Communication, collaboration, and innovation: These are three pillars of the work philosophy at real estate startup business and residential network, Belong.

The Way We Work

Here is a snapshot on how we think about work at Belong.

Much of what we loved and celebrated about work and other parts of life – but didn’t appreciate enough -  has been challenged by the past 18 months. The way we think about work has been put to the test and was forced to dramatically change. But it's now time to reconsider the norms that were imposed on us by the appropriately stringent requirements of our collective health.

We define the ideal working environment by the experience of our community members. That is paramount because our culture revolves around our community. Thus, when making decisions we always begin by thinking about how to serve our community in the best possible ways. We start there because we started Belong in service of a broken industry, and because we wake up every day determined to fulfill our promise. 

We are in a very delicate stage of our growth: the infancy of our operations, product, and culture. Three interdependent factors will critically determine our destiny as we scale: communication, collaboration, and innovation. So, our work philosophy has evolved in relationship to them.

Our business is fueled by cross-team collaboration. There is simply no substitute for working through challenges and problem solving by being physically together in the same space. Especially at this point in our growth trajectory. 

We all know that technology has progressed quickly, allowing new levels of virtual collaboration between teams.  But there is also no doubt that much is lost when we bounce from Zoom to Zoom,  or respond to flat, emotionless messages in Slack instead of looking our teammates in the eye, reading their body language, and seeing their smiles.  (Or disagreements, that’s important, too.)

As a startup, we need to make decisions faster than big companies. That is an imperative that we must never waiver from.  And due to the physical nature and human aspect of Belong, we have stronger dependencies between ops, experience, growth, and product.

Innovation does not only happen in controlled environments such as structured brainstorming sessions and meetings. Many -if not most - great ideas come from casual conversations at the coffee machine, water cooler, lunch table, or, a favorite of Belongers, going for a walk together around sunny downtown San Mateo.   In a favorite book of ours “Where Good Ideas Come From”,  Steven Johnson writes about the coming together of divergent minds in the 18th century London created waves of innovation.  

Because of the promise we made to our community and ourselves - to create a better, technology-enabled marketplace for homeowners and residents as quickly as possible -  we cannot afford to miss out on t interactions that can significantly accelerate our development. To facilitate this further, we will encourage more walking/coffee meetings. We will be holding all brainstorming, decision, and all-hands meetings in person.

Wars have started because of poor communication. Companies have failed because of it. Marriages have been split asunder.  It is our duty to create the right channels and flow of communication as we scale.  To build on my earlier comment about virtual communication,  it remains difficult to truly connect with the people on the other side of the camera. Virtual communication negates the formal debrief, the informal post-game chat, and the quick temperature-taking that are so critical to the alignment and relationship ecosystem we need at this stage in our growth.

The dream we are working so hard to achieve takes us on weekly roller coasters. What we are doing is hard. It is revolutionary. And it is why we must work, shoulder to shoulder, with our teammates. 

We must be together to feel like we truly Belong, to evoke that sense of togetherness that we want to cultivate among our Community Members.  Our name is more than a word, it describes how we operate internally to change the world around us.  It reminds us why we started our journey in the first place. #​​we_are_team_players

It is our duty, as owners of this company and masters of our own growth, to create and maintain the best conditions for it to flourish.   We have a high bar for excellence, and achieving that requires intense focus on every detail of that environment. #we_have_high_standards.

At the same time, we recognize that there is a lot of value in having the space for undisturbed deep thinking and in retaining commute time. Having a deep focus, time to reflect, and time to take care of personal matters is critical to Belongers’ overall well-being and commitment to our mission; it is valuable for us to create and cultivate that space.

Having one WFH day per week will allow for more purposeful interactions when we are together delivering on our mission. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, we will congregate in our offices to problem solve, create, innovate, and maintain our sense of Belonging. 

Thus, every Belonger whose job requires high collaboration will have the flexibility to work from home on Wednesdays. 

This policy will take effect immediately, and will apply to our teams based in our offices in North America. Our wonderful Pros, of course, are exempt from it. We are working with our excellent overseas teams to determine the best structure for their workdays. 

After much thought, here are specific logistics for each of our six teams:

Most of our team is located in the field, doing wonderful work on behalf of our community members. Clearly, our field team will continue being out there seven days a week, come rain or come shine, serving as the face and heart of Belong. 

Our HQ Ops team, divided between Draper and San Mateo, benefits enormously from being co-located with each other – Scheduling with Inspections, Vendor Relationships with Field Execution – and with other closely cooperating teams: Experience and Growth. 

