house flipping - Utility Junction

How Utility Junction Is Better For You Than A Utility Concierge

September 16, 2022 by Carolina Narvaez

When you need to connect utilities at your home, business or multiple homes; if you’re a real estate company; there are a lot of options out there. Some are more reputable than others, and some can be confusing.

In this situation, getting assistance is a great option to make this process easier and safer. A utility concierge comes in handy here. They will meet with you to discuss the services you need, and help you find the best provider for you. Utility Junction does that too!

If you’re here you might be wondering what is the difference between Utility Junction and a utility concierge company.

Utility Junction offers a complete utility management solution. Providing the same services you’d expect from a utility concierge, but with one major difference: we focus on you, not the provider. This means that when you sign up with us, we will give you the best possible deal based on your requirements and needs.

As an additional service to our clients, we offer a bigger time and money saving service that includes utility expense tracking & analysis, and utility bill payments for recently connected utilities. With the option of doing it yourself through our dashboard or allowing us to manage utilities for you.

If you only wish to track your existing utilities and do not wish to connect your utilities with us, you can still sign up for our dashboard account and begin your savings journey.

If you are interested in learning more about our services, visit our website or get in touch with us. We can help you save time and money with our utility consultancy services.
Need utility management services for multiple properties? Schedule a demo with us to receive a custom quote that fits your service requirements.

An Example of How Spreadsheets Hurt Productivity in Business

April 25, 2022 by Carolina Narvaez

Utility Management has long been a necessity for businesses and even households. Today, the digitalization of Utility Management has taken the world by storm. Not only businesses and households are relying on it – but individuals are too.

Are you tracking your utility bills with spreadsheets? It’s an easy solution that works fine for a small number of items, but practicality and efficiency start to fall apart as the number of utilities you have grows.

The use of spreadsheets to track utility and other utility bills can become a real nightmare. Oftentimes, data gets lost or misplaced between numerous tabs, and there’s no easy way to export the data into useful formats. With online platforms available to help you do just that.

We have been able to recollect some examples of situations that real estate companies face based on interactions we’ve had with our clients & working with them closely.

Cases in which spreadsheets were ineffective:

Have you ever experienced a situation whereby a member of your operations team was trying to figure out why a utility at home was disconnected? As it turns out, the payment slipped through the cracks and was missed. A past due balance led to service being disconnected.

Imagine another scenario, where you need to set up services for a property with the service provider. Almost 45 minutes later, you are told the service set-up cannot be completed as there are past due balances that need to be paid. Spreadsheets as a means of tracking your utility and other costs is not the right approach.

Some disadvantages spreadsheets may have for a growing real estate business:

A decentralized utility bill pay process causes confusion in managing hundreds of utility accounts. Leaving you with questions like: Were the bills paid?
The billing data is entered into the spreadsheet and then re-entered into the company’s A/P system so that payment can be made. Consequently, each utility bill is handled twice (sometimes even three times). It is a time-consuming and error-prone process.
The spreadsheet-based method does not allow easy comparisons between bills to determine if the company has been overcharged or to identify meter or billing issues.

The solution that has been proven to help real estate company streamline their process is centralized utility bill data.

Utility Junction is a solution that can help any business in the field of real estate to simplify utility & bill management processes. This platform can reduce the amount of time & money spent on administrative tasks and provide an infrastructure for analyzing financial data for both individual property and multi-property organizations.

Get a quick overview of all your portfolio’s utility accounts, keep track of payments and expenses, transfer services painlessly and remotely, get bill due date reminders, and more.

Utility Junction’s platform is the only solution you’ll ever need to manage your utility needs end to end. So, let’s connect for a discovery call & we can discuss the challenges you are facing in your operations. Know exactly what you need, contact us here or send us an email at support@utilityjunction.com

Gas, Electricity & Water Bill Tracking & Management Without Using A Spreadsheet

April 11, 2022 by Carolina Narvaez

Ever wonder if there’s a better way to keep track of your utility bills?

Spreadsheets aren’t the most efficient method for managing multiple bill due dates and amounts, and it can be hard to pay bills on time with so many other things going on. That’s where Utility Junction comes in. Our complete Utility Bill Management solution allows you to track all your basic utilities in one place – electricity, water, gas, sewage, and trash, etc – so you can stay organized. And with our Analytics Dashboard, you get access to all the features you need to:

Track bills and make sure they’re paid on time.

utility bill management, bills, electricity, water, gas, utilities, utility provider

What features will help you accomplish efficiency?

Bill addition reminders.
Bill due date reminders.
Pending bills summary notification at the end of the month, and at the beginning of the following month.
Pay my bills section
My properties section
And more

Utility Junction has helped customers like you:

Track their utilities in one place
Pay their utilities on time
Get organized
Analyze their utility expenses
Make sure the process of transferring their utilities is taken off their plate

So what happens when there is a change?

