The Dumpster Rule

What the trash area tells you before the financials do:

This isn't a metric you'll find in any underwriting model, but after twenty years developing and managing properties, it's one of the most reliable indicators I know.

Walk to the dumpster before you walk anywhere else on the property.

If it's overflowing, leaking, or surrounded by loose trash, that's rarely an isolated problem. It usually points to deferred maintenance, thin property management, or a landlord who's checked out. Well-run properties tend to have clean common areas, organized service schedules, and residents who take some pride in where they live — and that starts with the small stuff.

A dumpster in bad shape doesn't mean walk away. It means look harder at everything else, because whatever's true there is often true elsewhere on the property too.

If you're considering buying or selling a small apartment building in Palm Beach County, I'd be glad to help you look past the financials at what's actually happening on the ground.