We need to plan to spend as much time together as possible. During our work from home day, we’ll continue being online, connected, and available to each other and our colleagues, as Operations, still has many reactive components that necessitate being hands-on and available. We’ll also use our work from home day to focus on those vital initiatives that may require extra focus, which isn’t always an option in an office environment. 

Large portions of the design process are inherently collaborative. We listen and collect feedback from other teams cross-functionally. We sit and brainstorm solutions with engineering. We give each other feedback on mockups and feature releases by literally pointing at pixels on the screen. Being in person most of the time is essential, so the plan is to be together 4 days a week, using WFH Wednesdays for those moments when being alone creates windows for a different kind of focus and insight-generation.

The nature of Engineering has already allowed us to establish a remote culture with a team of engineers from San Mateo, Argentina, and soon Mexico. 90% of the engineers are individual contributors. At the same time, they have to work closely with Product, Design, and other stakeholders to build successful products.  With the help of software tools (like JIRA, Balsamiq, Figma, Google Suite) we can achieve the required collaboration remotely. 

Communication within the team is also crucial for our collective. For that reason, we are deliberately clustered around specific locations to foster communication between engineers in the same time zone. The expectation is that engineers will be available from 9 am - 6 pm in their local time zones, and will proactively let the team know of any unavailability during this period. This is essential as all our meetings will be virtual and we strive to minimize the delay in getting responses from each other. 

Engineers from San Mateo should plan to work at least two days from the office to bridge the gap in culture between HQ and other locations. We will revisit this policy once we have established a stronger remote culture and process.

Engineers should get approval from their managers to work outside of the home location.

The Concierge team requires a high level of collaboration between Growth, Operations, and our Front Lines teams to deliver on our team’s mission of building the world’s most loved rental experience through unparalleled service and authentic connection. 

As each member of the team is expected to act like an owner and builder of Belong, we found it to be imperative our team's workflows are designed to foster in-office collaboration across teams. We expect each Concierge to be in the office 4 days a week with the optionality of working from home on Wednesdays. If you choose to WFH that day, your office must be professionally set up for taking Member calls - and that you are completely available. There should be no difference in the quality, responsiveness, and availability that you would have at home vs an in-office setup from the Perspective of the Member. 

Our Coordinators who work in the Philippines have already demonstrated the ability to work from home the past few years. We will continue to operate as a fully remote team for our Philippines team but will review every quarter whether the performance of this setup aligns with our team’s mission and KPIs.

We are investing in a new team of Coordinators who work in the U.S., so we have the Voice of the Community Member in our HQ2 at all times. At this stage, we believe it is vital to have this team operate 100% in the office so we can learn the most from the team’s feedback and so Belong can quickly respond to Member’ needs. We will evaluate this policy quarterly/ at review time as well as the team grows in its maturity. 

As an early-stage startup taking on a 4.5T marketplace, Belong is a pioneer in addressing one of the world’s best-untapped marketplaces. Our ambition is to be the next great real estate tech startup, creating an unparalleled experience for homeowners and residents alike.

As we define our culture, we offer the unique opportunity for each early team member to leave a lasting impression and make valuable contributions in shaping the environment that will be a catalyst for the next great tech unicorn.

With all the buzz around bitcoin and blockchain currencies, many landlords may be wondering "Should I accept rent in bitcoin?" Here's why you should hold off.

Should Landlords Start Accepting Bitcoin?

Should landlords start accepting Bitcoin? It’s a tempting question. Here are some important answers.

Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency. Digital dollars. The blockchain. Even those who are totally immersed in managing their rental properties must be aware that this new digital payment model has taken the world by storm. You can purchase cars with it, and watches with it – but that’s just the start.

Here’s a link to some surprising items you can buy with Bitcoin, which range from furniture to socks to pizza. 

So if you’re a landlord, the thought may logically have crossed your mind: “Should I be accepting bitcoin or other forms of digital currency?” Let’s start this discussion by looking at what some of the big dogs are doing, as a signal.

Last year, Rick Caruso – who is a billionaire real estate investor – announced that his company would “begin accepting bitcoin as rent payment at its residential and retail properties.” Notably, Caruso’s firm had invested some of its own money in bitcoin, and was partnering with Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange co-founded by Tyler Winklevoss. (The Winklevoss twins are huge proponents of bitcoin and have “amassed a $6B fortune.”)

