What is a contingency reserve account?

Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?

Operating funds are funds that our real estate brokerage uses to pay for our business. Operating funds are our money.  But even so, escrow funds are different.  Escrow funds are monies that Nesbitt Realty is holding on behalf of tenants, landlords, buyers and sellers. Escrow funds are not our money, but they are monies that we are trusted to safeguard. At any given time, Nesbitt Realty has hundreds of thousands of dollars in escrow accounts.

In Alcova Heights, the Commonwealth of Virginia requires that all real estate licensees manage escrow funds in a particular manner. Most importantly the Commonwealth requires that escrow funds are properly accounted for at all times. In additional all escrow funds must be kept separate from operating funds.  The biggest portion of our escrow funds are tenant security deposits, but also hold deposits for purchasers (and sometimes sellers) as we'll as contingency reserve funds for property owners.

Contingency reserve is a special type of escrow.

A contingency reserve account is money that is held in escrow to pay for repairs and other incidentals that occur during property management. Although the money is in our escrow account, the money belongs to the real estate investor. When the property management ends, that money is promptly returned to the real estate investor.

When a repair bill arises we use money in the contingency reserve account to pay that bill.  When bills are paid in this manner the account is depleted.  When the account is missing funds, at the end of the month when new rents are paid, Nesbitt Realty replenishes the count with money withheld from this rent. As property managers, Nesbitt Realty prepares a statement each month to show if/when money is depleted and how/when money is replenished into the contingency reserve account.

Owners do not pay us money to set up the contingency reserve account. Instead, Nesbitt Realty withholds money from the first month of rent in order to set up the account.

 

Alcova Heights Property Management Resources

Basics

Basic info about what management services in Alcova Heights.

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Getting Started

Learn more about getting started with property management

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Find A Tenant

Market your property to rent to find a great renter in Alcova Heights fast.

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Accounting

How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?

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Cost

An overview of fees associated with rental management services in Alcova Heights

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Vetting

How Nesbitt Realty vets renters for our clients.

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Reserves

What is a contingency reserve account?

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Territory

Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?

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Clients

Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?

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Contact

Call (703)765-0300 to speak to a rental specialist now.

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Do you want understand more about this area?

Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a helpful tool for anyone who wants to learn more about Alcova Heights and neighboring areas.  The Guide to Real Estate provides data regarding what has sold and what is for sale, as well as a few shocking facts that you may not know.  Also, our Guide has many of the benefits of living in Alcova Heights.  Definitely, most of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but rental investors and tenants will probably also find these resources to be somewhat enlightening.