I'm looking for an experienced and reliable property manger
Hi,
I'm a new investor (out of state), and I own two investment properties in the Pittsburgh area. I'm looking for an experienced and reliable property manager who could take on my two properties. I'd appreciate any referral. Thank you.
I'm sure you are looking for an honest, knowledgeable, and responsive property management company. But one thing people often fail to think about is the type of property management (PM) company. This is just in general, but there are 3 types of PMs. One likes to offer you options and have you make the decision. One wants to reduce expenses by limiting repairs. One likes to reduce the risk by being proactive. There are pros and cons to each approach. Make sure you know which one you like to go with and make sure that the one you chose matches what you are looking for.
Hi Soh, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post. I appreciate your input. I'll definitely consider your advice when interviewing potential property managers.
Hi @Karin G. sorry to hear about your property management stress, I've heard that 9/10 PMs in Pittsburgh are not that great. I'm currently in Texas, with two properties in Pittsburgh managed by my son who is doing a GREAT job (and I'm his toughest critic). He'd probably enjoy picking up a couple more properties. Message me, we can talk and I can get you his info if interested.
#2 Managing Your Property Contributor
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- Royal Oak, MI
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#2 Managing Your Property Contributor
- Property Manager
- Royal Oak, MI
Even if someone gives you a referral, what meets their expectations, may not meet yours.
In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.
It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!
Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator.
So, the first question they usually ask a PMC is about fees - instead of asking about services and HOW those services are executed.
EXAMPLE: PMC states they will handle tenant screening – what does that specifically mean? What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.? You’d be shocked by how little actual screening many PMC’s do!
This also leads owners to ASSUME simpler is better when it comes to management contracts.
The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!
We have a 14-page management contract that we've added our real experiences to over the years, with the intent of protecting both us AND the landlord. Beyond the Monthly Management, Placement & Maintenance fees, all other fees in our contract are IF EVENT -> THEN fees.
We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:
We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.
EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!
P.S. If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general. Take ownership of your mistake and learn to do the proper due diligence recommended above😊
Please send us any feedback via email, as we do not use the DM feature here.
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P.S.S. You may want to check out our website, www.LogicalPM.com, because unlike our competitors who MERELY state what they can do for you, we provide an outline of how we execute each of the services we provide! One of the best compliments we've received was from a client, who while searching for a PMC, used our service outlines to interview competitors and found there was no comparison.
Hi Melanie, thanks for suggesting the NARPM website. Apparently only 2 Pittsburgh property managers are NARPM members ... and one of the two is my current property manager. I hired them them last year after I purchased my 2 houses (without knowing about NARPM). Unfortunately, things are not going great with them at all. I'm taking notes of everyone's suggestions on here as I try to move forward.
Quote from @Karin G.:
Hi Melanie, thanks for suggesting the NARPM website. Apparently only 2 Pittsburgh property managers are NARPM members ... and one of the two is my current property manager. I hired them them last year after I purchased my 2 houses (without knowing about NARPM). Unfortunately, things are not going great with them at all. I'm taking notes of everyone's suggestions on here as I try to move forward.
MACE property management
Quote from @Anthony Angotti:
Quote from @Karin G.:
Hi Melanie, thanks for suggesting the NARPM website. Apparently only 2 Pittsburgh property managers are NARPM members ... and one of the two is my current property manager. I hired them them last year after I purchased my 2 houses (without knowing about NARPM). Unfortunately, things are not going great with them at all. I'm taking notes of everyone's suggestions on here as I try to move forward.
MACE property management
Anthony, thanks for your suggestion. I sent you a private message.
Hi Karin...where are the properties located exactly?