The Caruso announcement got a lot of buzz, but not many giant landlords followed. There’s a reason. Keep in mind, as you consider this step, that bitcoin fluctuates wildly in value, as do other digital currencies like Ethereum and Dogecoin. Last November, a single bitcoin was worth roughly $66,000; as we write this piece it has plunged to $43,000. 

Clearly, as a landlord you can’t afford that kind of volatility. It would be devastating, because it’s likely you work on a thin margin.  Note that in the Caruso announcement, it’s apparent that he already owns a boatload of bitcoin; if you are a landlord in a similar position, then you probably have a separate set of circumstances – and have a different level of sophistication. We are writing this piece for the digital currency landlord.

Let’s say that the rent you collect is $2,500 a month. If you get paid in bitcoin, by the time it converts into dollars it may be worth $2,300 or $2,700. Do you really want to turn your rental property into a casino?

Also, there is some payment infrastructure you’ll need; while Coinbase and other virtual wallets do make it easier to accept digital currency – and to withdraw it – there’s still a learning curve. We do need to point out, though, that the Coinbase website notes that 73 million people and businesses “trust them to buy, sell and manage” crypto. So clearly this is moving from into the mainstream. But it’s mainly as an investment class, not a form of payment.

Another option – and a way to offset the volatility – is to accept rent in the form of stablecoins. Stablecoins are what their name suggests; Coinbase offers them, too, and note that because they are pegged to a “reserve asset” like the U.S. dollar (or even gold) they fluctuate far less and are “A form of digital money that is better suited to everything from day-to-day commerce to making transfers between exchanges.”

There are other pros and cons involved in accepting digital currency as a landlord – this piece lays them out well – and they include the anonymity they provide tenants, which might not be appealing to you.  Plus there are tax implications. As the article from GeekEstateBlog notes, “Paying taxes as a landlord and understanding the related filing obligations is already a stressful process. Throwing cryptocurrencies into the mix won’t make tax season any easier on landlords.”

So net-net, it’s early days. There’s a new app that theoretically enables paying rent with crypto, but the fact that it shows up in a blog called “Futurism” tells you it’s likely not ready for prime time. 

Soon enough, though, it will likely be commonplace; A recent study from Piplsay found that “49% of millennials polled own cryptocurrency compared to 38% of Gen Xers and 13% of Gen Z,” and millennials are more likely to use crypto for payments, with 53% saying they are “very likely” to purchase products or services with crypto. That trend will only get stronger as more and more zoomers enter the marketplace.

As a landlord that owns one property – or just a handful – it’s tempting to consider accepting digital currency; it does help you stand out and brand yourself as innovative, which is no doubt one of the reasons that Rick Caruso and a few other giant landlords have taken the plunge.

But waiting seems to be the prudent option. One thing you don’t have to wait for, though, is  other ways to bring your property into the digital world. That includes choosing a property management company that brings a new level of digital sophistication to what has been an industry lagging in innovation.

Belong has built end-to-end digital experiences that move the requirements of property management onto a digital platform – everything from booking appointments to managing renovations to collecting rent to communication with your 24/7 concierge.

So if you’re looking to signal to your tenants that you are a modern, forward-looking landlord, you don’t need to go all the way to bitcoin. Yet.

For more information about how to bring your property into the digital age, make an appointment with Belong here.

See how owners of rental properties can use Qualified Business Income (QBI) Deductions to reduce their tax bill thanks to what’s called a 199A deduction.

What Are Qualified Business Income Deductions For Landlords?

Also known as the section 199A deduction, the Qualified Business Income (QBI) Deduction lets landlords potentially deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income (QBI). Let’s look at this in more detail.

Can I get the QBI deduction on rental income?

The good news is that any non-corporate landlord should qualify for the deduction.

Rentals that are classified as trades or businesses under IRC § 162 are not considered passive. If the management of the rental property rises to the level of a trade or business as defined by § 162, then it qualifies for the deduction. 

Rental properties are typically treated as passive activities—these are excluded from the definition of a qualified trade or business. But it’s important to understand the following:

You might qualify for the QBI if you’re organized as an S-Corporation or a pass-through LLC, estate, or trust (If you’re a C-Corp, you’re out of luck.).

Rental income declared on a Schedule E or K-1 also qualifies.

If you pass hurdle #1, you might qualify if you meet a number of conditions.

If you spent more than 50% of your time during a tax year in your real estate business – and that represented more than 750 hours in the same year, you passed the next hurdle. Congratulations!

The QBI is a deduction that you take on top of the standard deduction if don’t itemize, or the itemized deduction if you do.

