Blog
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Cap Rate vs. Cash-on-Cash Return: Which Number Should Guide Your Next Purchase?
Two investors can look at the exact same rental property and calculate two completely different “returns” — and both of them can be right. Cap…
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Orange County Market Report: Aliso Viejo & Anaheim
This is the first in an ongoing series covering every city in Orange County — two cities at a time, so owners can see how…
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Why Every Real Estate Investor’s Goal Is Different — And Why That Should Change Your Recommendation
Not every investor wants the same thing — and treating them like they do is one of the most common mistakes an agent can make.…
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Are You Making These Common Lease Violation Mistakes?
A lease violation — unauthorized pets, an extra occupant who isn’t on the lease, late rent that’s becoming a pattern — is stressful enough on…
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AppFolio Owner Portal: What It Means for You as a Smart One Client
Smart One Property Management has moved to AppFolio, one of the property management industry’s leading software platforms, to power how we manage your property and…
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Self-Managing vs. Hiring a Property Manager: A Cost-Benefit Breakdown
The management fee is the easiest number to compare when you’re weighing self-managing vs. hiring a property manager — and it’s also the least useful…
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Buyers Are Sitting on the Sidelines. Here’s What That Means for Rental Owners.
Mortgage purchase applications are down 5% compared to this time last year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey for the period ending August…
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Maintenance Coordination: Why DIY Landlords Get Burned
A maintenance request seems simple enough: something breaks, you find someone to fix it, the tenant’s happy, you move on. In practice, that’s where a…
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FSBO Is Nearly Extinct. Here’s What Sellers Are Really Paying For.
Agent use among home sellers hit 91% in 2025, matching the highest share ever recorded, according to the National Association of Realtors’ Profile of Home…
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The National Rental Vacancy Rate Is 7.3%. Orange County’s Isn’t Even Close.
Every quarter, the Census Bureau publishes a national rental vacancy rate, and every quarter it gets treated as a stand-in for “the rental market.” In…