Anybody worked with zeker management

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Anybody worked with zeker management

Jay Sheth
Realtor · Fremont, CA · Member since 2020 · 60 posts · 14 votes

Hi

Anyone worked with zeker management who is property manager in Alabama?

I wanted some feedback if possbile

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Deborah Lynch
Investor · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 11 votes
5y

UPDATE - After my post earlier today, I was contacted by Zach Lemaster with Rent to Retirement. Zach was very concerned about my experience and wanted to know how he could help. We talked about the struggles I've had with the property manager that was in place when I purchased the property. RTR no longer uses that property manager, which is good to know for anyone considering working with RTR in the Birmingham area. Although RTR does not have control over management issues, it is clear that Zach cares about his clients and will do what he can to help. Zach is a good listener, communicates clearly, and was patient as I detailed the issues I've encountered over the last year. After speaking with Zach, it is clear he wants his clients to have the best possible experience with their rental investments and he will do what he can to advocate for you if there are issues. I appreciated Zach's call today and the time he spent listening to me, and also sharing what he could do to find a solution to my situation. Integrity is everything in this business and I believe Zach does care about his clients. He was very clear that I can contact him any time if I have issues going forward. I think my particular situation is not the norm and if I find a property that fits my criteria, and it is through RTR, I would purchase it and work with Zach.

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  • Deborah Lynch
    Investor · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 11 votes
    5y

    Hi Jay, 

    Zeker is my PM in Birmingham.  I do not recommend at this point. Hard to get follow up information, I feel like I'm constantly trying to find out what's up with my tenant and Zeker is just not proactive.  There have been a couple of decent things, but it's not a company I would  hire again. Also, they charge a 10% markup fee on repairs. Once my tenant issue is fixed and I'm ready to re-rent, I may go with Alliance Wealth Builders (found them through Real Wealth Network).  I hooked up with Zeker through Rent to Retirement, the turn-key company I used to find my rental.

    Deborah

    2Reply
  • Jay Sheth
    OP
    Realtor · Fremont, CA · Member since 2020 · 60 posts · 14 votes
    5y

    @Deborah Lynch thank you so much for your input. I also happened to reach them via rent to retirement. The sister company multifamily advisors also didn’t seem like a company I would work with in future. They gave me a hard time with follow ups. I went with my gut and dodged a bullet here since we skipped buying the property. Thanks!

    1Reply
  • Deborah Lynch
    Investor · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 11 votes
    5y

    You were smart to do that.  MFA was terrible with follow ups.  Always the same canned answer when asking for pics/updates "holiday, weather."  Their guarantee to cover the mortgage if they don't rent the property is a red flag, too. They said they have a solid list of criteria to screen tenants, but they placed a tenant who stopped paying last July. I don't believe they properly screened her.  Good luck to you, and take care.

    1Reply
  • Jay Sheth
    OP
    Realtor · Fremont, CA · Member since 2020 · 60 posts · 14 votes
    5y

    @Deborah Lynch Thanks for feedback and comments

    0Reply
  • Vicky Liu
    Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2021 · 25 posts · 16 votes
    5y

    @Deborah Lynch

    Thanks for the input. I had just paid the earnest money to secure a property in Birmingham, also through rent to retirement. The property involves MFA and Zeker as well. Good thing I came across your post when I’m doing my due diligence. Has the communication improved at all with Zeker? I’m an out of state investor so property management is key. Would you absolutely reject working with MFA and Zeker? I’m just afraid of setting up myself for failure since it’s my first rental property. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

    0Reply
  • Jay Sheth
    OP
    Realtor · Fremont, CA · Member since 2020 · 60 posts · 14 votes
    5y

    @Vicky Liu

    I didn’t even go through with the deal because their initial conversation was very flaky. I skipped the property since having good property manager is a high priority criteria when going forward with property. I am also out of state.

    My 2 cents would be to avoid them if you are expecting prompt followup and communication.

    0Reply
  • Zach LemasterBusiness Member
    Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    5y

    @Vicky Liu

    They are not the only mngt team we've worked with.  I agree they had communication issues during a transition period that we dealt with, but things have improved from last year.  You have the choice to use whatever management team you would like.  We also recommend GK mngt, Evernest, Camelot, Renter's Warehouse & Gateway.  We are happy to assist you with whatever management team you feel is in your best interest.

