The Portfolio
Since 2015 I have owned and operated residential rentals through Steele Blue Homes LLC — three properties across two states, each with a different management lesson.
27703 126th Ct SE
Single-family rental, leased at 2,781 per month to long-term tenants. Day-to-day management runs through a professional property manager (Renosy by Renters Warehouse); I direct strategy, approve work, and verify the numbers monthly.
Current lease runs through February 2027, with renewal offers prepared 90 days ahead of expiry — my standing practice.
362 Schoen St SE
1920 single-family home purchased in 2022 and completely renovated over roughly eighteen months — new roof, all-new electrical and plumbing, new heat-pump HVAC, and an all-new interior.
Financed through a commercial refinance in 2024 and being returned to service as a long-term rental.
27006 164th Ave SE
Two rental units (main house and accessory unit) operated for years and sold in 2026 — including the owner-side work of the sale transition: final statements, reserve reconciliation, and closing out the management relationship on those units.
What I Do Myself — and What I Direct
Working with a professional property manager for a decade taught me both sides of the management business: the work an owner keeps, and the work a good manager executes. That distinction is the core of how I operate.
As the owner, I personally handle
- Lease strategy — renewal timing, rent pricing, and approving extension terms
- Approving every estimate before work is scheduled — no open-ended authorizations
- Capital decisions: the furnace full-service scope, detector upgrades, and renovation budgets
- Insurance placement — comparing admitted and surplus-lines quotes, deductible selection, and coverage basis (occupied vs. vacant)
- All property financials in QuickBooks, mortgage and escrow management, and monthly rent verification
- Funding owner contributions when an approved job exceeds the property's reserve
Through my property manager, I direct
- Tenant-facing communication and routine check-ins
- Day-to-day maintenance intake and vendor dispatch
- Rent collection and owner disbursements through the AppFolio portal
- Renewal offer delivery and lease paperwork
- Vendor estimates gathered for my review and approval
Directing a manager — setting scope, demanding estimates first, and verifying results against statements — is itself the daily discipline of property management, practiced from the owner's chair.
Capital Project: The Schoen Street Renovation
The Atlanta renovation was a full-scope project on a 1920 house, managed from purchase (2022) to completion (2024):
- New asphalt shingle roof
- Complete electrical replacement and complete plumbing replacement
- Brand-new heat-pump HVAC system
- All-new interior — flooring, drywall, finishes
- Life-safety upgrades: hardwired smoke detectors throughout, plus combination smoke/carbon-monoxide units
- A vandalism insurance claim (mid-renovation, while vacant) handled and documented through to resolution
The project finished with a commercial refinance in 2024 based on the renovated value — the point where construction management turns back into asset management.
Financial & Risk Management
- Property financials: full bookkeeping for the portfolio in QuickBooks, business banking with Wells Fargo, and monthly reconciliation of manager statements against actual disbursements.
- Debt and escrow: managed a 196,000 commercial refinance (2024) and its servicing thereafter — payment discipline, escrow analysis review, and lender documentation.
- Insurance: landlord (DP-3) policies placed and renewed across two states, including the difference between admitted and surplus-lines carriers, vacancy endorsements, and deductible strategy.
- Reserves: properties run with a standing cash reserve; larger approved work is funded by deliberate owner contribution rather than deferred.
Operations at Scale — Avis Budget Group
As a Supply Chain Manager since June 2025, I run the same disciplines at corporate scale: regional fleet maintenance programs, damage recovery, and third-party vendor compliance measured against service-level agreements. It is property operations thinking — assets, vendors, preventive maintenance, and cost recovery — applied to a fleet instead of a portfolio.
Before that: 15+ years in IT as a test automation engineer and QA lead (Certified Scrum Master), and service in the U.S. Marine Corps — the source of my systems discipline and documentation habits.
Where This Is Headed
I am moving into professional property management — targeting Assistant Property Manager, Leasing, and Property Management Operations roles in the Atlanta area, under a licensed Georgia broker. Managing properties for others in Georgia requires a real estate salesperson license; that licensure is my next step, and everything on this page is the experience I bring to it.