All Forum Posts by: Rochelle G.

Hi all, I currently own a SFH and am in the process of acquiring a duplex both located in the Flint/Burton/Grand Blanc area of Michigan. Has anyone had any good experiences with a PM in the area? I’ve been doing some searching both on these forums and online as well as NARPM and haven’t come up with much. Self-managing just isn’t in my skill set nor something I feel the need to try my hand at. Any advice or referrals would be greatly appreciated!

@Elenis C. I just wanted to drop a quick comment to thank you for starting this thread. Your post and those who added to it have really given me food for thought on how I’ve been running my rentals.

@Owen Dashner I’m concerned that this was only top 5 for you, I’d hate to see the first!

@Jason Albeinat I’m not sure if anyone already brought this to your attention since I haven‘t read through all of the 50+ replies, but I would shy away from managing any of this owner‘s properties in the future. Yes, you‘re contractually tied to back his decisions, but the tenant and general public may not understand the expectations/working relationship between owners and managers. Ultimately, it’s your company’s PR taking the hit for that owner‘s decisions. Depending on how many people (and judging by his actions will be a lot) he chooses to tell about the unapprecitaion he’s experienced as your tenant may also have a negative effect on any other properties you have listed with your company. I realize you can’t cut him slack rent-wise, but a little damage control on behalf of your management company may not be a bad idea. Like a previous poster has mentioned, sometimes in business, reputation means more than money. And that owner is not doing you any favors.

@Martha Nowlan I also understand where you’re coming from, however it’s saved me a monumental about of time having my own access to the MLS and has added to my network tremendously. I don’t have to “waste” anyone’s time writing multiple offers a week, nor do I need to limit my leads to only the listings that meet an e-mail criteria search. Most CPAs are required to have a 4 year degree. My RE license took 40 hours, 1 exam, and a few applications to a couple brokers. Like I said, completely understand where you’re coming from, but logically those two aren’t comparible. If the money you spend for MLS access, desk fee, etc is less than the 3% you would have normally never seen otherwIse due to going through another agent, it saves you both time and money. For some, it just makes much more sense.

@Taylor King I’ve had similar issues with realtors, unfortunately. I relate very heavily to you and your wife’s frustration with wanting to stay informed and being met with resistance. I’m not sure how deeply you two plan to dive into your RE career, but myself planning on doing it for the long haul have decided to just become licensed in RE myself and avoid having to depend on a middle man. If you aren’t happy with how someone is doing their job, then work until you can replace them yourself. This industry is one of the most self-reliant industries out there. Just do what you can to educate yourself and don’t get discouraged. There are definitely good agents out there, but my advice is to see if the pros of licensing outweigh the cons for you and just do it yourself.

@Mal K. This could just be me being cynical toward people and their intentions, but this sounds completely staged. Criminals wouldn’t bust down a door alerting everyone to their whereabouts before they discreetly slipped through a window. This sounds like a domestic dispute between whomever was staying your unit while your renter was out of town, and now she’s covering her butt by saying it’s a security issue to avoid paying damages and keep her deposit. I tend to have a bleeding heart for my tenants and their situations, but this wouldn’t go farther than a shoulder shrug and replacing the door with me.

@Nathan G. Thank you so much, that link helped a TON.

What characteristics do you personally look for when choosing a property management company? I’ve been working with a company while gettIng my property rent ready but have held off signing a contract due to a few concerns. His getting the day of our meeting wrong and leaving me a rude voicemail asking why I wasn’t at my property like we agreed upon and “missing” my replies back to his texts are just to name a couple. If he can’t get his ducks in a row now, wouldn’t this reflect on his (and the company he works for’s) capability to successfully manage my property? Would you search for another company instead?

@Cole A. Yes, I’m aware of that. Not sure where I states anything different?