But you’re not there yet. Your QBI is subject to limitations based on your taxable income that include the following:

The amount of W-2 wages paid by the qualified trade or business; and

The unadjusted basis immediately after acquisition (UBIA) of qualified property held by the business, which is the basis of the qualified property on the placed-in-service date.


Note that only items included in a landlord’s taxable income can be counted toward the QBI deduction. Some of the most common income sources include rent, non-refundable and forfeited deposits, late payment fees, pet fees, and federal rent subsidies (HUD). This also generally includes, but isn’t limited to the deductible part of self-employment tax, self-employed health insurance, and deductions for contributions to qualified retirement plans.

The safe harbor rule comes into play when a landlord owns a handful of rentals but doesn’t qualify as a real estate professional. In this situation, he or she can still qualify for the QBI deduction, provide the rental activities constitute a trade or business.

The IRS published a notice in 2019 that provides a safe harbor for landlords to qualify for the IRC Section 199A deduction. In order to qualify the three requirements that must be satisfied:

Keep separate books and records to show income and expenses for each rental real estate enterprise;

Perform at least 250 rental services (Or other services, such as those provided by tradesmen and property managers) per year. Activities that satisfy the 250-hour requirement include landlord-related. The IRS says that rental services also include:

(i)         	Advertising to rent or lease the real estate;

(ii)       	Negotiating and executing leases;

(iii)     	Verifying information contained in prospective tenant applications;

(v)       	Daily operation, maintenance, and repair of the property;

(vi)      	Management of the real estate;

(vii)    	The purchase of materials; and

(viii)  	Supervision of employees and independent contractors.

3. Keep contemporaneous records of time reports, logs, or similar documents, such as hours of services performed; dates and descriptions of services performed; names of those performing such services.

Note that the safe harbor doesn’t apply to triple-net leases because the tenant is responsible for costs that would otherwise be the responsibility of the owner. As such, the IRS says that the rental income from a triple-net lease doesn’t qualify as trade or business income. It’s merely investment income.

If a landlord doesn’t qualify for the safe harbor, 20% of his or her rental income may still qualify as trade or business income, if they must meet some additional requirements

In 2021, real estate investors earning over $329,800 (if married and filing jointly) or $164,900 if filing as a single individual can claim the deduction as a percentage of wages paid with respect to the trade or business, or the combination of a percentage of wages paid, plus a percentage of the unadjusted basis of the property. These limitation thresholds are adjusted annually for inflation.

Landlords who own multiple rental properties should note that there are additional planning strategies that can maximize the IRC Section 199A deduction.

The Section 199A deduction is scheduled to automatically expire in at the end of 2025. In order to claim the current section 199A deduction, taxpayers who own real estate must be able to show that they’re operating a real estate business as a trade or business and not simply holding real estate for investment.

Keep in mind that, as helpful as this piece might be, we strongly advise that you speak to your accountant to get a firmer grasp on the implications and ramifications of the laws being discussed here. They will have a much firmer understanding of your individual circumstances and can clarify any questions this post might have raised.

Tax calculators feature on many real estate websites, but how well can they account for the nuances that go into determining how much landlords owe the IRS?

Tax Calculators – How Useful Are They, Really?

Tax calculators are a popular feature of many real estate websites and services. But how well can they account for the nuances that go into determining how much you owe Uncle Sam?

Anyone who owns a rental house – or is thinking of buying one – needs to keep the tax consequences in mind. Each aspect of the ownership picture – from depreciation, to expense write-offs, to of course overall income – will have implications for your personal taxes. 

If you don’t own the home personally, but in an entity that files a separate tax return, such as a C-Corp,  that’s a different story completely. There are pros and cons to that decision, and here’s a good summary of them.

At  Belong – a new kind of modern property management company – we have built a tech-forward platform that helps homeowners keep all their financial ducks in a row, and stay organized. You won’t have to be chasing your paperwork -  it’s all in one place – including any improvements you’ve made through Belong. That’s because Belong employs its own contractors and manages the entire process.

We know from our homeowners that it can be a real effort to stay on top of their personal finances, and their taxes.  They ask us all the time about whether a tax calculator can be useful as they keep track of their tax liabilities during the year.   That’s not surprising, because, in addition to owning real estate, many of them are entrepreneurs who have multiple sources of income and dynamic, unpredictable tax situations.

Which Tax Calculator is Best for Landlords?

When you Google “tax calculator” – and a lot of people are doing it, because there are 675M hits – there is no shortage of links that pop up.  To make your life easier, your intrepid friends at Belong spent some time analyzing them to see if there is one that rises to the top of the calculation heap.

