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The Housing Hero Newsletter By Steve Welty

Passionate about bringing positivity and fresh perspectives to the rental property industry CEO @ Good Life Property Management San Diego and Orange County. Managing over 1,300 units in San Diego and Orange County.

Featured Post

How We Protected an Owner When Everything Went Sideways

Steve Welty Issue# 62 August 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about self-showing lockboxes. 99.99% of the time, our self-showings go perfectly. This is the story of the 0.01% - and how it made our system even stronger. We’ve been using them for years, and they’ve completely changed the game for how quickly we can rent a property. They cut vacancy time, let people tour when it works for them, and honestly make for a way better experience than a rushed...

Steve Welty Issue# 61 August 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes, This past Tuesday, we hosted our very first Client Connect webinar! We connected with clients from a portfolio led by Kevin (who’s now being promoted to Regional Manager), and introduced Gioel Enriquez as the new Property Manager for the portfolio. We also shared updates to the leasing department, with more improvements on the way. What made this session special? It addressed the #1 frustration we hear: “I don’t even know who’s...

Steve Welty Issue# 60 July 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes, If you’ve ever looked at your rental and thought: “I’m just breaking even - what’s the point?” You’re not alone. We’ve worked with hundreds of homeowners in Southern California, and this is one of the most common positions we see: a property that’s slightly negative or just breakeven on cash flow. And it raises a good question: Why hold a rental property that’s not “making money”? Maybe you're holding it to move back in one day....

Steve Welty Issue# 59 July 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes, We’ve been having some powerful conversations lately on our team, with clients, even inside the newsletter. What’s emerged is this simple truth:Success with your property manager doesn’t just come from what they do.It comes from how you show up, too. The Owner/Manager Relationship Isn’t One-Sided At Good Life, our mission is simple:Make owning rental property easy. But “easy” means something different depending on who you are....

Steve Welty Issue# 57 July 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes, A few days ago, our VP Natalia Vanni sent out an email to the team with some unexpected (but super helpful) tips about home insurance. She had just bought a new house (huge congrats, Natalia! 🎉) and wanted to share what she learned while trying to lower her insurance premium. Spoiler: she didn’t just call her agent she went full research mode. ChatGPT, articles, deep dives... and then she passed the gold nuggets on to us. It got...

Steve Welty Issue# 55 July 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes! I want to share a story not a polished success, but a real moment when things didn’t go how we hoped. More importantly, what we did about it, and what we learned. A Decade of Trust - Then, A Breakdown Back in 2013, one of our earliest clients joined Good Life. Before the big team. Before the brand. Just us and a promise to take care of her condo. And for years, that’s exactly what we did. But over time, that trust eroded. A...

Steve Welty Issue# 54 June 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes! We have big news out of Sacramento that you need to hear: AB 246 the bill proposing a one-year rent freeze across Los Angeles County, has stalled in the Assembly. This is a major win for rental housing providers across California. But don’t put your phone down just yet, this bill isn’t dead, and we need to keep the pressure on to ensure it never comes to a vote. What’s AB 246 All About? AB 246, introduced by Assemblymember Isaac...

Steve Welty Issue# 53 June 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes! One of the last major pieces of rental housing legislation this year is picking up steam in Sacramento and if you own rental property in California, you need to keep this one on your radar. SB 681, authored by Senator Aisha Wahab (D‑Fremont), just passed the state Senate in a 28–10 vote. It’s now heading to the Assembly, where it will go through two key committees: Housing and Community Development and Judiciary. What does that...

Steve Welty Issue# 52 June 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes! For decades, if you owned a single-family home in the City of San Diego, your trash pickup was free. It’s been that way since 1919. But after over 100 years, that tradition is coming to an end. This week, the San Diego City Council voted to start charging homeowners for trash collection, with fees rolling out as soon as this summer. What does that mean for you? Whether you’re a landlord or a homeowner, it means another monthly...

Steve Welty Issue# 51 June 2025 Happy Saturday, Housing Heroes! You’d think California lawmakers would focus on the big stuff first. Fix the water shortages. Speed up housing permits.Lower gas prices. Get homeless folks the help they need.Make sure fire hydrants actually work. But instead… they’re going after landlords. Again. Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez @senatorsrp My #SB52, The End AI Rent Hikes Act, passed the Senate and now heads to the Assembly. AI companies are turning landlords from...