In the upcoming blogs, we are going to take a look at a case study called Sunnyvale Manor and it is very similar to any number of rental properties managed in San Diego. Sunnyvale Manor is a 610 unit apartment complex located in the suburbs of San Diego. It covers a little over six acres of land. The style is a series of two-story garden apartments comprised of 61 buildings approximately 40 years old and is managed by a San Diego rental property management company. Most of the buildings face a similar building, the two forming bookends and enclosing a courtyard. There is a laundry room for each pair of buildings, and no pools in the complex. Managers and maintenance people have to travel the complex on golf carts because the community spans several city blocks. It has been owned by a partnership for approximately twenty years.

For the purpose of this blog, Sunnyvale Manor is managed by The Property Management Boutique, a large property management firm specializing in residential apartment units. Margaret Jones is one of the on-site managers of the complex that utilizes more than twenty full-time employees. Margaret is a mature woman in her 40's who lives in one of the units in the complex. She has prepared herself well for her current position, taking courses in property management from the local community college, taking the required courses to ear the Certified Apartment Manager designation from the National Apartment Association, and attending Fair Housing meetings and legal workshops pertaining to property management. She is also in the process of getting her real estate license. Her preparation and maturity have earned her a "no nonsense" reputation and she is often assigned the more unpleasant duties for on-site managers, including handling tenant complaints and collecting the rent.

Over the next week or so we will be doing a more in-depth case study of Margaret and Sunnyvale Manor, so stay tuned!