Today we are talking about how a landlord should go about interviewing and choosing the property management company that is right for them. Aside from the obvious factors such as proximity and fees and services, there are other considerations.
Reputation
The reputation of a company, particularly the online reputation of a company, is very important. The reviews are becoming increasingly critical to business development. There are some signs that should tell you to look beyond the reviews. By its nature, property management serves biased customers. Those customers who are tenants do not always have the same goals as a landlord or a property owner. While taking care of a property for that landlord, we can often upset the tenant. The tenant is then likely to post a negative review online about the property management company. Therefore, when you’re considering or go to interview a property management company, look beyond the stars and look at who is making those comments. It’s possible that the company with five stars is either making their own reviews up or they aren’t doing their job as property managers very well.
Property Management Expertise
Consider whether property management is the primary business for the agent you choose. Sometimes real estate agents will turn to property management during poor sales cycles. Then, the landlords and properties are dropped when real estate markets pick up. Real estate agents would rather be chasing lucrative sales. You want to be sure your property management company will be around and ready to serve you for years to come.
These are a couple of the things you should look at when you are considering different property management companies and putting together your interview questions. If you’d like more information on this topic, please contact us at Gulf Coast Property Management.
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