All Forum Posts by: Clare Pitcher

The best way to learn property management is to work for a property management company. This way, you will encounter many situations and will have a team to lean on if there are questions you cannot answer. That way, when it comes time to manage your own properties or start your own management company, you will know the dos and don'ts of property management. My greatest property management experience came from my internship at a property management company where I was on the phone with tenants every day, dealing with different situations. But I was not doing it alone. I was able to watch my team and see how they were able to resolve situations, who to charge back for a maintenance work order, how/when to file an eviction, what do if a tenant pays late, how to settle tenant disputes, etc. When starting out and working for a management company, you are getting paid to learn! 

We use Appfolio and it has been great to work with and very user friendly!

Coming from a property manager, home warranties are typically hard to deal with when you have a tenant. They end up being more expensive and take longer than just reaching out to a contractor/ handyman. This could be a long process from when the tenant puts in a request to when the item actually gets fixed. 

Hi Johnny, 

Welcome to Bigger Pockets! What types of properties do you invest in and what drew you to the NC and Virginia market?

 Thanks for the insights and background. Yes, we have seen a big surge in March on both the owners and resident side. Weather for sure has a big part to play as well as renewal/ leasing season coming up. 

 Rentcafe: https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/market-snapshots...

Based off of the factors listed in the graph: average vacancy days, occupied apartments, prospective renters, lease renewal rates, etc. 

What are your thoughts on the order of this list?

Great questions! If you are brand new to real estate and want to become an investor and self-manage, the best way to learn is to get hands-on experience and learn from an expert. Find the best property management company in your area and work for them. This way you can learn from an expert on how to deal with certain tenant situations. This way, you are getting paid to learn and can ask as many questions as you need to along the way. I would suggest studying for your license while you are working at a PM. Continue to network and learn from those around you who have made it in the industry. Then you can start growing your portfolio and hopefully avoid a lot of the mistakes that first-time investors make! 

Hi Jacob, 

Welcome to Bigger Pockets! There are some great investment opportunities in/near Milwaukee. Our company currently manage about 500 doors in Southeastern Wisconsin. I have noticed that the owners with the most success do not fixate on cashflow but have a more long-term mindset. All good things come with time. We have been in business for about 11 years and the best places in my opinions to invest in are West Allis and Bayview. If you really want to invest in Milwaukee itself, I would suggest Washington Heights or Riverwest, or Harambe. Please reach out if you have an specific questions on rents!

You can go to our website whmilwaukee.com and take a look at our property map which shows the areas we manage in and the areas we do not.