When looking to invest hard-earned dollars, many people turn to real estate. While there certainly is value in investing in residential property, there are also a few challenges as well. One of the biggest factors to consider is overall management. Who will manage the property and be responsible for all the day-to-day tasks of ensuring that the property doesn’t have many vacancies, meets standards and codes, as well as meets the needs of the tenants? Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for residential and commercial customers, as such it is common for us to get weekly inquiries on what we can offer our clients in terms of property management. The first two questions that prospective clients often ask are: how much does it cost and what do your services include? Although rates vary across Canada, typical costs for full-service property management range from five to seven per cent of gross rent. In terms of services, many companies will provide property owners with some or all of the following services as part of the monthly fees: Advertising and showing the vacant units to prospective tenants Screening applicants Collecting security deposits (held in a trust account) Completing the tenancy agreement and move in condition report Annual inspections Arranging work orders for routine and non-routine maintenance i.e. snow and garbage removal, grass cutting, as well as repairs within the units Collecting rent on a monthly basis and following up on arrears Management of the accounts payable function and purchase order system including disbursements with dual signatory controls Providing monthly financial reporting Obtaining approval from investors for large planned capital projects (roofs, exterior building renovations or suite redevelopment) with proposed timelines and budgets Management of tenant concerns and any Residential Tenancy Branch issues and filings Completion of move out condition reports and make ready work orders. A value-added service that we offer through Vionell Holdings is the use of a national listing platform called Rent Café. This platform is integrated into our company website which allows prospective tenants to view units that are available in real time. This portal also completes much of the residential screening process and can give certain tenants immediate approval for an apartment, provided their credentials meet the criteria that was pre-determined for tenant approval. If you are in search of a property management company and are able to come to an agreement on the terms of the monthly service fee, other important questions to ask the company as part of the screening process are: Do they have staff on call to handle emergencies? Are they licensed by the Manitoba Securities Commission? Are there any extra fees or service charges not included in the management fee? When will transfers from the trust account be deposited into my bank account? It’s important to build a good relationship with the property management company of your choosing and ensure that expectations of both parties are clearly outlined. If you have any further questions about residential property mmanagement, please connect with Jason Roblin at Vionell Holdings.   Vionell Holdings Partnership currently has over 3,500 units under management in Manitoba. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca.

The Wheat City Family Expo, a FREE family event, showcasing entertainment, local vendors, crafters, businesses and more, will be held in the Keystone Centre's Manitoba Room on Saturday, April 28.  The event scheduled to take place from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm features a wide variety of vendors (more than 50) ready to introduce their products to you including Sunset Gourmet, Prairie Kids Co., Baby & Beyond, Soak Soap Company & Tiber River Naturals. In addition to the vendors organizers have lined up a series of different activities to entertain children making the event something for the whole family to enjoy.  Sprinkles the Clown, face painting, bouncy castles, and Karl Heinz-The Bubble Man are among the featured entertainment scheduled. As an added bonus 300 goodie bags will be made available to the first 300 families through the door. The bags  will be filled with samples, coupons, special offers and goodies from some of their wonderful vendors. For more information on the event, and a list of confirmed vendors, please follow this link.

Neelin High School will be celebrating their 60-year anniversary this summer (May 18 & 19) with a number of events planned for the reunion.  Among the events on the agenda is a Reunion Social to held at The 40 featuring live music from The 204, The Middle Coast, and LANIKAI.  Each of the bands feature at least one alumni graduate from Neelin.  Brandon's favorite party DJ, DJ Red will also be making an appearance. Other activities planned over the two day celebration include an Alumni Girls volleyball game and a Men's Alumni basketball game.  Volunteer students, staff and alumni will be hosting short tours of the school and the Choir Alumni will be holding a 50th Anniversary Reunion Concert at the First Presbyterian Church on Saturday the 19th. Neelin High School first opened it's doors in 1957.  For more information on the reunion, and the events planned, please visit their web site at this link.

In my last article, I explored the possibility of micro-apartments in the Brandon market and if current renters or potential renters were keen and ready for this type of living arrangement. From the feedback that we received (which was very much appreciated), readers suggested that smaller apartments would indeed be welcome, however, most suggested that they should have one private bathroom and some commented that they would only be interested if the units had private laundry facilities. Based on this criteria, a design could be drafted to keep the units under 500 square feet, which is quite a bit smaller than most apartments. With building and land costs at the current level, we could potentially add these units to the market for a monthly rental rate of just under $900 per month. We want to be cognizant of the fact, however, that Manitoba Housing has set affordable housing rates in Brandon at $640 per month, plus hydro for a one-bedroom apartment (https://www.gov.mb.ca/housing/progs/pil.html).   So, the question now becomes: is there value to having a newer and smaller place for $900 per month compared to living in an older place that might have shared laundry that offers more space?   In the end, the main issue that is identified after exploring all these options is that there are very few options to add affordable housing units, as defined by the Province of Manitoba, to the market that features all the amenities and basic requirements that people look for in an apartment.   We will, however, continue to keep a finger on the pulse of the market and try to offer variations in what is currently available in the area for rental accommodations.   In addition, we are also interested in what potential customers would like to see for multi-family accommodations. Our goal would be to meet and exceed expectations in terms of what people would like to see in our community to meet the needs of their living accommodations when larger families are involved.   With this in mind, we are very excited about adding more three-bedroom units at The Groves, Brandon’s newest townhouse community in the south end, which has already been very well received. We are also looking forward to the completion of The Summit, a new Life Lease Community on the North Hill, that has been popular in the pre-lease phase. Units at The Summit will be available later this fall.   Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management. VHP currently has over 3,500 units under management in Manitoba. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca.

The annual Westman Dreams for Kids Children's Country Fair will be held this year on Sunday, June 3.  The one day festival takes place at the Kirkcaldy Heights School from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Children's Country Fair is a free event for families in Westman.   This year's Children's Country fair is sure to be an amazing time with something to do for everyone of all ages.  Organizers have a pile of activities planned, with some wonderful new supporters joining them.   Ty Worthington, from Tag-Em Entertainment, will be there this summer with some exciting new bouncers including Bumper Cars, Hungry Hippo, Leaps and Bounds, Laser Tag and more!! Other things to see and do include: - Live entertainment all day long - Face Painting - Ricklyn Farms Petting Zoo - Gentrice Farms Hay Rides - Fun Time Pottery Painting - Hair By KG be-dazzling all the little princesses - Just for Kidz Scavenger Hunt - Crossfit Rocked Obstacle Course - Brandon Boxing Club Boxing Ring demonstration and get in the ring - Brandon Fire & Emergency Services - Brandon City Police - Mini U Archery Tag   Toddler Town, a special section for the smallest supporters will be also be featured on this day.   Along with these events, organizers say that there is more in the works as well.   If you would like to join Westman Dreams for Kids with an activity, or as a stage performer, give them a call at 729-8898 or e-mail wdfk@mymts.net.