    [email protected]800-311-6781Podcast Guest on Show How to Get 10%+ Off Your Next Real Estate Deal Right Now
    Rent To Retirement5334 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    6Reply
  • Deborah Lynch
    Investor · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 11 votes
    5y

    Hi Vicky,

    No improvement. This has been an eye-opening experience. I don't know how MFA chose my tenant, but she trashed my home, several thousand dollars to fix what she did. I paid cash-for-keys to get her out; she was supposed to leave the property in "broom clean" condition at the walk-through. No follow up from the PM or the owner of Zeker. I would be wary of the RTR guarantee to cover the mortgage until the property is rented. IMO I do not believe they properly screened my tenant, just placed a tenant so they wouldn't have to cover the mortgage until a proper tenant was secured. I am not stating that as fact, just my opinion.  If you go through RTR, I would ask to see the employment and rental history of potential tenants so you can weigh in. I would research the other PMs listed in Zach's post. It's still an affordable market; I would just be cautious about which turn-key provider you choose.

    Deborah

    1Reply
  • Deborah Lynch
    Investor · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 11 votes
    5y

    UPDATE - After my post earlier today, I was contacted by Zach Lemaster with Rent to Retirement. Zach was very concerned about my experience and wanted to know how he could help. We talked about the struggles I've had with the property manager that was in place when I purchased the property. RTR no longer uses that property manager, which is good to know for anyone considering working with RTR in the Birmingham area. Although RTR does not have control over management issues, it is clear that Zach cares about his clients and will do what he can to help. Zach is a good listener, communicates clearly, and was patient as I detailed the issues I've encountered over the last year. After speaking with Zach, it is clear he wants his clients to have the best possible experience with their rental investments and he will do what he can to advocate for you if there are issues. I appreciated Zach's call today and the time he spent listening to me, and also sharing what he could do to find a solution to my situation. Integrity is everything in this business and I believe Zach does care about his clients. He was very clear that I can contact him any time if I have issues going forward. I think my particular situation is not the norm and if I find a property that fits my criteria, and it is through RTR, I would purchase it and work with Zach.

    7Reply
  • Vicky Liu
    Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2021 · 25 posts · 16 votes
    5y

    Deborah, 

    Thank you for the input and update. I truly appreciate it. It's only been a few days since I saw and went with the property. Like you said, I still think it's a good market. I'm just being extra careful (as I should) with the local team handling the transactions. Thank you so much and I will definitely research and reach out to you for more of your experiences investing in Birmingham.

    1Reply
  • Vicky Liu
    Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2021 · 25 posts · 16 votes
    5y

    @Zach Lemaster

    Hi Zach,

    Do you mind if I DM you? Thanks!

    0Reply
  • Vicky Liu
    Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2021 · 25 posts · 16 votes
    5y

    @Jay Sheth

    I'm sorry to hear about your experience. It certainly isn't easy being out of state but it is just more affordable than my local area. I'll do my homework and see if I can make this work. If it looks like a no go I'll definitely walk away. Thank you for starting this discussion! 

    1Reply
  • Jay Sheth
    OP
    Realtor · Fremont, CA · Member since 2020 · 60 posts · 14 votes
    5y

    Happy to help!

    0Reply
  • Conor Moran
    Rental Property Investor · New York City, NY · Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    5y

    Hi All

    I am about to close on a property in Birmingham AL with R2R. MFA are involved and recommended Zeker - this thread has me second guessing proceeding with them - any further thoughts on using them? 

    Or any other recommendations for Property management companies in Birmingham?

    Thanks

    Conor

    0Reply
  • Deborah Lynch
    Member since 2019 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    5y

    Hi Conor, Zeker managed my property until January 2021. I would contact Zach with RTR to get other PM options. 

    0Reply
  • Lars Hasseler
    Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 13 votes
    4y

    I thought I would add in my Birmingham property manager experiences here. I started with GK Houses, which apparently was bought/ transitioned to Evernest. Truly terrible experience. I let one tenant break his lease when GK Houses didn't initiate repairs to a kitchen in drastic need of sudden repair while the tenant lived there. It certainly wasn't his fault and he had been an on timer payer till then. Extracting information from GK Houses made me think of how Jack Ryan interrogated people in 24. It should not take this much effort. In fact, it should take none. 