To start with, there are a lot of familiar names that show up high on the first page. Not surprisingly, there are free tax calculators and “estimators”  being offered by H&R Block, TurboTax, Nerdwallet, Jackson Hewitt, and many others. 

In the cases of the big names, for the most part, these calculators are a marketing technique, they are offered “free” but their goal is to sell their software programs.  So you have to enter some personal information before you have access to the full platform. Of the ones listed above, Nerd Wallet gives you the most access without being sucked into their sales funnel.  AARP also has a calculator that doesn’t require too much disclosure. 

Keep in mind these are very basic tools, so use them only as guidelines.  It’s best that you have access to an accountant, especially given what looks like dramatic, upcoming changes in the tax code.  That’s especially true if you are self-employed.   We found two calculators that are designed for those who are not traditional W-2 employees, one is from TaxAct and the other from KeeperTax.  

Given the complexities of owning a rental house, while a tax calculator can be useful for providing some basic guidance, expert accountants can pay for themselves.  If you don’t have one, and your personal network has been exhausted, there are platforms like 1800Accountant that might be useful. Unless you feel really confident, being your own accountant can be as risky as being your own electrician.

Lastly, to wrap this up, who knows more about the taxes than the IRS? They have an online tax withholding estimator that is pretty good and is free of charge. 

While you're busy doing maths, take a look below at our back-of-the-napkin maths calculator to do some quick sums on putting your rental on Belong.  Not only will we make your finances easier, all maintenance expenses, management and placement fees are tax deductible.

Stress is toxic - and managing your own rental property is a stress machine. Learn more about the hidden stresses of being a landlord and property manager.

The Right Property Manager Can Help You Achieve Profound Well-Being

The hidden stress of managing your own property, revealed!

If you own a rental property, and you’re considering managing it yourself, we suggest you hit the pause button and listen up.

Taking that on yourself – rather than hiring a skilled property manager – is a serious undertaking.  So you owe it to yourself to consider not just the obvious stresses, but the hidden emotional, physical, and financial costs of assuming that responsibility. 

Of course, there’s also a cost associated with property management, and we’ll get to it later on.  But first, to establish a context for whatever fees you will need to pay, let’s walk through the burdens of acting as your own property manager.

Stress is toxic. And managing your own property is a stress machine.

The fact is that stress is so pervasive, that many of us are dealing with the symptoms without even understanding what’s behind them.  That’s a risk, because stress’s effects on the body are profound, leading to conditions like digestive problems, insomnia, and weakened immune systems. Even weight gain.

What does this biology lesson have to do with managing your property?  Everything!  Because the entire property management process, from listing, to getting the place in rental shape, to finding and vetting a tenant, is ridiculously stressful. 

And lets us not forget about dealing with vacancies and collecting the rent!

This post on Reddit sums it up perfectly:

“I am a new landlord and I think I'm getting an ulcer from the stress. Can y'all give me some tips on how not to be so stressed about tenants all the time?”

The Right Property Manager is like a Meditation App for Homeowners

Most people intuitively understand that acting as your own property manager is a highly stressful endeavor. However, there are so many bad property managers out there – an overwhelming amount, in fact – that many people are driven to do it themselves.

In fact, the proliferation of property managers that fail to deliver inspired the founders to create Belong.

Belong performs all the services that traditional property managers attend to, and they do it with a thoughtful, homeowner-first approach and impeccable attention to detail.  They even go so far as to guarantee the rent, and they have a team of their own talented contractors – Belong Pros – who take the stress out of repair and renovation.  Which is one of the most frustrating and infuriating parts of being a homeowner.

Yes, working with Belong costs a bit – but so does working with any property management company.  The 8% of monthly rent that Belong charges is comparable to what you’d pay to traditional property management companies, which don’t offer the same kind of end-to-end services. 

The right way to look at that cost is that it’s a small price to pay for your well-being.  We do so much else to stay healthy today – we eat, we exercise, we try to get enough sleep – why undercut that by dealing with the stress of a leaky faucet or a late check?

You said there’s a financial cost of NOT hiring the right property manager.

We did. Here are two costs to start.  First – you may not be charging enough rent.  Driven by the fear of having a vacant house sit on the market if the rent’s too high, many homeowners charge too little.  Belong solves that problem with a price optimization technology that takes your home and your neighborhood into account, and identifies a price that will get new residents moving in ASAP.

