FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions owners and clients ask most — answered plainly.
- What kinds of property do you manage?
- Residential — single-family homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and apartment buildings, generally from one unit up to about 25. I also manage commercial and industrial property, with a specialty in industrial condos.
- What does property management cost?
- Here's my typical structure, and 'typical' is the operative word — I flex it to fit the property. Management fee: 6% of the monthly rent I collect, $300/month minimum, and more negotiable on higher-rent properties. Leasing fee: typically 6% of the first year's gross rent, and more negotiable on higher-rent units; I don't charge for residential renewals — after year one the lease simply goes month-to-month at no extra charge. Technology fee: $6.50 per unit per month to host your property on our management software. Evictions: handled case by case (TBD depending on the situation), with the owner responsible for all applicable legal fees. Unit turns / renovations: for major remodel work — a new kitchen or bathroom, say — an overhead charge of 3–6% of the project cost ($2,000 minimum); I don't charge for normal turnover items like paint, flooring, and cleaning. No setup charge, a one-year typical term, and a 30-day out anytime. If you're not happy, I'm not happy. Want real numbers for your property? A quick call and I'll lay it out.
- How do you screen tenants?
- Thoroughly — credit, income and employment verification, rental history, and references, plus a simple online search (you can glean a lot, especially when there's a public social-media trail). I weigh a solid, stable work history more heavily than any income-times-rent formula; I'd rather place someone with a strong track record than someone who just clears a math test on paper. The objective is a well-qualified tenant who pays on time, takes care of the place, and isn't a nuisance, so I'd rather take a little longer up front than inherit a problem.
- How quickly do you fill a vacancy?
- Residential vacancies usually fill in under two weeks. Commercial and industrial vary with the market.
- How and when do I get paid as an owner?
- I collect and deposit rents monthly, then pay you the following month. For example: in the first week of July I pay out your share of June's collected rent (my fee comes out then too) and reconcile the June account; by around the 10th you get your full June owner packet and distribution. Everything runs through an online portal, so you can see statements and accounting anytime.
- Do you handle maintenance and repairs?
- Yes — maintenance, repairs, and full or partial unit upgrades through a network of vetted vendors, and you pay the vendor's cost with no markup from me. SC Properties also has a full-time maintenance tech, Jay, who tenants love: $95/hour plus a $25 trip charge and supplies. That's not a profit center — it's a convenience. These days, just getting someone to show up at your property for under $250 is a challenge. For anything above $500 I check with you first, and early in a new relationship I'll often check in below that too, since you know your property and may already know the best way to handle it.
- Will you raise my rents?
- Yes, when it makes sense. I track the market and bring rents to fair market within the law, including any rent-cap rules that apply. I'm not looking to land in the San Mateo Daily Journal for hiking an elderly tenant's rent — but with rising costs and statewide rent control, steady, sensible increases matter, both for your income now and for the property's value when it's time to sell.
- Do you handle evictions?
- Evictions are rare with my tenants, because I put the work in at the screening stage so it doesn't come to that. If one is needed, I have good attorneys who handle the process, and I stay involved to facilitate it.
- Do you manage HOA associations?
- No. I manage individual condominium units within HOA communities for owners and investors — not the HOA association itself.
- What makes you different from a big property-management company?
- You work directly with me — someone who picks up the phone and treats your property like my own. Managing property today is increasingly stressful, litigious, and cumbersome; I take that off your plate.
- What size properties do you take on?
- Single-family up to about 25 units on the residential side, plus industrial and commercial.
- What areas do you cover?
- My core area is San Mateo, Burlingame, Millbrae, Foster City, Belmont, and San Carlos — closest to my San Mateo office — and I work from South San Francisco down to Menlo Park. I keep what I manage within about a 45-minute drive so I can get to a property fast if there's ever an issue.
- Do you work with industrial condos?
- Yes — it's a specialty. I manage, lease, and sell industrial condos and commercial/warehouse space, much of it NNN, with a focus on the San Carlos Industrial Park. (I currently manage a 50,000-square-foot warehouse on Wattis Way in South San Francisco.)
- Can you help me sell or lease my industrial unit?
- Yes — I represent owners and tenants on leasing, and buyers and sellers on sales. Many of my clients bought their unit as an owner-user and later turned it into an investment; I understand both sides of that.
- Do you handle NNN leases?
- Yes — much of my industrial and commercial work is NNN, on both the landlord and tenant side. Lease types trip a lot of people up — gross, NNN, full-service — so I walk owners through how each one works, the pros and cons, and which fits their property best.
- Do you work with trusts and estates?
- Yes. I work regularly with trust officers at banks and law firms, and with professional fiduciaries, managing and selling real estate held in trusts and estates. I also sponsor regular meetings for the Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC).
- Can you handle a property in a complicated situation — litigation, a family dispute, multiple beneficiaries?
- Yes. I act as a neutral, professional third party, executing the fiduciary's objectives while keeping discretion, clear communication, and a practical approach — even with difficult or emotional parties.
- Do you sell homes, or only manage them?
- Both. I'm a licensed REALTOR® and represent buyers and sellers across the Peninsula, right alongside the management practice. We get pigeonholed as 'just property management' because we do so much of it, but we handle plenty of sales — often for properties we already manage. That's a smooth path: a sale can be disruptive for tenants, and because we've kept a good relationship with everyone, having us carry it through usually works in everyone's favor.
- I inherited a property — should I sell it or rent it out?
- It depends on your goals, the property, and the timing — and I can walk you through both paths honestly, since I do both. I'll always tell you to talk to your accountant first so you understand the tax implications before you decide. No pressure either way.
- Can you help me buy on the Peninsula?
- Yes — I represent buyers across the Peninsula, from South San Francisco to Menlo Park.
- Who will I actually be working with?
- The Guglielmi Group is Andrew Guglielmi (REALTOR® & property manager) and Bob Guglielmi (REALTOR® & property manager), both with SC Properties. As the younger of the two, I handle much of the day-to-day, while Bob — with decades of experience — leans into the big-picture calls; he's a sharp critical thinker, an excellent problem-solver, and a genuinely great negotiator. You work directly with us — no call center, and we won't hand you off to team members you've never met. You deal with us.
- How do I get started?
- The easiest first step is a quick call — (650) 398-0281 — or the contact form. We'll talk about your property, your timing, and the numbers, and go from there. No pressure, no obligation.
- How responsive are you?
- Very. Responsiveness, honesty, and clear communication are the whole approach, and they don't change. You'll be able to reach me directly.