**Best Property Managers in Cleveland?

Question

Hi, Has anyone had good experience with a Property Management company in Cleveland? Would love recommendations. Thanks,

James Wise · Answer

The only replies these Cleveland Property Manager recommendation posts ever get are shills. I'll save everyone some time and give you the first 3 responses right now.

1. You got Bob telling everyone he knows them all and can refer a Cleveland PM to you, when in reality Bob owns a Cleveland PM company...

2. You got all the Columbus kids telling you they know PMs so you'll private message them...

3. You got that one dude who did like 8 years in jail for mortgage fraud telling you to use his PM who manages 100+ units for him...

Michael Smythe · Answer

@Nick Bandiera

Encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.

Even if someone give you a referral, don’t make the mistake of assuming that PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.

We also can’t believe how many owners hire the first PMC they speak with!

Then they complain their expectations aren’t being met!

In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.

It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – and they often select the first PMC they call!

So, the first question they usually ask a PMC is about fees - instead of asking about services and HOW those services are executed.

EXAMPLE: PMC states they will handle tenant screening – what does that specifically mean? What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.? You’d be shocked by how little actual screening many PMC’s do!

This also leads owners to ASSUME simpler is better when it comes to management contracts.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!

We have a 14-page management contract that we've added our real experiences to over the years, with the intent of protecting both us AND the landlord. Beyond the Monthly Management, Placement & Maintenance fees, all other fees in our contract are IF EVENT -> THEN fees.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processes

We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

P.S. If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general. Take ownership of your mistake and learn to do the proper due diligence recommended above😊

Michael Smythe · Answer

So many newbie investors that are clueless what to even ask:(

Jad Boudiab · Answer

Hey Nick, let's talk and see if you're a fit. We manage 500 doors in Cleveland for out of towners and are investors ourselves.

James Wise · Answer

I don't follow the Detroit keywords here on BP. Same thing goes down though?

Michael Smythe · Answer

@James Wise with you on this, we have the same issues in Detroit market!

**Best Property Managers in Cleveland?

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