manager? Our goal is always to be a source of useful, good information. Sure, someone could take these rental rates and go rent out their home, but the true value of property management is really offloading all the work, headaches and details that come with it! Here is a list of all the services we provide and the pricing . If the ballpark rental rate range for you home in the Central Park Rental Rate Cheat Sheet below appeals to you, the next step would be to schedule a call with us ! In this easy, low pressure call we’ll get to know you, your goals and see if we’re a good fit to manage your property. Here is the cheat sheet, hope it’s helpful!

Unlocking Home Equity: Buy Before You Sell

March 3, 2025

Buy your next home before selling your current one! Learn how homeowners can tap into their equity, qualify without contingencies, and avoid the stress of a rushed sale with this unique financing solution. No prepayment penalties, more flexibility—find out how it works!

What is the Probability of Lead-Based Paint Pre-1978?

February 28, 2025

Learn about the history of lead-based paint and its risks based on a home's construction year. Discover why lead was once used in paint, when it was banned, and how to assess potential exposure in older homes. Read our latest blog post for key insights and EPA statistics on lead-based paint in residential properties.

Vendor Spotlight: Emerald Window Cleaning—Keeping Homes in Top Condition

February 28, 2025

Keeping a rental property in top condition requires the right professionals, and Emerald Window Cleaning is one of our trusted local vendors. With over eight years of experience, owner Luis Estrella and his team specialize in window cleaning, screen repair, and seasonal maintenance—helping homeowners and property managers maintain their properties year-round. Worn-out window screens can make a home look neglected, invite pests inside, and reduce energy efficiency. To help, Emerald Window Cleaning is offering a limited-time special—most window screens can be repaired for just $25 each. Now is the perfect time to schedule repairs before peak rental season! Beyond window services, Emerald Window Cleaning also provides gutter cleaning and Christmas light installation, making them a great resource for year-round property maintenance. Learn more about their services and how to schedule an appointment in our latest blog post!

A person is signing a document with a pen.

