92% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews as Much as Personal Recommendations!
Nearly 9 in 10 consumers have read online reviews to determine the quality of a local business, and 45% do so on a regular basis. The trend of online reviews over the last years has got really stronger and it clearly shows how much more regularly people are reading reviews and making their decisions based on it. It clearly highlighting the need for local businesses to attract more reviews and actively manage their online reputation.
Many real estate investors are using a property management company. You can find out more about a Property Management Company before you hire one.
HOMEiZ`s Property Management Company directory lets you view Property Management Companies servicing your location and nationwide. You are welcome to read the reviews, and contact a Property Management Company directly from their profile pages.
Tips how to pick a good Property Management Company
- The right property management company will help guide your community to a successful future. When interviewing potential property management companies, ask not only who your manager will be, but who will be supporting him or her. A skilled team of experts in various fields including HR, engineering, training and accounting support each property manager with advice and best practices in order to deliver the best service for your property. The best property management company should have proven operational procedures, which have been developed through years of experience. You will want to ensure the company has standard practices they put into place for every community or building they serve. These operating procedures should include preventive maintenance programs, a full audit of all contracts and vendors, a transparent financial system and budget, and solutions that enhance the value of your property, as well as the lifestyle of all the residents in it.
- The best management companies will follow rigorous internal review and accounting protocols to promote financial health and stability of your association. Preserving and ideally increasing the value of owner properties is one of the chief roles of a property management company. A good property management company can become one of your greatest assets, second only to the properties that they steward on your behalf. That said, your property management company will make critical decisions on your behalf making it extremely important that you do your homework during the hiring process. Selecting a property management company is a big decision that will have long lasting impact on your real estate investments.
- While property management fees are important they must be viewed in light of what other firms are charging, the scope of services provided and the quality of those services. The last thing you want to do is make your decision based solely (or even primarily) on who charges the lowest fees.
- The truth is that price is one of the last things to consider. Not because it is the least important factor, what good are low fees if the management company does a poor job?
- The Set-up fee is a question you should ask. This fee is for the time invested in setting-up a new account. It ranges from $0-whatever they ask. Find out if the fee is per unit or per property, and if it makes a difference if the unit is occupied or not.
- The Leasing fees is a question you should ask. That compensate the manager for the time, effort and cost associated with getting you a new tenant. While this fee is common, some owners are opposed to paying it, preferring that it be padded into the management fee so there is more incentive for the management company to find long term tenants.
- A good management company views the management fee, NOT the leasing fee as the primary profit center. This is why leasing fees as a standalone service (meaning without other property) are typically much higher (75-100% of first month’s rent). A transparent fee structure is laid out in such a way that high tenant turnover hurts, rather than rewards the management company. The only time this is not the case is when the fee is excessive, or there are significant vacancy fees. In the event that you are fortunate enough to have a long term tenant, you will benefit by not having to pay a leasing commission that is padded into the monthly management fee.
- The screening process can vary widely from company to company so it’s important to find out just how much protection the property management company is going to provide you from what later turn out to be bad tenants. It only takes one eviction to drive home just how important this aspect of the management company’s duties really is.
- A good reliable property management company is worth gold but a bad one will make you wish you had never heard the word "landlord".