Any good property managers in or around Butler, PA?

Question

I have had bad luck with property managers in the Pittsburgh area for managing my 14 unit property.  I've gone through 3 of them in the past 3 years.  They are either terrible, non-existent, or just straight up fraudulent.  I'm thinking about either managing it myself remotely with a reliable boots-on-the-ground or private PM company in the area because the ones advertised on Google, etc. are pretty terrible and suspect.  Plus, a lot of these PM companies don't want to deal with Section 8.  It was the Section 8 tenants that got me through the Pandemic.  They gave me the less drama and paid on time.  Everyone else stopped paying and lived for free.  I had to get an attorney (not the PM) to get them evicted.  Time to make this property cash-flowing again.

Drew Sygit · Answer

@Ade Adesuyi

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”:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processes

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😊

Brent Benoit · Answer

Hello Ade, I live 15 minutes from Butler and have some single family home that I self manage. I also am the rehab/repairman as well. I’ve been working construction my whole life. Is your property in the city of Butler? I could be interested in the job. I am a ‘Boots-on-the-ground’ in Butler.

I also have a friend/ investor who has more property management experience than I. I will see if he is interested.

I do not know a professional and established property management in this area. It’s not something I’ve looked into yet.

Brent