7 Things to Know About New Home Builder Contracts

By Joe Phillips • January 14, 2025

Building a new home in Stapleton, or any neighborhood, from the ground up can be a great experience. My family and I did it, we love our new home and I’ve been lucky enough to help other families navigate the building process as well. That said, buying new is very different from buying a resale, especially when it comes to the contract that is used. Builders have their own in-house contracts they use rather than using the Colorado approved forms, which were designed to handle resale transactions. My goal is to help buyers understand some of these differences between a builder contract and a standard resale contract. I’m a big supporter of the builders so I don’t want this to come off as negative, but these are the recurring issues that buyers ask me if they can change when they read the builder contracts. 7 Things to Know about New Home Builder Contracts: 1. Earnest money on a new build is typically much more than a resale. A builder is building a home for you and allowing you to pick all the structural upgrades and finishes. There is risk involved with that (if you fall through that next buyer may not love the green carpet you picked!) so they usually require earnest money upon signing the contract and then additional earnest money as a percentage of the finishes that are selected along the way. (amount varies by builder) 2. The buyer’s loan “out” may not be as favorable as it is on a resale. On a resale transaction in Colorado buyers can back out all the way up to their Loan Objection Deadline if they have a loan problem, typically with no loss of their earnest money. With new builds, a buyer typically has 30 -45 days to back out based on loan reasons but there are often penalties that the builder will hold back from the buyer’s earnest money. Even if they tell you there is a loan “out” be cautious and read the fine print in their contract. If the buyer’s loan falls through late in the building process the builder typically keeps the earnest money. 3. Builder contracts are not contingent upon an appraisal. Meaning if the appraisal of the home comes in low once it’s built the builder is not obligated to drop their price to match the appraisal. The lender can still lend on it but because it appraised low the buyer will have to bring more cash to the table to keep the lender happy. The buyer can’t back out if the appraisal is low, unlike a resale, without losing earnest money. 4. Builders typically give themselves 1 – 2 years to build the home per the contract. This always makes buyers nervous. They are expecting to have the home built in 8 months based on conversations with the sales staff but when it comes time to sign the contract the builders give themselves a ton of leeway and most builders say they have 2 years to build it. (I’ve never seen one last even close to 2 years) 5. Inspections on a new build are different. When you inspect your home on a resale you can back out of the deal if you find issues. If you find issues on a new build you can’t back out but they will fix them for you if you are still in the building process. (or under warranty after closing) 6. Builders do not offer a lot of flexibility for changes. Buyers should know that most builders are “production builders”, meaning they build off a preset plan they offer their clients. Builders aren’t typically set up to make a lot of custom changes, so what you see in the floor plan is what you get. “Custom” builders are the ones who serve clients who want to build something completely unique where changes are encouraged. 7. Lastly, new build contracts involve time frames that are much longer than resale ones, so buyers can’t lock their interest rates right away because lenders don’t usually lock rates that long. New home buyers will need to wait to lock their rate later in the building process. In a rising rate environment this can be nerve racking. So those are the 7 most common issues that buyers have once they review their builder contracts. Am I saying new homes are bad compared to resale? Absolutely not! They are a great fit for many of my buyers because they offer flexibility, customization and often the longer building time allows the client to sell their existing home. I just want buyers to go into the contract process knowing it will be a little different than the resale transactions they’ve done in the past. Can anything be done by buyers to negotiate on some of these items from the builder contract? I’ll give you the attorney answer….it depends! Your leverage as a buyer depends on the state of the market and currently it’s a seller’s market…so builders don’t need to be flexible on making changes for their buyers. If you don’t like their terms there are other buyers that do right now. As the market balances, and eventually shifts back to a buyer’s market (real estate is always a cycle) buyer’s will gain more power and builders will be more eager to adjust some of these contract items. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to improve the contract but I want to be upfront with clients that if they want a ton of changes made to the contract it’s not happening in the current market. Hope this has helped set the right expectations regarding some of the differences between builder contracts and resale ones. If you have questions or if I can be of service as you make your next move I’d love to help! As a Realtor I’m not affiliated with any one builder so I can show clients the new and resale market to help them find the home that fits their needs!

The front of a house with a porch and a wreath on it.

Preparing Your Rental for the Market and Why It's Worth It

By Joe Phillips • January 7, 2025

Getting a rental property ready for the market can be a complex, time-consuming process, but that’s where a Focus Real Estate comes in!

A yellow house with a porch and a fence in front of it.

3 Steps to Navigate Denver’s Residential Rental Licensing Program

By Joe Phillips • December 18, 2024

If “Get Denver Rental License” has been sitting on your “To Do” list for way too long this post can help you get it checked off! Not only will the post help you get it done, we’ll also provide you with the inspectors you need, give you tips and tricks to save you time and give you a deal that will save you money just for being a Scoop reader! We just completed the process successfully for one of our Denver rentals and we’re starting the process to help our property management clients as well. So we wouldn’t say we’re experts on this process yet, but we’ve been through it and we’ve learned some things we’ll share with you to make the process as painless as possible. As we continue to go through the process for more clients we’ll continue to update this and share what we learn. At Focus Real Estate Property Management we manage single family homes, townhomes and condos in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood and the surrounding areas. So this post is geared towards landlords that have those types of homes, it’s not geared to help those with larger multifamily properties. By the way, if you sign up with us for property management you can skip the rest of post… we’ll navigate this process for you at no extra charge, other than paying for your own inspection and license application. (Here is our Services and Pricing page .) A few quick things to cover before we jump in… First, the post should not be taken as legal advice. I’m going to share the information, tips and tricks that I’ve learned through navigating this process myself. Your property, your home inspector and your ownership structure may be different so you may have a different experience. Second, the rules for this program have been evolving and will likely continue to evolve. To make sure you’re always looking at the most current rules here is a link to Denver’s website for this program. Third, there are a few types of landlords that don’t need to do the entire process we outline below. If you have a Certificate of Occupancy from the last 4 years (which means your home is less than 4 years old) you’re exempt! You’d still need to go through the application part of the process but you can skip the first 2 steps below. Also, if you only rent your property out for less than 30 days at a time you don’t need this license, you need a short term rental license. Ok, for the rest of you… let’s get your Denver rental license done! 3 Steps to Get Your Denver Rental License We’ve broken the process into three main steps, which are outlined below. In each step we’ll include some tips and tricks based on our experiences. It’s important that you go through the 3 steps in the correct order or you can waste time and money. Note: If you get stuck during the process, we recently learned of a resource that could help. Go to this page on the city website and then scroll down on the right you’ll see “Schedule a virtual appointment (Microsoft Teams)”. (See screenshot below). You can choose a 15 or 30 minute time slot where they will meet with you virtually and get you through the process.

