How To Find A Good Property Manager

“Are we renting or selling the house?”  That’s the question you and your partner will keep asking each other as soon as you decide to move abroad.  I know because it was the primary topic of conversation my hubs and I had for 7 days once we agreed to move abroad.  I really wanted to sell but after conversations with a realtor friend, we knew that renting was the way to go.  Visions of bad tenants, a destroyed house and landlord nightmares had me extremely skeptical about the whole rental journey.  If that’s on your mind too, here’s how to find a good property manager so that you can have peace of mind about your property and enjoy your time abroad.

Step 1 – Comparison Shop

As much as I hate entering personal details into marketing engines, this is how you can save time.  Even though I research like it’s nobody’s business, I didn’t have time to spare.  Despite the fact you have to provide contact details in an online form that seems like a booby trap, it will work and pay off in the end.  I used All Property Management to kickstart my free search to find a good property manager.

Step 2 – Schedule Interviews

Within 24 hours of submitting a comparison shop search, property managers will start contacting you by email and phone.  With no time to spare, begin scheduling interviews.   A good property manager will want to visit your property right away.  Turn away companies that don’t make the effort to go over details with you in person.

Step 3 – Record Details

With so many property management groups to talk to and consider, it’s easy to forget which company said what, fees, and other important factors.  Take notes during every phone conversation and the onsite interview.  Make sure to ask these 5 questions first and record in a simple evaluation spreadsheet so you stay organized.

1 – What is your evaluation of the market segment we are in?

2 – What services and syndication methods do you use to promote our listing?

3 – What are your fees? (Note: 7-10% of rents collected is the range to expect for the Houston, Texas market.)

4 – What criteria do you use to qualify a future tenant?

5 – How are maintenance problems resolved?  Describe the process.

Step 4 – Get Personal

Is it a big or small business you want to manage your property?  Do you care if you talk to a new person every time or want a consistent go-to?  Are you just another fish or do you want this property manager to know all your kids’ names, where you and your hubs got married and where your dog’s favorite scratch spot is? 

You can easily find both, but I highly recommend getting personal so that you can build trust; both ways.  At the end of the day, it all boils down to that.  You need the comfort of knowing that your property is in good hands with someone that cares.  You may or may not return to this property someday, but regardless, having a property manager empathize with you on that is important.  At least it was for us.  That’s one of the reasons why we chose Kathy Grey at Real Property Management Group in Houston. 

Not only did Kathy respond first to my inquiry, RPM had the lowest fees, worked as hard if not more than we did on our crazy fast-paced schedule, and had our place rented within 2 weeks of listing during a slow moving market.  We went with her because we quickly built a trust relationship, knew she and her company had strong morals and that she understood our situation.  We got personal and it paid off.

Step 5 – Sign & Let Your Property Manager Do the Rest

Once the contract is signed, step aside and do the best you can to let the property management group do the job you hired them to do.  You have an opportunity to stay as involved as you want, but don’t forget that you did the most important part already.  Your property is rented and you have people you can trust to manage the rest.  A good property manager will contact you when it’s time to weigh in and approve a change, a maintenance need, or simply to ask a question they can’t answer. 

No matter where you live, these 5 steps will help you find a good property manager.  And if you live in Houston, Texas, call Kathy. 😊