Anyone with experience with REI Nation/ PPMG in Tulsa OK?

Question

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any insights/experiences to share about REI Nation's PM services in Tulsa OK? I would love to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly! :)

My husband and I are relatively new remote investors with 6 properties (2 in OKC and 4 in Tulsa). We handed our properties over to PPMG based on their glowing online reviews and the great feedback I was reading in their FB group. And they seemed like a trustworthy, honest business. But after three months of working with them, we are sadly underwhelmed... dare I say, even disappointed. It's their performance with one property in particular (in Tulsa) that we're having issues with. There have been multiple maintenance/repair expenses that seem excessive/unnecessarily repetitive... For example: In a 5-week span, we were billed for three house cleanings and three "yard quick cut/maintenance", totaling over $1000, in a vacant house that we had bought off the MLS. These jobs are aside from the extensive make-ready repairs/updates that were already done. We asked for Before and After photos so we can see what kind of mess the house and yard were in that warranted these repeated general cleanings/maintenance. But we have yet to see any photos.

They also tried to recommend other repairs to this property that didn't make sense, ex. recommending roof replacement, when the roof was actually brand new. Because we questioned this recommendation, we got our own roofer to come out and do an inspection, and they said the roof didn't need replacing. :/

The other five properties we transferred to them were already tenant-occupied and stable, so we haven't had as many hiccups with those.

We were initially very optimistic and hopeful about REI Nation/PPMG. But these recurrent, seemingly excessive charges --- for which we have yet to receive photos to justify their necessity --- are starting to make us question our decision to hire them. We keep waiting for them to start impressing us with their stellar service and their responsible, prudent management of our investments and our capital. But we're near the point where we wonder if we should just cut our losses and move on to a different PM?

Would love to hear if anyone has any reviews, whether positive or negative! Thank you very much!! :)

Rina D. · Answer

@Douglas Spence thanks for your response! Gosh, how did I miss those negative reviews?? Lol.. I feel like most of what I've read about REI Nation's PM company has been positive. Plus, their FB group seems full of happy clients. (Although as I type this, I'm realizing that their FB group's admins are FROM the company...which could possibly explain why most of the discussions/responses in the group show their good side? Lol!)

It could also be possible that their main office is not really the problem, but rather the local, boots-on-the-ground staff/vendors/contractors that they have in Tulsa? Cause whenever I talk to someone from their main office, they seem pleasant enough. So maybe the local Tulsa team is just a weak link in their system?

In any case, I wonder if you're right about finding a new PM. We may incur some losses by exiting our contract early, but it may end up being a money-saving move in the long-term. It just feels like they're racking up expenses without really considering cost-efficiency. I mean, three yard cleanings and three general house cleanings in 5 weeks? It seems a little overboard to me.. That's why I've been asking for Before/After photos. But I'm still waiting to receive them.

Anyway, thanks for weighing in!

Chris Clothier · Answer

@Rina D., Huge thanks to you for spending some time with me the afternoon.  I think we got a lot covered!

It's very important that we get these on-boarding processes right as we offer to manage properties for outside investors.  That being said, I'm glad we had the chance to talk so could explain the need for us to keep a very high standard for every property we manage. Some investors will disagree and not the value in the early work we do on maintenance or in the level of clean and tidy we want to keep properties.  In our view, both are big reasons we have such a stellar reputation and have been able to hold maintenance and vacancies so low across our portfolio.

After our conversation, I definitely have some points to make with our team on communication and already identified a couple of areas I want to work on with the onboarding process.  I also made a note to make sure we do a really good job with investors of explaining the need to ask questions about our processes, our renovation lists and what, if anything, is advised versus required.  When we are selling properties that we purchase and renovate, these conversations are handled by our portfolio team.  But when onboarding outside properties that may need some work, we clearly need better communication so we don't end up with unforced errors in the process!

Again, I really enjoyed connecting.  It stinks that we are first talking as you are wringing your hands hoping you've made the right decisions, but I can assure you that our reputation for customer service absolutely extends to outside clients bringing properties over.  We will work together on this one to meet the residents expectations and therefore hit yours!

Reach out to me anytime if you guys need anything.  Best - Chris

Rina D. · Answer

Hi all, Chris Clothier did reach out to me after seeing my post, and we had a good discussion about my concerns. (Thank you Chris!) He was professional and transparent, which I appreciated. And like Chris, the other PPMG employees I have interacted with have also been professional, pleasant, and communicative. And they have been upfront in acknowledging the areas that they can improve in.  At this point, I have to admit that the road is still bumpy, and we are still trying to work out some kinks in the system. That being said, I appreciate that they are open to feedback. (Chris actually encouraged me to ask questions and get involved, which was reassuring.) I am communicating with their staff to try and resolve these issues. We hope to get to a point where we're experiencing fewer errors, and we're not needing to double/triple check things as much.

Rina D. · Answer

Thanks so much for these recommendations! A friend and fellow investor also recommended Tracy. Will definitely keep him in mind!

Doug Spence · Answer

@Rina D. Have you expressed your frustrations with the main company? They definitely need to hear all of your concerns with the Tulsa branch, whether you decide to stay with the company or not. Maybe they can look into it and fix it. And if they're really a solid company, they will credit you back a lot of those unnecessary expenses!

Keep us updated and thanks for sharing.

Clay O. · Answer

You might want to join the Tulsa REIA group. https://www.facebook.com/group...

For a PM you might check out Tracy at https://www.rentersplace.com/?...

Doug Spence · Answer

@Rina D. I do not have any personal experience with that company, however, this is not the first I have heard of people being disappointed in their services.

What kind of agreement have you signed with them? Can you just fire them and hire a different company? "Hire slowly, fire quickly". Sounds like it might be time to get a different management company!

Good luck.

Anyone with experience with REI Nation/ PPMG in Tulsa OK?

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