All Forum Posts by: Bob Beach

Quote from @Sue Gee:

Bob Beach, who are you using as your PM in Jackson Miss? if you don't mind me asking

I started with Evernest but currently with Dove Realty, (Katrina Hawkins).  

Quote from @Sean O'Keefe:

Following! Very interested to hear this feedback. 

 Another person posted on a topic: "Unlicensed Property Management Company in Jackson Mississippi". There's more on this topic over there. 

Quote from @Account Closed:

Mr Beach, I only quoted you what i was told because i tried to find someone to remedy the problem but I know you prefer to use your own people which is fine and I understand....I did also tell you that I would not charge you the $85.00 service fee for David going out to the property to check on it to see what the problem was. I have only charged for the locks being changed on the property when the previous tenant moved out because she said it took too long to get the repairs done even though I told her what your plumber said about the floor being warped and I believe he was correct because it just seemed to me like foundation issues in certain spots that couldn't be helped and I did also charge for the steps being replaced  with 2 boards which probably measured about 6 ft in.lenghth $450.00 to be replaced  and painted because that was another tenant complaint and you told me to go ahead and fix it....I told you said that when we looked at the house when the tenants moved out he also didn't see any work that needed to be done to it...the only thing i saw was the rat droppings and the garage door issue that didn't work and the limbs down in the front and back yard which i requested to be removed. I did have problems with the guy removing the limbs because he told me he would be there at 7:30 the next morning and I told him that would work but My Ford f150 truck was dead so I couldn't be there till 7:45 but once again he was calling me like I took his money and someone was trying to steal from him but my husband misheard what i told him to pay the guy and had to go back to the bank Atm but of course my husband actually went to his bank atm which was in the downtown Jackson area when he could have went to the one around the corner but he said the people were still getting the tree limbs when he came back and they received there $450.00 and my husband received the $15.00 in gas money he requested for doing this for me on his time and it was raining that day as well. I never called you a liar I just told you i would always be honest with you. 

Everyone is here to share their experiences. What I am posting is my experience and my opinion based on my experience. Everyone can come to their own conclusion then make their own decisions. I could be the only one that has had a string of bad luck with their investment property. In regard to the $85 fee (which will be cancelled, not sure why). Here is the back story that was "not" told. The tenant complained that the A/C was not cool enough in one room. Katrina said she would send out her husband and said, "...my husband is a certified tech". Her words. But, he would charge an $85 service fee. She said he went out on Sunday morning and added... "My husband already took care of it". I asked, "So everything is good with the A/C now? answer, "Yes". I also asked, what was the problem with the A/C and what was the solution. I asked this 2 times with no responses and asked a third time. The answer this time was "...he took the trash bag off the return vent", and that the outside unit didn't look big enough. Didn't have a photo, unit size or age of the system. Then she added, "I'm an honest person...". Never said she was dishonest just asked, "What was done?" I asked for photos and details on the unit, she said they would go out again to see everything and I never got a follow up. This is just "my" experience on one event. People can come to their own conclusion. The Tree cutting issue was discussed in more detail on another post intitled "Unlicensed Property Management Company in Jackson Mississippi". I encourage people to check it out. Again, I've read a few good comments about this PM so maybe I am the exception. Maybe I'm the only investor that has issues with the rental. You can come to your own conclusion.
BTW - simple question: Is it OK for a PM to share personal information about an investor with another investor?

Quote from @Susan Maneck:

David is not a PM, he is a handy man and it was in that capacity that he went to that property. If you don't want to use him, you are free to find another repairman who doesn't charge for service calls. And the quote you got was what the plumber had quoted them. 

Look, if you are bad-mouthing people who are not here, they certainly have the right to respond.

Looks like I have to correct your misunderstandings again. First of all, I didn't think you would respond to my questions. The OP brought up Dove realty and you responded. So, you are allowed to give your experience but I'm not? I shared my experience, because that's what we do here. So, I never said David was a PM. Katrina said he was a certified tech for HVAC. You mentioned, you had a plumbing issue. If you like, you could send me the before photos and invoice, just to see what my guy would have charged? Could save you lots of $$ in the future. We're all here to help each other and if I can help you, all the better. I'm not bad mouthing anyone. I'm sharing my experience just like the others are doing. Are you going to attack the OP for sharing his negative experience with Evernest? Your last statement was a good one. If the people are not here, then how can they "respond"?
And again, do not intervene between the PM and me. BP does not need busy bodies.

