Managing rental properties from far locations

[Max Smith]

I own two rental properties in the SF bay area and need to move to Los Angeles for work reasons. I am considering hiring a property management company to manage my property. However, the fees are a little high for what I think is needed in terms of time spent per month on those properties.

Are their a lot of people with experience managing rental properties from remote locations? What are the biggest problems faced when doing that?

I am thinking about the following problems and how to handle them:

Urgent need of repairs -> ask handy to send technicians on site

Need to find new tenants -> organize open house and fly in for a week end

Any other major problems I need to look for? How difficult is it to manage properties from remote locations?

[Payal Z.]

Hi Max,

I live in Los Angeles and own a rental property in Las Vegas, NV and Orlando, FL and I am currently managing them both on my own. So far, its not been any issue for me. If there are repair issues, I directly research and call professionals. When there are vacancies, I hire an agent on a fixed fee basis to show the unit to prospective tenants. Most things can be done online and over the phone these days.

Payal