Real Estate Associates, Inc. (REA) continues to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak and is closely watching CDC recommendations in addition to recommendations from industry groups/resources who we trust and rely on.
In order to protect our staff, residents and owners, REA’s main and community offices are open to the public by appointment only. If you need to make an appointment, please contact the office by phone at 919.489.2000 or by email at info@realestateassoc.com. Some of our staff may continue working remotely, however we continue to be fully operational with minimal disruption to services provided to owners and residents. Thanks to our utilization of cloud-based technologies (i.e. our primary property management system and phone system) we are able to conduct business remotely and continue operating.
Communication
Our email and phone system allow us to communicate with owners, residents and commercial tenants from anywhere, including situations where we might have a need for employees to work from home for an extended period. If you haven't already, please consider providing us your email address so that we can communicate with you via email for faster and more reliable communication. You can contact us by phone at 919.489.2000, email at info@realestateassoc.com or use the contact form on our website to update your contact information.
Resident Portal and Rent Payments
We have an online Resident/Tenant Portal which allows you to pay rent electronically from your checking account for free or by a credit card (small fee applies). The portal also allows you to make online maintenance requests. If you have not yet signed up for our online portal, we strongly encourage you to do so. You can log in or request access here. Paying your rent online instead of in person will help protect the safety of you and our staff and limit the spread of germs. If you have already been utilizing our Resident/Tenant Portal, thank you! We hope you have enjoyed the convenience of these services. If you must drop off a rent payment, please utilize our outside drop box located next to the front door at our main office in Durham. Communities may have different instructions, so please contact the local community office to discuss payment options.
Owner Portal and Electronic Payments
In recent years, we have established electronic payment methods so that monthly owner proceeds are delivered quickly and securely directly to your bank account. If you still receive a paper check, please contact our office to discuss setting up electronic owner payments and receiving your owner packet through our online Owner Portal. This is a quick and convenient service that avoids postal delays and lost mail, and in the case of the Coronavirus pandemic, will help prevent the possibility of spreading germs. If you have already been utilizing our Owner Portal for delivery of owner packets and electronic check, thank you! We hope you have enjoyed the convenience of these services.
Maintenance
At this time, we can continue to provide needed maintenance and repair services. All service requests can still be made online or by phone. We remain in communication with outside vendors to determine if there may be any disruption in their services. If it becomes necessary to reduce potential exposure for our maintenance personnel who visit occupied residences, we plan to evaluate service requests on a case-by-case basis. We remain fully committed to responding to any emergency maintenance situations that arise.
Vacancies
We are implementing a secure lockbox system and electronic lease signing measures which will allow us to continue showing and leasing vacant properties to prospective residents, without the need for the prospect to visit our office.
Financial Hardship
REA is sensitive to the many challenges that our residents and commercial tenants as facing due to business closures and potential lost or reduced income. We understand how difficult this may be.
REA is a third-party property management company - we are hired by the property owner to manage their property. As such, this means that we cannot make a unilateral decision regarding rent relief. The actual property owner(s) must ultimately make that decision. However, we are providing guidance and suggestions to our owner/clients, and we are encouraging them to be as flexible as possible. Please note many of our owners rely on rental income as their primary source of income and may not be in a position to grant any substantial rent relief.
Any request for rent relief should be submitted in writing (email or fax is acceptable) to the property manager. Each request will be evaluated on a case by case basis. We will work as quickly as possible to provide responses, and we appreciate your patience as we work to obtain a consensus from the property ownership. We encourage you to provide as much information as possible about your hardship and be specific in the nature of your request.
For any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office at 919.489.2000 or info@realestateassoc.com.
For additional resources regarding the Coronavirus outbreak, we recommend the CDC Website.