    Next I went with AHI, also a Roofstock recommended company. Same deal on communication: extraction driven, exhausting. Where is the rent? Have you spoke to the tenant? What plan did the tenant offer for paying? Why am I having to ask you all these questions when you should be initiating the communication with this information? I still use them for two of my three, but my patience is waning.

    Now I've moved on to Zeker for one of those properties as a trial run. They did successfully place and a tenant who even pays early, which is a very nice change. Conversely, where is my money? How long does it take to process a payout? They say the 20th is their payout date. Well, it's the 28th. Perhaps some employee change, this is my first month with them, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. But I may be heading toward three "not recommended".

    I'll peruse back through this thread and take notes on positively recommended managers. As an out of state investor, Birmingham has proven far and away my most difficult city to rent remotely (it's one of five cities in which I have rental properties), mostly because of terrible property managers.

    2Reply
  • Jay Sheth
    OP
    Realtor · Fremont, CA · Member since 2020 · 60 posts · 14 votes
    4y

    @Lars Hasseler thanks for sharing your experience

    0Reply
  • Colin Zhu
    San Francisco, CA · Member since 2017 · 51 posts · 48 votes
    4y

    I know I'm a little late but I didn't have a great experience with Zeker. They were called Overhere Management before they changed their name to Zeker due to some internal leadership issues. Anyway, the tenants they places were not great. We had to evict one and the second didn't pay rent for a year.

    I switched over to GK Houses which is now Evernest and compared to Zeker, the experience has been quite positive so far. They are MUCH more responsive and even managed to recuperate most of the owed rent via landlord/tenant assistance programs. They've placed a tenant just recently so it's too early to tell the quality of the tenant.


    Hope this helps!

    3Reply
  • Rick Wade
    Member since 2019 · 56 posts · 40 votes
    4y

    We are in the midst of a bad experience with Evernest in CO.  OUr son rented from them and they have been awful to work with.

    0Reply
  • Lars Hasseler
    Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 13 votes
    4y
    Hey everybody on this thread, Zeker just transferred the one property they manage for me back to AHI, without telling me. I don't know what's happening. What a company.
    0Reply
  • Srini Murthy
    GA · Member since 2015 · 67 posts · 17 votes
    4y

    Looking for help from people in this thread. I am also looking at a property in Birmingham through Roofstock. This will be my first rental property and will be remotely managed. Though the property and surrounding areas look nice in the pictures, the doors and windows has bars which concern me.

    I am just starting our my RE investment journey and all help is greatly appreciated. Please DM me if you feel you cannot post here. The property is in 35208.

    1Reply
  • Amy Scarborough
    Member since 2020 · 31 posts · 10 votes
    4y

    Hey all, 

    Getting ready to look for a property manager for my 1st rental property. It's in the Homewood/Vestavia area. It's been really interesting reading the comments on this thread and taking notes. Has anyone found a PM worth looking further into so far?

    0Reply
  • Lars Hasseler
    Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 13 votes
    2y

    Hey everyone, I think I have found a great Birmingham property manager. ARM (America's Rental Manager) has had all three of my Birmingham properties for about a year. Collection is on time, they address repairs promptly, leases get renewed and increased based on market research. It's finally a passive operation for me. Fourth company is the charm.

    1Reply
  • Amy Scarborough
    Member since 2020 · 31 posts · 10 votes
    1y

    Hey everyone, I realize it's been a super long time. I've been finishing up my Financial Planning degree at the University of Alabama. I officialIy finished everything up this Monday, Dec. 2nd! I do have a super tenant in place, but the PM company that started out great is now lacking...big time, and it's time to make a change. Has anyone had any experience with a company called Atlas Rental Property?  Or does anyone have any suggestions? I will, of course interview and do my own due diligence with these companies, but I just wanted to get an idea from everyone that could possibly give me a heads up on who's great or who to stay away from. My property is in the Homewood/Vestavia area...35216 area code. 

    Thanks all!

    Amy Scarborough

    0Reply
  • Lars Hasseler
    Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 13 votes
    1y
    Amy, I'm using America's Rental Managers now, and they are fantastic. I'm quite surprised, because they are the fourth property manager I have used in Birmingham and the first I have been thrilled with. Proactive, I do not have to ask them for information, they run annual rent analyses to increase rent appropriately, and they get after repairs.
    0Reply
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