Three houses are lined up next to each other on a lush green lawn.

New Wee Cottages in Central Park

By Stephanie Airman • November 13, 2024

New “Wee Cottages” in Central Park – And 3 BIG Incentives for Buyers!

A large gray house with a porch and a lot of windows

Considerations for Owners When Determining the Best Rental Rate

By Joe Phillips • October 16, 2024

At Focus, we understand that your rental property is an investment and that setting the right price is important for optimizing your potential profit. Determining the best rental rate for a property can be challenging. Setting the rental rate too low will hurt your bottom line. Conversely, charging a high premium compared to similar properties in the area can lead to longer tenant vacancy, which is also costly and affects your bottom line more than you might suspect. This document shares information about: How Focus helps you determine the rental price sweet spot, Factors to consider in the pricing process – including the cost of vacancy, and How Focus’ processes are designed to proactively command top dollar. Focus’ Rental Rate Estimate Ultimately, the final rental rate decision is up to you as the owner. That said, as your property manager, Focus will complete and send you a rental analysis and estimated rental rate. Our rental analysis takes into account several factors such as: Rates for comparable properties looking at: Active and leased comparable properties on the MLS, which is the site that real estate brokers access to help clients buy and sell homes. Rental data is less prevalent in this system compared to “for sale” property data, but some rental data exists, and we comb through it to leverage what we can. Rental rates for properties on Zillow. The Zillow “Rent Zestimate,” which is what Zillow thinks the property could rent for. Redfin’s Rental Estimate, which looks at aggregate rental data and presents an estimate of the fair market rental value of an individual home. Level of market demand and lease-up time that we are seeing based upon: Overall market conditions (driven by numerous factors such as rental saturation, seasonality, and interest rates) and Rentals similar to yours (size, location, pet policy, amenities, etc.). Your pet policy since allowing pets opens up the prospective tenant pool, can decrease time on the market, and can decrease tenant turnover. The Cost of Vacancy Despite the rental analysis, some owners are torn on whether to charge “just a bit more” on their rental property. For this reason, we want to outline some important considerations in making the final rental rate decision because charging too high of a premium compared to similar properties in the area can lead to longer tenant vacancy, which can be costly. In fact, the cost of vacancy can, at times, quickly offset the benefit of “just a bit more” rent. Let’s break this down a bit by listing some of the tangible costs of vacancy: Lost rent (which we often see in the range of $3,000 to $4,000 in our portfolio) Re-leasing fee costs, which is half of the lease’s first month’s rent Tenant turnover costs, which includes maintenance that inevitably pops up between tenants and is necessary to get the property ready to re-lease Your property carry costs, which includes your mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities, etc. The lost rent alone is significant. If “just a bit more” rent results in your property being on the rental market for longer, it could take months (or even years) for the higher rent to make up for the cost of prolonged vacancy. To bring this to light, below is an example where, if you chose to increase the rent by $100 more / month and that caused the home to be on the market for an extra 2 weeks, it would take 1.3 years for the higher rent to make up the cost of vacancy. If the leasing took 4 extra weeks, it would take over 2 years for the higher rent to make up for the cost of vacancy.

