If you are a property owner in the United States, enlisting the services of a professional property management company is a good idea. A property management service will look after your property, advertise it for rent on high-traffic websites to attract the best tenants, and arrange for any repairs that the property needs. They will be the intermediary that deals with your tenants, getting them to sign leases and collecting the monthly rent for you.
There are many reasons why property owners wish to employ a property management service. The more properties one owns, the more difficult it becomes to keep tabs on every building personally. If you live in one part of town and own a property in another, it’s far easier to hire a property manager to look after your building than to make long and tiring trips just to check up on your property. Third, you may have many other responsibilities and commitments that take up most of your day, and you may not have the time to actively look after your own property and manage your tenants.
The costs of hiring a property management service can be quite high. However, if you know where to look, you can find affordable property management services in King County or wherever you are located.
Here are 5 tips to help you choose an affordable property management service.
1. Ask your friends and colleagues for leads
If you have friends and colleagues who, like you, own property in different places, ask them for leads on good and affordable property management companies. This can be a great way of finding a property manager that is affordable and suits your needs, especially if your colleagues are in the same wealth bracket as you are. Talk to other property owners, realtors, your friends, people you went to college with, and people you know from the real estate sector.
When they do recommend a particular service, follow up with questions about the strengths and drawbacks of the company. Even though you may trust your friend’s opinion, it’s important to do your homework and get the full picture of a property management service before you actually make the decision to hire them to manage your property.
2. Do some online research
Besides asking your contacts, you should also go online to do some of your own research into property management services. There are websites that will also allow you to find property management services in your area – all you have to do is enter your location and the size of your property.
Once you’ve come across some names that you think are worth considering, visit their websites and look up their reviews. This will help you narrow down your list of contenders.
3. Visit the properties
Once you have settled on a few names, visit the properties managed by the property management services you are interested in. Doing on-site visits is a reliable way of assessing the competency of a property management service. Is the property in good condition? Are the tenants happy with how they are treated? You can find out if they feel like their complaints and grievances are actually taken into consideration and the condition their apartment or housing unit is kept in by the property owner.
While finding affordable property management services is great, on-site visits of the property will also help you find out if the property management service you’re thinking of hiring will even be worth the fee you will pay them or not.
4. Interview the property managers yourself
You should interview several property managers yourself to gauge which individuals are right for you and your property. It is them you will be dealing with in the future, so an interview will help you ascertain if they are the sort of person you can trust and form a healthy and constructive working relationship with.
Ask the property managers questions about their experience, educational qualifications, and their knowledge of federal landlord and tenant legislation. Ask them about the fee – exactly how much will they be charging you and for which services? You should also ask them about which services they will be carrying out for your property (such as maintenance and repairs) and how they plan on collecting rent from your tenants.
You should also find out how many other clients they work for and how many other properties they manage. Will they be able to give you the time you require?
While conducting the interview, you should be able to get a sense of each candidate’s abilities and how likely you are to form a good working relationship with them.
5. Check if the property manager has the necessary licenses and certifications
In the United States, state law requires that property managers possess a property management license. You should verify if your candidate has an active license by checking with your state’s Real Estate Commission.
Where Can I find the Best Property Management Services in Pierce County?
If you’re looking for professional property management services in Pierce County, contact us at Sensible Home Management. We’re a professional property management company offering professional property management services in Pierce County, Federal Way, and King County.
While most property management companies charge their clients an extra fee for maintenance and renewal services, at Sensible Home Management we do not charge our clients for property inspections, renewals, or maintenance services. Even after finding the best tenants to you’re your property, we continue to peform routine property inspections for you in order to protect your investment. Our commitment to excellence and the extra mile we put in for all our clients is why our client satisfaction rate is so high.
Get in touch with us on our website or give us a call at (253) 236-0337 any time between 9 AM and 5 PM from Monday to Friday.
