Hi
LandlordMax Newsletter - Happy Holidays and Update News
With Xmas just around the corner we want to wish all LandlordMax'ers Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
After that it's time for me to provide you all with updates on how we're progressing with the latest version and major update of LandlordMax. Well firstly I can tell you we've been hard at work. Since the release of the Network Editions we barely had the chance to take a breath as almost all
our efforts were very quickly re-directed towards the new upcoming major release. Unlike the Network Edition release, this upcoming release will focus on adding a LOT of new feature and benefits to the software rather than expand the customer base.
Although it's been a while since we had a major version update (a feature update), version 6.05
was actively under development for a long time and had a lot of improvements done to it after it's initial release above adding more support for existing customers. If you combine all the features we added through the incremental versions (a, b, c, and so on), you'll find that it adds up to quite a lot! For example we added a whole new Management section which can be used for invoicing and receipts. The Workorders and Todos (now called Tasks) sections were significantly upgraded. And
that doesn't include the performance improvements and so on.
On top of that we added full support for Mac computers after the initial release of version 6.05. We create optimized 32 bit and 64 bit versions of the software rather than a single generic version. We of course added three full Editions of the software, the Network Editions, which allow you to connect multiple computers and people to the same central system to work together on the same data at the same time.
All of
this was of course included as part of the license from version 6.05, so if you were one of the first people to purchase version 6.05, you got a lot of upgrades with your license which is great!
And now today we're working on another major improvement of LandlordMax, with a lot of new features and functionality. Some new features
we've already alluded to in the previous email newsletter and some are going to be new today.
Of course before I begin please note that all information on the next version is unofficial and therefore subject to change as we continue to develop the software. Sometimes we have to make adjustments, which may mean we may have to drop some features, we may exchange it for others. That also means we may also add new features that we hadn't planned for like we did for the Network Editions
of the LandlordMax. Of course I'm not going to mention everything we're going to add, so for sure there will be a lot of other new features that you'll just get above what's mentioned below!
LandlordMax News and Updates:
Just to repeat what was said in the last paragraph for those of you who skipped ahead, please note that all information on the next version is unofficial and therefore subject to change as we continue to develop the software. Sometimes we have to make
adjustments, which may mean we may have to drop some features, we may exchange it for others, and so on. That also means we may also add new features that we hadn't planned for like we did for the Network Editions of the LandlordMax. Of course I'm not going to mention everything we're going to add, so for sure there will be a lot of other new features that you'll just get above what's mentioned below!
That being said, in the last newsletter I mentioned that we were going to add support for templating, well good news, we've made a lot of progress here. We're going to offer the ability to import Word document files using the Word's Mail Merge functionality to support templates. This allows you to create Word documents in the most powerful word processor program in the world and have LandlordMax then generate Word (and
PDF) documents from your templated Word documents. So for example you will be able to import a lease Word document into LandlordMax and from that one templated lease document it will be able to generate any number of further leases you want by just replacing the fields within the document. Of course there's going to be a whole new Template section to handle just this. This also means that you'll now be able to attach documents (Word, PDF, and Text files) to your tenants, vendors, property
owners, contacts, and so on. Not just from templates, but any Word or PDF file. You will of course also be able to view, print, export, etc., them within LandlordMax.
Another big feature that's already completed, and is therefore officially going to be in the next version, is the support for commercial tenants. When you create a new tenant you will be able to select which type of tenant they will be (commercial or residential) which will present you with different data fields, tabbed
panels, etc. And for those of you who've already created commercial tenants as residential tenants, you'll be happy to hear that you can convert any tenant from a residential tenant to a commercial tenant, and vice versa at any time.
To avoid repeating in too much detail some features that were already mentioned in the last newsletter, we also plan to add more support for partial payments, pro rated rents, better letterhead support, lots of additional fields, and so on.
