Tanya Chappell Broker/Owner is a CPM (Certified Property Manager) with over 27 years of experience in the Gainesville and surrounding areas. She founded Secure Investments Realty over 3 years ago and has been managing and growing the company ever since. This video will hopefully help you get to know Tanya more. Enjoy!
“As the Owner of Investment properties I know first hand the importance of proactive and effective marketing and management of the property and the relationships involved.”
”In my free time I enjoy playing beach volleyball, traveling, practicing Pilates and Yoga and spending time at my home with my friends and family.”
You can visit our web site to learn more about Secure Investments at www.j4c.e2f.myftpupload.com
Video Transcript
Laura: Hi, I am Laura from Secure Investments Realty. We are joined today by our broker and owner Tanya Chappell. We are going to ask her a couple questions so that you can get to know her a little better. Tanya, can you tell us a little bit about your experience in property management?
Tanya: Sure, I have been managing properties since I was 16 years old. I started in an apartment community doing leasing as a leasing assistant. I have now been in the business for 25 years. I have done single-family homes, condos, and some commercial properties.
Laura: In all of those years of experience, what do you think is the key to success in property management?
Tanya: Well, it really starts with the property. You have to have a property that is in good condition. If you are trying to rent properties in poor condition, then you are going to attract poor tenants. We try to make sure the inventory we have is in good condition, no matter the price range. Secondly, the tenant screening is also important. We do a credit check and a background check and we verify their previous rental history and make sure their income is at least 3 times the monthly rent.
Laura: In your 25 years of experience, you have stayed in it long enough to obviously have a knack for it or like it, what do you enjoy most about it?
Tanya: I think I have both actually; I have a knack for it but I also really like it. What I enjoy most is being able to alleviate that stress from the home owner. Renting properties is a scary thing especially if it is a property we are attached to. It is usually an investment for our future or a place we raised family in. It is a scary thing to rent it out! To do it correctly, you do have to be organized and put systems in place so that the property is protected. It really brings me joy to take that stress off of owners knowing that their property is being protected.
Laura: As you have developed through the years, how have you stayed on top of trends and laws in property management?
Tanya: We are in Atlanta right now. Notice the beautiful background. We are at Centennial Park where the 1996 Olympics were held. We are at a NARPM convention which is the National Association of Residential Property Managers. We have spent the last week getting educated and staying on top of trends and laws. I am also a Certified Property Manager through the the Institute of Real Estate Management. That designation takes many years to get. Also I am very active with the Board of Realtors. I am currently vice president for the multiple listing service and I chair several committees. Through these organizations, we are able to stay up-to-date with laws and trends and make sure we are finding the tools that really help us succeed.
Laura: That is good to hear! One of the trends that has come up in property management is technology. How have you used that in your company to make it more streamlined?
Tanya: I am so fortunate for the technology that has come out. When I first started doing property management, we were using the tenant ledger system on a cardboard piece of paper. Now it has really streamlined our company. It makes us more efficient. We do videos of our properties so people can view the videos online. They can then apply online. We get an email when we get an application with just a few clicks we can do the credit check and everything we need to do. We have a tenant and owner portal which allows the tenants to go online and submit maintenance requests so we can quickly job it out to one of our vendors. It allows the owners to go online and look at their cash flow statements or even if they need to pay a bill, they can go online and do that. Technology has really allowed us to have more time to effectively manage the property. We are able to put more energy into the communications we have with people because we are not bogged down in the details.
Laura: It sounds like you work hard so I am assuming you play hard. What do you do outside of the office to relax?
Tanya: Most people who know me know I have a little bit of a volleyball habit. I like playing beach volleyball. I prefer to play 3 days a week although right now at my age, my body prefers I play one day a week. To combat that I do yoga. I teach yoga as well as practice it. I do the Asauna practice every day as well as the mindfulness and philosophy of yoga – mindfulness, meditation, and prayer. And I enjoy spending time with my family. I have grand kids and any chance I get we are all together, usually outdoors doing something.
Laura She has cute grand kids by the way. She left that adjective out. As an Alachua County resident, what are some of your favorite Gainesville spots?
Tanya: I really like the hustle and bustle of downtown. We are loving it here in Atlanta. It is so exciting; there is a lot of culture and a lot of diversity. Downtown Gainesville offers that as well. Right now they are really putting a lot of effort into redoing the Bo Diddley Plaza where we have free outside concerts. Apart from that I love the springs. They are very close in High Springs and Alachua. We like floating down the Ichnetucknee River and paddle boarding in Ginnie Springs.
Laura: Outdoor Sports are the best. We have such good weather year round that you can’t really be held back. You can basically find anything to do no matter the season. Thanks for sitting down with us Tanya and sharing a little more about yourself. If you all are interested in learning more about our company, you can visit our web site at www.j4c.e2f.myftpupload.com. Thanks for joining us!