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25 April 2025 April 2025 ยป C O V E R S T O R Y needed to make rental properties a viable investment vehicle. This enables us to act as a fiduciary for our clients and provide a scope that mirrors their investment philosophy, reducing overall costs to operate a rental property over the lifetime of ownership and increas- ing their total ROI long term. Once the client has reviewed and approved the budget, we can perform work quickly and efficiently, without undue increases in the cost of service." Elsey also reveals that, as part of its evolving commitment to better serving clients, Safeguard will also soon begin offering "ala carte" services for all its services. "The flexibility to request a selected number or all our services means the client can pick and choose to fulfill their needs on either a temporary or perma- nent basis," Elsey says. "Our ability to both scope properties and perform the needed repairs upon approval will help customers of all portfolio sizes and those who don't have a physical presence in a market." Safeguard's footprint for these SFR services is also in the process of growing. The company has historically operated primarily in the Midwest and has re- cently expanded further into the South. Elsey says further expansion plans in the coming months and years will be "based on the needs of the industry." SFR investors, whether institution- al or individual, face several critical operation costs, including controlling construction and maintenance costs when a property transitions between one tenant and the next. These costs can include ensuring timely, cost-effective repairs and also working to minimize the vacancy period between tenants. "Building partnerships with com- petent service providers is the most effective way to manage time and cost," Elsey says. "Repetition is the surest path to synergies, and utilizing a partner who is strategically aligned with their needs provides dividends versus trying to man- age hundreds of vendors and suppliers to perform the same function." Elsey explains that Safeguard's nationwide vendor network and vertical integration can help streamline these processes and reduce those turn times, thus driving up investors' ROI. Beyond the benefits of Safeguard's nationwide vendor network, the company also provides a technological edge via products such as Safeview. Safeguard was an early adopter of technology to manage multiple players in multiple markets. After trials of out of the box technology, it was determined that a home-grown proprietary system was necessary to serve clients' needs. Elsey said that Saveview, "allows for the almost instantaneous importation of work and end-to-end management of vendors and compliance, and it includes built-in quality control mechanisms to ensure completion of jobs in a timely and cost-effective manner." "Within the SFR realm, technology allows the operator and the service provider to quickly assign, service, and invoice for work that would otherwise require laborious phone calls, texts, and emails," Elsey continues. "Safeguard's proprietary, tech-forward systems allow for almost instantaneous acceptance and assignment of a client's work order to the market-level performers for time- ly completion." In addition, Safeguard is able to leverage pre-negotiated labor rates with its vendors, thus reducing turn times by establishing a fair and repeatable price in advance.