For example, when you move into a new house or apartment, you have to transfer your utilities to your name. Not a big deal, right? But it is for most people! Finding out if these services are available and how much they cost can be a hassle.

If your company deals with connecting and disconnecting utilities because you are a property manager, an iBuyer or a property investment company, you know the struggle firsthand. But you still do it because customer experience defines your success, right? And it does, but this doesn’t have to give you a hard time either.
Utility Junction makes sure that the hassle of transferring the utility services is taken off your to-do list. We manage it efficiently and smoothly for you.

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We are passionate about helping companies like yours save time and money through efficient utility management.
Let’s connect for a discovery call & we can discuss the challenges you are facing in your operations.
Contact us here or send us an email at support@utilityjunction.com

Surefire Ways to Lower Your Energy Bills in the Winter Months

March 1, 2022 by Carolina Narvaez

By Katie Conroy of advicemine.com.

When the temperature drops, the electricity bill often rises accordingly. Those chilly winter months can make it a real challenge when it comes to staying warm in your house, and most years, the energy bill reflects all that extra effort you have to put into keeping yourself and your family comfortable. At a certain point, however, it might be smart to start looking into ways you can lessen the amount of energy your home consumes so that you can save money on those bills each month.

You might even be surprised at some of the simple ways that you can easily shave dollars and cents off your energy bill. There are tons of strategies that can help you save money, from improving certain parts of your home to swapping out your old thermostat and/or furnace for ones that might be a bit more modern and energy-efficient.

Courtesy of Utility Junction, check out a few top strategies for saving money on your energy bill this coming winter…and perhaps even for years to come!

Consider Getting a New Furnace

Many homeowners might not realize that their outmoded appliances can seriously run up those energy bills. Getting yourself a new furnace — something of a major project — can be a seriously effective way of reducing your energy consumption and the bills that reflect it, especially in the long run.

A new furnace, in many instances, can cost you quite a bit of money depending on which type of unit you select. There are also labor costs to consider, of course; sometimes, this can account for a substantial amount of the total budget. You’ll want to look online to find the best contractor in your area who can get the job done. Someone who specializes in HVAC systems is probably going to get you the best results for a new furnace installation.

Something else to remember: certain home improvements, like investing in a new furnace, can also increase your home’s appraisal value. Just make sure you’re keeping and carefully organizing all those receipts!

Give Your Home a Spot Check

One of the things that can seriously impact your energy bill is the presence of things like cracks (especially in windows, though you’ll need to hire someone to replace window glass for you), intrusions, or gaps in places that should normally be sealed in your home. During the warmer months, these things might be easy to ignore, but they can contribute to a pretty expensive problem when it starts to get cold out. If you need home window repair, costs average $290 per window depending on the repair and window type. When working with window repair contractors, insist that they’re licensed and insured.

Another great way to lower the utility bills in your home is by finding small ways to reduce your overall energy consumption. Replacing standard light bulbs with LEDs, for example, is one great way to lower your bills.

Look into a Thermostat Upgrade

There are many smart thermostat options available now, and this type of upgrade is a great way to save money on utilities. A smart thermostat monitors your patterns throughout the day to learn the best times to increase and reduce temperature, thus ensuring your comfort at the ideal time as well as energy efficiency. Best of all, you can remotely control these thermostats from your smartphone or even via your home’s voice assistant.

There are plenty of ways to reduce your energy consumption and the bills that come along with it, especially as the weather starts to get colder. While this is normally a time of year that incurs extra costs, these strategies will help you save money and enjoy a comfortable living space at the same time, most likely for years to come.

The mission of Utility Junction is to simplify every aspect of your utilities from the moment you get in touch. With us by your side, it is that simple. Call 888-782-7885.

Need help with utility management? Send us an email at support@utilityjunction.com or reach out to us on any of our social media handles.

Locking In: Buying Your First Investment Property

February 11, 2022 by Carolina Narvaez

By Katie Conroy of advicemine.com.

In 2019, it was revealed that real estate had emerged as America’s favorite type of investment. With millions flocking to brick and mortar as a means to grow wealth, you’ll need to research thoroughly and act quickly if you want a high-potential property of your own.

Finding a Property

Unlike buying a property for occupancy, your reasons for buying an investment property are more likely to come down to monetary factors such as appreciation, rentability, or re-sellability. It’s important when looking at a location, to pay extra attention to its commercial appeal and demography – if you’re looking to rent the place out, you’ll want to find somewhere populous, with a good class of tenant, for example. Generally speaking, a property that can produce monthly rent equivalent to 2% of the purchase price is likely to produce a positive cash flow for the investor.

You’re buying a property to make money but, if done properly, the process should also involve spending some (on top of the purchase itself). Appraisers can help you to identify the objective value of a property and bypass much of the misleading information surrounding real estate, a buyer’s agent (realtor) will act as a source of knowledge, providing suggestions & narrowing down your options and it’s often worth enlisting the help of a home inspector to check structural integrity, plumbing and electricity before you proceed onto the buying stage.