Quote from @Susan Maneck:

Quote from @Susan Maneck:

Quote from @Bob Beach:

Quote from @Susan Maneck:

Katrina (who owns Dove Realty) and her husband David, who often does handyman stuff are regular people who just do their job. Her fees are straight forward, no surprises. Sometimes David makes mistakes with repairs but I've never known them to try and cheat me. I've been working with them since I bought my first investment property 13 years ago. 

 I've now started to verify everything that Katrina and hubby do and so far, it's not looking good. In the first month or so, they found some "rotten" wood steps to the porch. Two wooden steps and paint charged us $550. I asked my Memphis guy, what he would charge. He said $140.  Next was a warped vinyl floor related to a water leak. Katrina quoted me $6100 for re-piping the entire house and fixing the warped flooring. I sent my Memphis guy and I believe he charged me around $600 plus gas for the drive. The water leak was causing the flooring to warp. Both issues solved.  Next was some branches in the yard from a storm. I hired a guy that charge me $450 to cut up and haul away. He wanted cash so I Zelle'd Katrina $450 + $15 (she wanted gas money). Hubby delivered the money, was late and only had $350. The tree trimer was pissed.  The tree trimmer was half finished when he called me, sent a photo of the trailer full of branches and Katrina claimed, "he hadn't started yet". Had multiple excuses why late including the truck had a dead battery and pouring rain. I asked the tree guy if it was raining, he said "no" and that "...these people are sh#t". Next issue: Tenant said the A/C wasn't cold enough in the den. K sent me a photo with the intake vent covered with plastic. Claimed it was there before the tenant moved in and never questioned it. I told her to tell the tenant to remove it. "Claimed" her husband already went out and resolved it. Charged me $85 so I asked, What was the issue and what was the solution? I asked 3 times over a few days and she avoided the question. Then she accused me of suggesting she was lying. And the husband had almost no information on the A/C unit or how old it was, which was my main concern. I doubt if he even went out to the house. I still don't know what my $85 got me. 

So, I'm looking for a new PM. Has anyone used Trihelm? They have good reviews, (but so did Evernest). Or, are there any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 Obviously I can't answer for everything you say they did, but I did talk to Katrina briefly. I know, for instance, the $350 rather than $450 being delivered was a mistake which I believe was corrected. I know David charges $85 for a service call, so if you asked him to do anything minimal that would have been the charge. I've used property managers in Arizona and I know they used to charge me $35 just to call someone and that was some 30 years ago. I was grateful Katrina didn't have those kinds of junk fees. But keep in mind that David is just a handy man. For a more complicated job like floor warping and plumbing he would have gotten bids. I understand your house is on Brockley. I know that neighborhood and all the houses I've looked at on that street had foundation problems. Are you sure that isn't part of your problem? I had a tree fall on one my houses during a rain storm last summer. David found someone to fix that roof for far less than the insurance company paid me, and they did a good job. I'm surprised you could get someone to come out from Memphis for jobs that only pay $140 or even $600. It's over 200 miles and a three hour drive each way! Something isn't adding up here. 

   I think I need to clarify or add more detail to my statements so they're not mis-interpreted or misunderstood. This PM is the only PM we've had that charges to go out to see what's wrong. Then charge to fix it. We had many PM's in TN that will send a guy out to see what's wrong then send me an estimate on how much it will be.