The second hidden cost of being your own property manager is what economists call “opportunity costs.”   Simply put, what else could you be doing with your time when you’re not dealing with piles and piles of forms and paperwork?

Well, maybe you could be starting a business!  The data shows that millions are becoming entrepreneurs; more than 4.4. million “pandemic businesses” were started last year.

Having someone manage your property gives you the time and peace of mind to get that going.  Which means one source of income – your home – can be joined by another.

Boosting your immune system and your net worth – who would have thought the right property manager can make that possible?

Property management was unsatisfactory for both homeowners and renters - until two entrepreneurs decided it was time to disrupt the old model with Belong.

How Two Entrepreneurs Are Elevating Property Management

Property management was unsatisfactory for both homeowners and renters - until two entrepreneurs decided it was time to disrupt the old model with Belong. Read on for the story of how Belong started and their mission. 

In the case of Belong, our founders – Ale Resnik and O. Savir – were inspired by their experiences with the very act of “Belonging.”

They captured it poignantly and personally in a blog, writing:

We are a company started by immigrants. As immigrants, we had to redefine, multiple times and in numerous ways, what Home meant to us.

Is Home the walls around you and the ceiling above you?

As they began thinking deeply about what home meant – along with another founder, Tyler Infelise – these imaginative serial entrepreneurs had an important revelation about its fundamental essence.

They put it eloquently in that same blog post:

“With time, we discovered that Home isn't a place. Home is a feeling. Home is where our heart is.”

As they looked for their next entrepreneurial venture – conducting a lot of research and spending a lot of time talking to friends and family – an opportunity began to take shape.  An opportunity that involved a total, bottom-up reinvention of something known as “property management.”

Ale and O decided to take on this challenge because they saw that the need was great.  As they wrote, “We chose an industry that hadn't changed in centuries and offered no elements of delight to those it was meant to serve.”

The founders recognized that tenants often feel like temporary guests living in somebody else’s home.  Some are treated badly (we’ve all heard our share of landlord horror stories), and often are treated like second-class citizens.  So the company’s mission – concisely put – is to make tenants feel like they belong. 

Central to the vision that these two founders had was to create a company where people who loved their houses  – Belong calls them “homeowners” –  could be connected to people who would love them as much as they do.

If you’re a homeowner – whether you are downsizing, or are dealing with a long-term family home – Ale and O have built a system and culture where you will be incredibly well looked after.

Read about Belong’s unequaled suite of services here.

Belong will find the perfect residents, screen them, and help them move in – and you move out – with precision and care.  They use technology to streamline, and committed Concierges (people, not bots) to make sure everything runs perfectly. 

Once someone moves in, their full-time team of Belong Pros handles all maintenance – expected and unexpected – which is a remarkable service in a world where reliable and talented contractors are in great demand.  It feels great when work is done right the first time around.

Another benefit of Ale and O’s vision is that happy residents – which they enable – will stay longer and reduce vacancies, which are expensive!

If you’re a homeowner, Belong’s founders have built something that can, candidly, rock your world.  Ale, O, and Tyler wrap it up like this:

“We love building products that make people happy. More specifically, we love surprising people with something they never thought could make them happy.”

Disruption is here. Get ready to be delighted.

We're all about convenience for homeowners in CA. For the LA area, here are 6 out of the box home delivery services bringing you everything from cake to cats.

6 Out of The Box Home Delivery Services in LA

Since we're in the business of making managing and finding a rental more convenient, we've collected a list of our favorite conveniences: direct-to-door home delivery. For the LA area, here are 6 out of the box home delivery services bringing you everything from cake to cats. 

Convenience. It’s an accurate but nonetheless uninspiring word to describe the magic of having something wonderful delivered to your front door. The wonder of tapping on your phone a few times and having the exact thing you wanted dropped to your doorstep never seems to get old. Here are six out-of-the-box home delivery services to try in the LA area. 

Now that the kids are back in school, the challenge of making school lunches is back, big time. If you find yourself pressed for time in the morning, consider using lunchbreak4kids. They offer fresh, seasonal food that finds the sweet spot between being healthy and kid-friendly.  With pizza roll-ups and Asian noodle bowls, their tagline – “Peanut butter & jelly is gonna need to hire a publicist” – sounds right to us. Prices start at $8.99 per lunch.

2. "Let them eat cake" (without leaving the sofa)

When Marie Antoinette was told that the people had no bread, she famously replied “Let them eat cake.” Even if she wasn’t being snide, she certainly couldn’t have deserts sent to the peasants who would soon make life (and death) very unpleasant for her.  

