Making Progress...

As a small start up management company in Kansas City, I have to say that I feel overwhelmingly blessed with the direction we have chosen to grow. Our vision has always been to "Manage Properties For A Greater Purpose" and that purpose started with Uganda. It's exciting to now also be working with a few local organizations and use our resources to potentially help the homeless of Kansas City and provide consulting and housing for families in the Urban Core.

Meridian is turning a corner with our 4th quarter goals...the need for responsible property management throughout the metro area has called us to find a more well-rounded team to provide safe and clean homes for the people of Kansas City. 

So here we go!!!

We identified that Kansas City has an enormous inventory of abandoned or foreclosed homes that just need some TLC, the problem was finding the right contractors that would provide an honest service for the work needed that would stay within the desirable ROI. 

After months of searching...we are excited to have Travis Thonen with Midwest Comfort Homes provide project management for those investors. MCH has done a tremendous job with our clients by providing them a clear detailed scope of work, progress pictures throughout the time line and a sense of trust that our clients investments are being taken care of, NOT taken advantage of...

We have also seen the need to combat the nuisance notices our investors are receiving daily. Due to tremendous rain fall this past spring and throughout the summer, lawn care has been a constant struggle. Meridian has contracted an individual who is specializing in yard clean up only for our metro homes. Tree trimming, landscaping, mowing and trash haul off is incredibly important not only to keep the city happy, but also to increase property values. We recommend our investors to allow our team to do a clean up in the spring and again in the fall so that the resident does not feel overwhelmed and can then maintain the mowing easily if it falls under their responsibility. Investors who take pride in their homes and show residents that they care enough to provide this service flows over to the resident who then understand our expectations to keep the home maintained. 

Growing our inventory and defining these new services while also maintaining our customer service level has been a welcoming struggle. We are blessed to have a group of clients that have been patient and understanding knowing that we are customizing our services to ultimately benefit them. The end goal has always been to provide a consistent level of communication to both investors and residents. In order to accomplish that task Meridian has added several in-house team members to handle the work load. We welcomed Cindy Wallace as the Director of Maintenance in late April as well as Jamie Allen our new Regional Property Manager in July. We've also contracted a new maintenance technician, Clayton Allen, with C & J Property Maintenance.  It is a blessing to be working with a group of individuals who supports Meridian's vision!! 

There will be more changes to come in the 4th quarter of 2015- including more consulting services for clients wishing to buy and sell their investments. We look forward to growing a business that is willing to address the needs of our clients! 

If you are an investor looking for a common sense approach to managing property...check out our services!!

 http://www.meridianpropertysolutions.com/management-services.html

Crystal Vaughn

Owner/Managing Broker

Meridian Realty & Property Management 

#ManagingPropertiesForAGreaterPurpose

#HugYourLandlord

For more information about the  and our involvement with Uganda Missions...

http://www.heartsandhope.org/blog/why-i-go-by-crystal-vaughn

Before & After Pictures for our Urban Core Properties....

Business As Mission Model

2014 was such an amazing year for our team! I would like to personally thank all the amazing investors and residents that allowed Meridian to exceed our goal of acquiring 100 properties in less than 4 quarters!

As we move in to the new year we have realized there is a true need for reliable contractors for the hundreds of rehabs in the Urban Core of Kansas City. Investors are choosing the Kansas City market for the incredible cap rates and availability of homes to purchase in bulk...the problem is the renovation of the homes for suitable living. Every contractor seems to have their own idea of what is acceptable "move in" conditions. An investor may buy a rehab property for 15K after being told another 10K would get the home to an acceptable condition for a renter to move in. The problem is that they are not the ones who are having to market the property nor are they the ones being called a few months down the road when there is major maintenance to be performed. It is amazingly frustrating as a property manager to be asked to market property that is not in acceptable condition. Market rates for rentals are at an all time high, even in the less than desirable neighborhoods. Putting logical and smart improvements to your property is going to benefit everyone...new windows, upgrading furnaces and roof repairs may be expensive up front costs, but down the road they are going to attract long term residents and minimize turn over costs. There are so many wonderful neighborhoods in the Kansas City area that just need a little TLC. Recently, we sent our amazing lawn care company to a home that was starting the rehab process. The home had not been touched in several year so it took several mows and a lot of trimming up to even get the yard in decent shape. The owner of the company called me that day and said by the time they were finished the neighbors were applauding them for finally cleaning up the home. This showed me that there is still residents that take pride in their homes...even if it is a rental...and that Kansas City has the ability to improve these neighborhoods, one yard and at time...one rehab at a time.

Meridian is looking to focus on the renovation process this year in hopes to find solutions for the lack of full service contracting specifically for the Urban Core. We hope to be able to provide a service that gives out of town investors confidence and security in their investments while also giving our management and leasing team a product that can be easily marketed. We want to be the solution to distressed communities such as the Urban Core,  by providing safe and clean homes for every resident. We want to work with non-profits, government agencies and churches to help people find reasonably priced homes in neighborhoods were residents care about their community. In order to accomplish this, we must match the right contractors with investors that understand the bigger picture of Kansas City's neighborhoods and work together to make a difference...to work our business as a mission....

For more information on our Business As Mission plan contact Crystal with Meridian Realty & Property Management!
816-463-3000
www.meridianpropertysolutions.com