Property Management Interview Process

[Anthony Mikolich]

So I have interviewed 2 different companies to handle a rental that is far from where I live. I liked both. The deciding factor boils down to one company being aligned with a big, professional Real Estate office and the other is much more "mom and pop".

Both parties seem very squared away. Both are likable. One seems more experienced than the other. One has only 12 single family homes and a few commercials. Does this boil down to using my gut instincts? Is experience everything?

Finally, should I interview more?

[Jered Sturm]

The best way to go about this process is from the inside out. Here's what I mean: the sales staff of a PM company or the owner will be able to make it sound great. I would advise going directly to the internal operations of the business and see how they preform. You can do this by going to their website and seeing what listing date available for rent. Call them as if you were a respective tenant. See if they even answer the phone, when they answer are they professional, see how accommodating and timely they are with scheduling a showing. See how knowledge able they are the property or their procedures. Maybe even throw in some bait questions like " is this house ok for kids?" Their response will let you know if they are smart about how they respond to fair housing law questions and if they mess up on the answer move on or they may have you getting sued for discrimination. 

If possible even go to the home and view it as if you were a prospective tenant see how well it is cleaned and desirable to attract new tenants. The point is sales staff and owners can make anything sounds great. Get the real picture. 

Best of luck on your search.