Denver Real Estate Market: 3 Key Insights for Buyers

By Joe Phillips • September 18, 2024

Part of our job as Realtors is helping our clients and the Central Park neighborhood in general informed on market trends. In this quick post I’m going to take a look at the September Market Report provided by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (“DMAR”) and provide you with three key take-aways for potential homebuyers. Although this report, which our trade association puts out monthly, is focused on the Denver market in general, we’re seeing the exact same trends playing out in Central Park, the neighborhood we focus on. Before we jump into the 3 key take-aways for buyers below, I wanted to give you the full DMAR Market Trends Report in case you like to jump into the details! 1. Inventory of Homes Continues to Climb The Denver metro area is experiencing a significant increase in housing inventory. In September, active listings rose to 9,163, marking a 10.49% increase from August and a substantial 29.33% jump from last year. This trend is excellent news for buyers, as it means: More home options to choose from. I feel like we’ve been talking about tight inventory for a decade in Denver, so increased inventory is a sight for sore eyes for buyers. If you were one of the buyers that eventually gave up or paused your search until the competition died down, now may be that time. (Side note: I promised to never be the Realtor saying “it’s a great time to buy” so I’m just going to say it’s a less competitive time to buy!) Potentially less competition for desirable properties. Those homes that used toget snatched up in a day, or even before a home was listed, are largely gone. The absolute best ones still go fast, but you do have time to see it, gather your thoughts andmake an intentional decision. A shift towards a more balanced market Sellers have had the upper hand in negotiations for a long time. With the increased inventory, buyers have more options which equates to more leverage. Buyers may have more say than in the past on price, terms, leasebacks, closing dates, etc. What this means for Buyers : With more homes available, you have a better chance of finding a property that meets your specific needs and preferences. Take advantage of this increased inventory by thoroughly exploring your options. 2. Prices Are Stabilizing While home prices in Denver remain high, we’re seeing signs of stabilization. The median close price for detached single-family homes in September was $610,000, showing a slight decrease of 1.61% from August. This indicates that the market is becoming more buyer-friendly. Key price indicators: Median close price (detached): $610,000 Median close price (attached): $390,000 Average close price (all properties): $624,185 What this means for you : As a buyer, you may find more room for negotiation and potentially better value for your investment. However, it’s crucial to act decisively when you find a property you love, as good deals may still attract multiple offers. Your experienced local agent (we’d love to help if Central Park is your desired market!) can help you assess the situation when you see a home, gauge the potential competition and help you decide how aggressive you need to be in your negotiations with the seller. 3. Properties Are Staying on the Market Longer The average number of days on market for properties in the Denver metro area has increased to 27 days, up from 23 days in August. This trend suggests that: Buyers have more time to make informed decisions. There’s less pressure to make rushed offers. You used to have to jump on a property with an offer the same day you see it. That is now always the case. You may have more leverage in negotiations What this means for Buyers : Take advantage of this slower pace by conducting thorough due diligence on properties you’re interested in. Don’t feel pressured to make hasty decisions, but remember that well-priced, attractive homes can still sell quickly. In conclusion, the Denver real estate market, and Central Park in our experience, is showing signs of becoming more balances after a long 10 year run of being a “sellers market”. Buyers and sellers now have a very balanced amount of leverage in negotiations, which will feel real refreshing for any buyer that was trying to purchase a home in the past white hot market days. With increased inventory, stabilizing prices, and longer days on market, you have a great opportunity to find your ideal home under less stressful conditions. As always, I’m here to guide you through the process and help you make the most of these market conditions. My contact info is below. Happy house hunting!

Is Focus Real Estate the Right Fit for Your Property Management Needs?