Blog
Advice for owners, renters, buyers and sellers
Practical, plain-English guides from Chris Twiggs and the Blair Allen Property Management team.
Decorating Your Rental for Halloween and the Holidays Without Losing Your Deposit
Should I Hire a Property Manager in Rapid City?
Who Pays the Buyer’s Agent Now? How Commissions and Offers Work in South Dakota
Buying a Home in Winter? What an Inspection Can (and Can't) See Under the Snow
Property Management Fees Explained: What Rental Owners Are Actually Paying For
Getting a Billings Rental Ready for Winter: Snow, Heat, and Frozen Pipes
Buy vs. Rent in Rapid City
Frozen Pipes 101: What Black Hills Renters Should Do Before (and During) a Cold Snap
Year-End Checklist for Landlords: What to Gather Before December 31
Replace, Line, or Hope? How We Decide on a Big Sewer Repair
Should You Sell or Rent Out Your House When You Move?
Mice Move In When It Gets Cold: How to Keep Rodents Out of Your Rental This Fall
Is South Dakota Landlord-Friendly? What Out-of-State Investors Should Know
Boring Is Profitable: Our Best Rentals Are the Ones We Never Hear From
Montana Landlord-Tenant Basics for Billings Owners
Let Tenants Pay to Break the Lease
What We Find When We Take Over a Property (and How We Fix the Last Manager's Shortcuts)
What an Eviction Actually Costs in South Dakota
The True Cost of a Vacant Rental (and How to Keep Your Days on Market Short)
Who Shovels the Sidewalk? Snow Removal Rules for Rapid City Rentals
Is a Property Manager Worth It, or Should You DIY? The Honest Math
You Don't Want the Tenant Who's Willing to Overpay
12 Questions to Ask a Property Manager Before You Sign
Property Manager Not Responding? Why It’s So Common, and How We Do It Differently
How to Switch Property Management Companies (Without Upsetting Your Tenants)
Please Put In the Maintenance Request
Winterizing a Rental in the Black Hills: The Owner's October Checklist
Late Rent Is Contagious: How One Lax Manager Can Wreck an Entire Property
What Is Holdover Rent?
What to Do When a Tenant Passes Away
The Tenant Horror Story Hall of Fame
The CO Detector That Probably Saved a Tenant's Life
Why Tenant Screening Is About to Get a Lot More Invasive
Why We Never Let Tenants Attempt Their Own Repairs
Lawn Care in Small Multifamily: A Bigger Headache Than Most Owners Expect
Why We Won't Just Hand Out Vendor Referrals to the Lowest Bidder
How to Actually Price Your Rental (And What Happens When You Get It Right)
Why We Turn Down Owners
The Cost of a Bad Listing Photo
Renters Insurance: Why It's Required, and What It Actually Covers
The Complaints We Actually Hear — And What We Do About Each One
What Actually Makes a Property Management Company Worth the Fee
How to Move Out the Right Way (And Get Your Full Deposit Back)
How to Be a Good Tenant (And Why It Actually Pays Off)
How to Be a Strong Rental Applicant (Especially When Competition Is High)
Why Rent Goes Up Even When Nothing Changed
What Actually Happens During a Routine Inspection
Best Practices to Avoid Eviction
Lessons We've Learned the Hard Way: A Property Manager's Rule Book
The Biggest Competition for Single-Family Landlords Isn't Another House
The High-Risk Items That Belong in Your Lease's Ban List
Unauthorized Pets and Subletting: Protecting Your Property Without Losing Good Tenants
Maintenance Requests: Turning Tenant Complaints into Retention Wins
What Is a Co-Signer? (And How It's Different From a Lease Signer or an Occupant)
Security Deposit Disputes: How to Avoid the #1 Landlord-Tenant Fight
9 Common Lease Terms Every Renter Should Actually Understand
The Maintenance Items Everyone Forgets (Until They're Expensive)
Reading the Room: Why the Best Vendors Know When to Splurge and When to Save
It Never Pays to Overprice Your Rental
Rental Scams Are Everywhere Right Now — Here's How to Protect Yourself
What Maintenance Actually Costs: 12 Real Calls From Our Properties
Your Rental Is a Perishable Product (And Most Owners Manage It Like It Isn't)
The Accidental Landlord: What to Do When Renting Wasn't the Plan
What Your Rent Actually Pays For
What Good Tenant Screening Actually Catches (That a Credit Score Doesn't)
How Much Deferred Maintenance Is Hiding in Your Rental? (A Checklist)
Why We Don't Manage Short-Term Rentals (And Who We Send Them To)
What Tenants Actually Notice: Self-Managed vs. Professionally Managed
What We Find When We Take Over a Professionally Managed Property
Have a question we haven't covered?
Ask Chris directly. Owners can also start with a free, honest rental analysis.