I never said, I got someone to come out from Memphis for $140. Maybe you read it too fast. When I asked my TN guy, he didn't know which one of our houses it was. He told me how much he would charge. And again, the charge for the plumbing and floor was $550 (I just checked on my account) plus I paid him $200 for gas and drive time. $750 for a job that Katrina quoted $6100 for (flooring and plumbing leak). The plumbing leak caused the floor warping issue. So, only one thing needed repairing. Once the floor dried, it flattened back out. You're fine with her quotes? Also, before I bought the house, I knew about the foundation issues that are all over Jackson, so I got an inspection and I stressed to check foundation. It's fine. In addition, I had Roto-rotor go out to inspect. They are the ones that said the house does not need re-piping. So, you are incorrect on this. Also, the guy I had taken care of the trees, sent me a photo that he was "almost done" at time stamp 6:02. Katrina sent me a text at, time stamp 5:44, saying that "it's pouring down rain". And at time stamp 5:50 said, "so he had never started yet". The photo from the tree guy was his trailer full of branches about 20' long and 4' high. And everything was dry. Now, after the payment mix-up my dependable and honest tree guy does not respond to me anymore. You're ok with this?
And one more thing. I believed this forum to be people that share ideas and experience to help other achieve financial goals with real-estate. I've never asked or seen anyone that injected themselves in the middle of a PM and investor as you did. Please do not do this again. Let's try to keep BP professional. You're only costing the PM more income. And I assume, you're also fine with a PM sharing personal information with a stranger on their investments? If you only respond to one of my questions, please make it this one. You're fine with this? I have screen shots, emails and receipts where I can prove everything I'm saying. Katrina is a nice person and easy to work with. I could go on, but I think I proved your point. "Something isn't adding up here."

Quote from @Susan Maneck:

Katrina (who owns Dove Realty) and her husband David, who often does handyman stuff are regular people who just do their job. Her fees are straight forward, no surprises. Sometimes David makes mistakes with repairs but I've never known them to try and cheat me. I've been working with them since I bought my first investment property 13 years ago. 

 I've now started to verify everything that Katrina and hubby do and so far, it's not looking good. In the first month or so, they found some "rotten" wood steps to the porch. Two wooden steps and paint charged us $550. I asked my Memphis guy, what he would charge. He said $140.  Next was a warped vinyl floor related to a water leak. Katrina quoted me $6100 for re-piping the entire house and fixing the warped flooring. I sent my Memphis guy and I believe he charged me around $600 plus gas for the drive. The water leak was causing the flooring to warp. Both issues solved.  Next was some branches in the yard from a storm. I hired a guy that charge me $450 to cut up and haul away. He wanted cash so I Zelle'd Katrina $450 + $15 (she wanted gas money). Hubby delivered the money, was late and only had $350. The tree trimer was pissed.  The tree trimmer was half finished when he called me, sent a photo of the trailer full of branches and Katrina claimed, "he hadn't started yet". Had multiple excuses why late including the truck had a dead battery and pouring rain. I asked the tree guy if it was raining, he said "no" and that "...these people are sh#t". Next issue: Tenant said the A/C wasn't cold enough in the den. K sent me a photo with the intake vent covered with plastic. Claimed it was there before the tenant moved in and never questioned it. I told her to tell the tenant to remove it. "Claimed" her husband already went out and resolved it. Charged me $85 so I asked, What was the issue and what was the solution? I asked 3 times over a few days and she avoided the question. Then she accused me of suggesting she was lying. And the husband had almost no information on the A/C unit or how old it was, which was my main concern. I doubt if he even went out to the house. I still don't know what my $85 got me. 

So, I'm looking for a new PM. Has anyone used Trihelm? They have good reviews, (but so did Evernest). Or, are there any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Quote from @Sneha Deshmukh:

I have been exploring turnkey properties offered by MidSouthHomeBuyers in Memphis. It seems like there are many have good experience working with them. Curious to know if out of state investors have made deals without seeing their properties?

 I imagine, no out of state investors see the property beforehand. Midsouth will send you an email, about the property, when it comes available, and you have to act on it soon or pass it by for the next investor to decide.  

Thank you, Chris and Mike, for your input. Yes, our one house with them has been basically trouble free for 8 years. I think 1 or 2 tenant turnovers but much better than our other houses. We have 5 doors with another property manager and I'm on the phone with them from twice a month to twice a day resolving issues. Also, don't trust their maintenance issue and repair prices. 

I plan on adding myself to the waiting list on Monday.

Thanks again to all that responded.  

Bob

Yes, after doing more research and finding other posts, it seems like everyone has a positive experience with them. I was concerned that the houses don't meet the 1% rule but with older houses, you're losing in more repair costs.  I believe, they purchase their houses in better areas (better than ours) and a complete rehab, plumbing, wiring, roofs, walls, fixtures help with longevity. Many things a rent-ready rehab doesn't include. 

I think I'll be adding my name to the waiting list very soon. Thanks for the feedback.