You, on the other hand, can send cake to anyone you choose. Or reward yourself. UberEats has put together a handy list of frosting-on-demand resources, which include our personal favorite, the Milk Bar in Melrose. Christina Tosi, the renowned chef behind the Milk Bar, also just published a charming children’s book called Every Cake Has a Story, which should zoom to the top of your holiday gift list.

If you need a dog or cat picked up and delivered – or a horse, rabbit, or butterfly, for that matter – let us point your attention to the quirky thoroughness of Southern California Pet Transport. They are experts in navigating the logistical complexities of getting a pet from Home A to Home B, including whatever veterinary and regulatory requirements are necessary.

You would expect an excess of healthy meal kit delivery services in LA, and there is a leafy overflow to be sure. Within that verdant abundance we were drawn to Territory, who pulls together local chefs, restaurants, and nutritionists in support of a “foodlosophy” – and yes, that is a bit cutesy for our taste – that “allows folks to tap into a “‘reducetarian’ approach” that “reduces overall consumption of the inflammation heavy hitters.”

Given that the holidays are approaching, we thought we’d start to wrap up with some absolutely joyful choices for gift basket delivery.  We turned to Petal Republic as a source for the best LA has to offer; they describe themselves as a “platform to showcase and celebrate exceptional florists, plant shops, garden centers, urban nurseries, and floral experiences…”

Petal Republic has curated a terrific list for just about every occasion and recipient, including this selection from Volcanica Coffee for the caffeine fiends in your life.

Lastly — while being home is a great way to reduce stress, sometimes anxiety follows you through the front door. For those times, we direct your tense scalenes to the capable hands of one of the massage therapists from the capable crowd at Soothe.com

At Belong, we are known for connecting people who own much-loved houses, with people who are ready to extend their love in that same domestic direction. Like the companies on our list, we are using technology to create richer and more meaningful experiences that elevate everything related to home as the center of our lives. Learn more at Belonghome.com

The source of much controversy, the new California law represents a tremendous opportunity to bring neighborhoods together.

The Upside of SB-9 Can Be Stronger and more Vibrant Communities

Starting January 1 of 2022, California Bill SB-9, which many of you have read about, allows homeowners in the state to divide their property into 2 separate lots; though one of the lots the property owners must occupy by law, the other they can put on the rental market. 

It’s been controversial on both sides – advocates believe that the law will help mitigate the housing shortage that has long plagued the state, and that it will help to diversify neighborhoods by providing access to lower income families. 

Meanwhile, on the con side there’s a wide range of criticism: some support the concept, but think the safeguards put in place to prevent developers from taking advantage of the law are too weak; some don’t think the law will have a palpable effect on the housing shortage, pointing to a July study by Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley.

The law was so controversial that Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly let it sit on his desk unsigned until the recall election was over; now that his job status is secure though, and the law has been signed, the debate is behind us. 

SB-9 As an Opportunity To Create Authentic, Belonging Experiences.

At Belong, we have a mission to connect people who have much-loved houses with those ready to move in and extend the love. 

But our mission extends beyond that. It extends to the community. That’s at the heart of what we mean when we say we exist “To create authentic belonging experiences.”

We see S9 as an opportunity to build stronger and more vibrant neighborhoods and communities. Places that inspire that deep sense of belonging.

Yes, it will create more density.  But the upside of density is that it brings more people into neighborhoods. Which means more people to stop by the local coffee shop, pick up something at a bookstore that is the soul of the community, and say hello to the local florist and bring home a succulent for the windowsill.

Yes, we recognize that S9 will also reduce green space, as every square foot of land that a house sits on is a square foot that cannot accommodate a tree.  The way we see it, though, that means every homeowner who takes advantage of S9 has a parallel responsibility to make their outdoor spaces as beautiful as welcoming as possible.

We expect to see some creative and imaginative landscaping techniques being brought to new construction. 

That innovation is being seen in the landscaping of ADUs – Accessory Dwelling Units – which is another change in California zoning that was enacted to cope with the state’s overwhelming housing shortage.  This blog post on landscaping ADUs by Kol Peterson, an expert and champion of ADU development, offers some insight into how greenery and new construction can be married. He wrote:

“ADUs present a subtle but entirely new type of social relationship opportunity for the tenants and owners. The relationship between the occupants of the house and ADU is typically not as intimate as the relationship of housemates, but typically is closer than the relationship of a typical neighbor.