Purchasing

When buying an investment property, it’s important to consider the added costs of property management before you enter into the buying process. Try to consider any added fees that might be spent on landscaping expenses, homeowner association fees, 3rd party property managers, or general maintenance.

If you’re held back by costs, you’ll find plenty of help from loan providers – private lenders often provide more flexible terms than conventional mortgage lenders when it comes to investment properties. Be aware, in comparison to loans for a personal residence, you are likely to pay a larger down payment with percentages around the 20-35% mark. An SBA 504 loan, for example, is perfect for commercial property purchases – with lower interest rates and up to 25 years in repayment terms.

Managing

You’ve found and bought a high-prospect investment property, congratulations! Now’s when the hard work starts. More often than not, an investment property will require renovation to increase its value, this is especially the point of a fixer-upper. If you’re in an area with high competition for renters, it could be worth considering some changes to improve the curb appeal – a new fence for the yard, for example, costs $4,500 on average (depending on materials, size of the fence, and place of installation). Be sure to use a platform like Angi to search for an ‘affordable fence company near me’ to receive a quote, then read online reviews and check for licenses before hiring any contractors.

If you’re taking in new tenants, it’s vital that you read up on your responsibilities as a landlord. Your property is much like a business and will require a few hours per week (minimum) for administration, comms, and maintenance. Unless you want to fork out for a property manager, you should be ready to spend money on repairs, replacements, and time on screening/maintaining tenants.

Properties often prove to be truly lucrative investments but, if you want to earn from them, you should expect to put in some hard work, or pay for the work of others. There’s plenty of competition on the market and landlords who have invested time (as well as money) are the most likely to profit.

Utility Junction is a utility management service on a mission to build utility connections, help you track utility expenses and expense analysis. Learn more about our unique services, at: www.utilityjunction.com

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Need help with utility management? Send us an email at support@utilityjunction.com or reach out to us on any of our social media handles.

My First Impressions of Utility Junction

January 5, 2022 by Carolina Narvaez

Every time we get feedback from our users on Utility Junction, how it has made a meaningful difference, we are convinced we did the right thing. So this time, we decided to step out of our comfort zone and get no holds barred feedback from one of our users. We had fun reading this feedback received from Sonal Rajmohan – An investment banker, committed daughter supporting her mother and not to forget – one of our earliest adopters and were equally amazed. Have fun reading!!

Guess what? I was shocked.

I had just found out about the Utility Junction platform. And just like any other platform would do next, I was expecting to be led to their homepage.

What came next, was nothing I could have ever imagined.

In clear words, I was told ” You need to register first for a plan, please feel free to choose one at the Pricing Table”

Being the first time seeing this, I was a bit perplexed and at the same time, curious.

The first question that came to mind was; What was so special about their services that I had to go through a pricing table first?

And more importantly, what made them unique? What made them so different from every similar brand out there?

I decided to find out what was so special about them.

And my journey began!

At the Pricing Table:

The first thing I was offered was;

Peace of mind

It was as if they knew what I was looking for, and they went for it.

And then, I saw the free plan. It seemed so perfect!

Here I was, still skeptical, but I was being offered a “Try Me” Plan? Who was I to refuse?

I clicked on it and I was led to a signup page. Within a minute, I had filled in the necessary information.

While waiting for my account to be activated, I figured, why not browse around. You know, look closely into what I would be investing into.

And so I went back to the pricing table.

That was when things began to take a turn.

I paid closer attention to the other plans and their offerings were fantastic. In all, they had included everything I needed at that moment. The only thing left was to schedule a meeting, make the proper arrangements, and close the deal.

Next, I checked The Story Page

And one thing resounded with me.

They recognized a problem that was peculiar to mine. And they fully understood that Property Management was more than just rent and repairs.

I had struggled with these issues for a while, and to finally discover a brand that understood my needs, it seemed too good to be true.

Still elated and doubtful at the same time, I kept on reading

They offered all these solutions under one roof. It was like a dream come true.

I could see my utilities being efficiently managed, thereby giving me more time to focus on other parts of my business that mattered.

Still in the process, I moved on to The Solutions Page

Trust me; It was an Icing on the cake.

They offered customizable solutions to handle whatever utility management issues I had.

They had the experience, the tools, and most importantly, offered me round-the-clock support.

At this point, the only question left was; When can we start?

If you are looking for Reasons To join Utility Junction; some are listed below.

To make sure you do not miss them, I will list them below.

Clients are their priority. And that is why they have a 24/7 support system to take care of your needs.
On-time service delivery. That is the goal.
They offer customizable solutions specifically tailored to manage your utility problems. You have a need; they provide the answer.

Need some more? How about finding out for yourself? Trust me; it is going to be worth your time.

So, what do you think? Tell us by commenting on this blog.

Need help? Send us an email at support@utilityjunction.com or reach out to us on any of our social media handles.