Wednesday, May 6, 2015

What To Check When Choosing A Property Management Company

By Toni Vang


While many people spend a large amount of time and effort researching on the real estate market and finding ways of building their investment portfolio, majority of them forget the role of a property manager. The right property management company can play a major role in preserving the capital value of an investment and maximizing its income. When selecting such a firm, there are a number of factors you need to check.

Before starting the search for prospective companies, there are a number of questions that you may ask yourself. These questions include the responsibilities of the manager, your responsibilities as the owner, how much it may cost you to get these services and the benefits versus disadvantages of using these services. Getting right answers to these questions will help you to make informed decisions.

Locating prospective service providers is among the first things you need to do. This can be achieved by either asking for word of mouth referrals or searching online. Fellow property owners who are using similar services can come in handy in recommending their service providers. If you are not able to get credible referrals, searching online is an alternative. However, make sure you are aware of their portfolio before giving them a call.

Before you call a located service provider for an interview, there are a number of things you may want to check first. Check how many vacant real estate properties the company is currently listing or have listed before. Keep in mind that serious companies swill have a website or directory used in advertising properties they are managing. When you finally call them, ask them about the number of units they are managing and their vacancy rate.

Another thing you can do is checking their listing platforms and strategies. With the advent of technology, it is expected that property managers will have websites or established platforms to use in advertising for vacancies. Go through their website to check if they are managing properties with similar levels of complexities in your town. When you finally give them a call, ask them about the total number of units they manage. Using this number, you can then calculate their vacancy rate.

Licensing is one of the most important things you should check on all prospective service providers. Licensing is a statutory requirement that shows a service provider has met certain requirements to be registered. Working with a legally registered company will also give you the much needed peace of mind. Using the license number, you should be able to establish the reputation of a specific company in the industry.

Experience in the industry is another crucial consideration. Experienced companies have elaborate structures that will make it easy to take over the management of strategy in a manner that suits your needs. Check how many years they have been in the industry and more importantly the number of similar properties they are managing. Consider checking the reputation of prospective companies in the industry too.

The task of selecting a property can be challenging considering their numbers in the industry. Take time and educate yourself on how these professionals can be of help, and factors which characterize the best service providers. You can locate them by either searching online or asking for word of mouth referrals.




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