“Parts of the yard, driveway, gardens, patio, and storage may be shared, and other parts may serve as dedicated spaces for one unit or the other. Landscaping has the potential to give visual cues to the occupant and guests  about the use of the property.”

Though Kol’s perceptive comments were specifically pointed towards the internal dynamics of a property – again, to create a sense of “belong” in an entirely new spatial environment – the same applies to the outward-facing aesthetics of the buildings to be built under SB-0.

Neighborhoods have always been in a dynamic state of change. They react to changing needs and norms. SB-9 is just the latest example of that. So the question becomes: How do we make the most of it?

At Belong – where we connect homeowners and residents to live richer and more fulfilling lives – we believe that will make our neighborhoods stronger and more diverse.

We are confident that homeowners who take advantage of S9 will join us in this mission. Together, we can make more housing units on the same property create more wins for all.

Houseplants are a great way to brighten up any home and a budget-friendly way to add value and warmth to a rental property. Here are 5 of our favorites.

5 Plants That Will Brighten Your Rental Investment Instantly

Houseplants are a great way to brighten up any home without a massive investment, making them a budget-friendly way to add value and warmth to a rental property. Here are 5 of our favorite house plants for adding life to rental homes. 

Think of the trends we’ve seen emerge on Instagram and elsewhere over the course of the past year and a half: puppies, sourdough, and houseplants. It is no coincidence that all these trends revolve around living, breathing things — yes, even sourdough, with its bacteria and yeast giving rise to each and every X-scored loaf. In fact it makes perfect sense: inundated with such dark news it’s no surprise that, subconsciously or not, people began to surround themselves with things that grow, change, and give us hope for the future. Because when we see things growing we feel more alive. 

That’s why Belong encourages everyone in their community, homeowners and residents alike, to cultivate some plant life in their homes. We all know what a charge of life we feel when we walk into a space filled with plants. What’s more, if a plant looks healthy and cared for, it feels safe to assume that the house it lives in is treated just as well, if not better.

We’ve written before about how to build a beautiful backyard, but to help you spruce up the inside of your home, here’s our list of 5 great houseplants.

We love the look of palms in general — the fronds spreading like the fingers of a hand, so thin and delicate and beautiful they seem to be waving at you, calling for your attention.  But most palms require a lot of care and a lot of sunlight. The Lady Palm is the exquisite exception; though it doesn’t lack for palminess, it also doesn’t need much sunlight, making it a perfect indoor plant.

There’s something about the spongy leaves of a jade plant that we find wonderfully sumptuous. They’re as pleasing to look at as they are to touch, too: the beautiful contrast between the thick, heavy branches and the beautiful contoured leaves is a visual.  They’re also very easy to care for: because they’re succulents they can sometimes go months without being watered!

What’s more, the jade plant is also called the lucky plant or money plant, which makes it a wonderful present for a homeowner to leave for a new resident.

Like the idea of a succulent, but looking for something a little more visual drama than a jade provides?  A snake plant might be right for you.  Its leaves are long and flat and far more striking than the jade’s. But much like succulent cousin, it only needs to be watered occasionally (in fact, in the winter, it can go up to 2 months without any H2O).  And it doesn’t need a lot of light to thrive, making it ideal for apartments and rooms that don’t get much sun!  Also, a NASA study shows that it actually cleans the air. 

A flowering plant, the clusters of pretty, pink blossoms add a pop of color and a lovely scent to any room.  They only need indirect sunlight and are drought resistant, too, which makes them the ideal plant for novice plant owners. 

A hanging plant with long cascades of delicate vines, the String of Hearts adds a touch of drama to any room.  It retains water well, too, so it doesn’t require helicopter plant parenting, and its pink stems and waxy leaves make it more colorful than your typical houseplant.

There are lots of ways to create a home that someone will love, but there’s nothing that creates as much impact with as little cost or effort as houseplants! If you're looking for bigger changes, check out the top design trends for 2022. 

How do I rent out a property as a landlord, but live far away? Do I need a property manager or can I manage myself? We answer FAQs on owning interstate rentals

Long-Distance Landlord: How To Manage a Rental Home From Afar

Whether you had to move for work or picked up a steal of a property in another city, it’s not uncommon to live far away from a home you rent out. Even more so in 2024. With many homeowners holding onto interest rates too good to give up, renting out a home is often a better option when opportunity knocks in another city. 

This is why we get asked so often, “How do I rent out a property when I live far away?” 

Particularly if you’re considering the DIY self-management route, there’s a lot to consider before taking on the challenge from another state. It’s not impossible, but here are six questions to consider first. 

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