Hiring a property management company is just as important as buying a property in the first place. You’ll be entrusting a manager with your investment, your tenants, and even your reputation. You need someone who is up to your standards and goes beyond that with experience and commitment. Make sure you’ll recognize the qualities of a good property manager who you’ll be proud to have representing you.
Years of Experience
Whether or not you’ve been a landlord long, you don’t want a property manager who will blink under pressure. That steadiness only comes with hard-earned experience and a plan for every eventuality. Late-night repair? “I can take care of that in the morning.” Missing rent? “Allow me to explain the consequences.” Sharknado? “Don’t worry; I brought my chainsaw.” That’s the kind of seen-it-all, don’t-sweat-the-small-stuff competence you need.
Attention To Detail
Landlords are responsible for a million little duties that add up to at least a full-time job. If that’s not time you can spare, property managers have systems in place to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Filing documents, scheduling inspections, performing regular maintenance and tenant check-ins, investigating neighborhood concerns—it should all be routine to them. If they remember how you like your coffee, hire them on the spot.
Communication Skills
Your property manager needs to be comfortable communicating with you, communicating with tenants, and playing a real-life version of the telephone game without losing anything in translation. It’s hard to describe the right tone because it involves balancing contradictions. A manager should be professional but warm, firm but understanding, confident but respectful, clear but not blunt, engaging but not obnoxious—you get the idea.
Vendor Relationships
Ideally, your property manager will know the area and have existing relationships with reputable service people. You don’t want to find out the Yelp reviews were wrong when your tenant’s plumbing is at stake. You should be able to leave it to the manager to work with tried-and-true vendors—even some who might offer discounts.
At R. Russell Properties, we start with the qualities of a good property manager and build on from there with integrity, commitment, and a real passion for real estate. If you’re considering rental home management in Altamont Springs or anywhere in central Florida, we can make your life a lot easier. Contact us to learn more about the benefits of partnering with us.