Above this
in the last newsletter I alluded to something called "Automations". We're still working through the details of this so I don't want to say too much yet, but this will most likely be the biggest features of the next version of LandlordMax. I'm sure you can already guess what it might be for, the automation of certain repetitive actions and/or tasks. This will be a new workarea (section) in the software and should really help streamline your operations. And the best part is that we'll be able to
expand on it for many versions to come based on your feedback. As well, if you have any suggestions on what you're like to see automated, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. We're very open to feedback right now as we're still working on what Automations exactly to include in the initial release of this feature.
Now the big question, it's great that
we're planning to offer all these new features but when is the new version going to be available so that you can take advantage of them. The honest answer is that we're not sure. We were hoping before the end of the year but that's not going to happen based on where we are now and what day it is today.
Software development estimating is a very difficult task. If you don't believe me, check out the following article about how hard it is to estimate walking from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It basically starts with the distance is 400 miles, so if you walk 4 miles/hour for 10 hours per day, you should be able to make it there in 10 days. Sounds simple right? Make your own estimation before you read the article. Then after you read along all the kinds of unexpected twists and turns that can occur, check how close your estimate actually is. Most people
who I've personally shown the article are quite surprised at the outcome!!
Of course we're not expecting to see any kids of delays like that because we're pretty far into the process and this is not our first release, but we know from experience that estimating is a difficult game from our estimates of the Network Edition which we published on a daily basis. That being
said, and based on our previous release's information, our current estimate is sometime during this winter. It's definitely getting there and we're seeing a lot of progress. We've already got a lot of the effort done which is great! Now it's just a matter of completing all the remaining tasks.
Other News:
LandlordMax Tip:
We're still seeing quite a few people using Mac OS X 10.6 or earlier which is no longer supported by Apple, and therefore we also no longer
supported. This is also a big security issue, especially considering the type of data used to manage rental properties. For those people I'll refer you to the previous newsletter for the details
In addition please note that Windows is dropping support for Windows XP in April of 2014. That means that in just 4 months Windows XP
will be considered obsolete and unsecure. The software should continue working on it, but any new versions will not be guaranteed to work in Windows XP after that as Microsoft will no longer be supporting Windows XP. And please note that it's been off the market for almost 5 years already, so there has been ample time to upgrade. So if you're still on Windows XP you should really upgrade ASAP.
** Again, due to sensitive nature of the data stored for managing real estate properties, we
very very strongly recommend that you use a supporting operating system on your computer. Running an obsolete and insecure system is dangerous. And knowingly doing so with sensitive information of your tenants can potentially be an act of negligence on your part, or worse potentially criminal (especially if the computer is connected to the internet), so please be careful.
Property Management Tip:
With winter having come full force in the last little bit, it's that time
of the year to make sure your vents are clear from snow. Many people don't realize that you can have vents for your furnace, water heater, clothes dryer, and so on. It's important to make sure the vents have space for the air to escape otherwise it can cause issue. On most houses this isn't a big concern as they are generally fairly high, but if you're in a location with a lot of snow, or that is suceptible to snow drifts, it's important to periodically check the vents to make sure they have
proper clearance from obstructions.
Industry News, Information, and Recommendations:
LandlordMax Testimonials of the Month:
"Many thanks for your help and putting out such a great product! [...] Have the Feds approached you about getting that health care website going? Those folks could use a few good men like you who actually know how to run a business and get things done! :-)"
- Matt Jones
"Thank you so much! I think your software is terrific!!"
- Arnold Crosson
"I love this software, again thank you for everything."
- Ellis Simon
"I was looking for a stand-alone system as we have Peach Tree Accounting at work which is a little clunky, and QuickBooks was
not something I wanted to learn and spend all the time needed to un-complicate the words in its program. I just wanted something tailored to the landlord business. I also love that this is a complete system for small to large landlords. When I saw that Work Orders were integrated in the system that will keep me straight no matter what work is done. Being able to try it out for "free" and if purchased all the data is kept was a big selling point. It just made me more comfortable to take up some
of my time to learn it right."
- Donald Poole
