25 y/o with 22 properties – looking for advice + feedback on new PM (Detroit)

Zane Tsakiris · 2026-04-10T07:15:27-07:00

Hey everyone, I’m pretty new to BiggerPockets and wanted to introduce myself and get some perspective from more experienced investors/operators here. I’m 25 and currently have a portfolio of about 22 properties, mostly in the Detroit area. Over the past year, I’ve run into some challenges that I’m actively trying to clean up: - Previously worked with property managers who were extremely slow getting units rent-ready, which led to a lot of unnecessary vacancy - Also had a contractor who was overspending pretty heavily, which ended up eating into margins more than I would’ve liked As a result, a good portion of the portfolio isn’t performing where it should be yet. Right now, my main focus is stabilizing—getting units turned efficiently, leased up, and expenses under control. I recently switched to a new property management company called Own It Detroit. So far they seem solid, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has experience with them—good or bad. A few things I’d really appreciate input on: - How do you properly vet and manage a PM to make sure they’re actually performing? - What systems/processes have helped you keep rehab/turn costs under control? - Any advice on stabilizing a portfolio quickly without sacrificing quality tenants? - For those who’ve scaled early, what mistakes should I be watching out for at this stage? I’m really just looking to learn, tighten up my operations, and connect with others who’ve been through similar situations. Appreciate any insight you guys are willing to share. Thanks!

Michael SmytheBusiness Member

Real Estate Agent · Metro Detroit · Member since 2023 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes

7mo

How transparent are they?

Do they automatically send you pics and videos of before/after maintenance and annual inspections?

How detailed are their bids & invoices?

How much input do they allow you to make regarding repairs?

What do they charge for city inspection compliance (Detroit's Certificate of Compliance)?

How often do they update you with marketing results for vacant properties?

Do they offer 3D Tours and Floorplans to generate more interest?

What's their Lease Renewal Process and have they sent it to you in writing, or just a vague verbal description?

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Ben JacobsBusiness Member

Property Manager · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 10 votes

6mo

Great questions, Zane — and respect for recognizing the problems early with 22 doors. Most investors don't audit their PM until the damage is done.

Michael's checklist is solid. I'd add a few things from running a multitude of PM operations in Milwaukee:

On vetting a PM:
Ask for their written maintenance protocol — not a verbal overview, the actual document. How are work orders triaged? What's the dollar threshold before they call you? If they can't produce it, that tells you something. Also ask for their average turn time over the last 12 months with proof. "We're fast" is marketing. "Our average turn was 11 days across 527 units last year" is accountability. Set expectations such as all units listed within X days of vacancy.

On controlling turn costs:
The contractor overspend problem usually isn't the contractor — it's the lack of a scope-of-work process. Before any turn begins, your PM should walk the unit, document everything with photos/video, produce a written SOW with line-item estimates, and get your approval before a single nail gets hammered.

On stabilizing without sacrificing quality:
The fastest way to fill units with quality tenants is pre-screening before showings. Have your PM set up a brief phone or online questionnaire — income, move-in timeline, rental history, pets, eviction history — before anyone steps foot in the unit. This alone can cut your showing-to-lease time in half and filter out 60-70% of unqualified applicants before they waste everyone's time.

At 22 doors you're past the point where you can self-manage the PM relationship casually. Treat it like managing an employee — regular 1X month check-ins, KPI tracking (vacancy rate, turn time, rent collection %), and written expectations. The best PM relationships I've seen are the ones where the owner holds the PM to a standard AND trusts them to execute within that framework.

Keep building — you're way ahead of the curve.

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David PeschioBusiness Member

Richmond, VA · Member since 2019 · 358 posts · 181 votes

6mo

To make sure a PM is actually performing, the biggest thing is consistent transparency backed by real numbers. A good manager should be able to show you their processes in writing, share photos and videos for turns and maintenance, and give you clear data on vacancy, turn times, rent collection, and marketing activity. You shouldn’t have to chase them for updates. At your size, it helps to treat the PM relationship like managing an employee—regular check‑ins, clear expectations, and measurable results. When a PM already tracks these things internally, it becomes obvious very quickly whether they’re operating at a high level or not.

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Martín Del Río

Member since 2026 · 1 post · 0 votes

6mo

Zane, the PM-vetting side is covered well above, so I'll add the angle nobody's raised.

When you inherit 22 doors from a PM that let units sit vacant, the bigger risk is usually what accumulated during the vacancy, not the vacancy itself. Two things worth auditing across the portfolio before you focus on stabilization:

Certificate of Compliance status on every address. Renting in Detroit without a current CoC means tenants can legally put rent in escrow, and units that sat vacant under a slow PM often have lapsed or never-issued CoCs. Re-inspection takes time, and pre-1978 properties also need lead clearance before the CoC issues. Worth starting that process in parallel with marketing, not after a lease is waiting.

DAH history on each property. Blight tickets issued during the vacancy went to whoever was on record as owner. If they didn't get forwarded through the old PM, the 21-day appeal window is gone and those tickets have hardened into default judgments. When a ticket defaults the city typically requests the maximum fine, a 10% late penalty applies, and collection fees and liens pile on from there. Inspectors can also keep issuing new tickets on the same uncorrected condition, so one property can rack up several separate judgments. Across 22 doors that adds up fast.

Worth running the audit even if most of it comes back clean. Gives your new PM a baseline and makes future underperformance easier to diagnose.

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John Ledesma

Member since 2026 · 29 posts · 3 votes

6mo

Zane — great responses above on the PM vetting side. One angle nobody's hit yet: the maintenance communication layer between your tenants and your PM.

With 22 doors and a PM you're still evaluating, one of the fastest ways to spot underperformance is to track how maintenance requests are handled end to end — not just whether they get fixed, but how long it takes from tenant report to vendor dispatch, whether the tenant gets acknowledged, and whether you're in the loop without having to ask.

The slow PM problem you described usually shows up first in maintenance response times before it shows up in vacancy numbers. Tenants who feel ignored on maintenance stop paying on time, escalate complaints, and don't renew. By the time it hits your rent roll it's already been a problem for 60–90 days.

A few questions worth asking Own It Detroit specifically: What's their SLA for acknowledging a maintenance request? Do tenants get an automated confirmation when they submit? Do you get notified when a vendor is dispatched, or only when the job is closed? If the answers are vague, that's worth pressing on early rather than after a problem surfaces.

Good luck stabilizing — 22 doors at 25 with self-awareness about the problems is already ahead of most.

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Jamar Vann

Specialist · Detroit, MI · Member since 2018 · 7 posts · 0 votes

1h

Hi Zane, I came across your post about your Detroit portfolio and the challenges with slow turnovers and contractor costs. How have things worked out since switching management companies?

I’m based in Metro Detroit, and my background includes property preservation, field reporting, and helping an out-of-town investor look after vacant properties. I’m good at coordinating people, following through on tasks, and keeping an owner informed when they can’t be there.

If you still have gaps in local follow-through, I’d welcome a conversation about whether I could help. What’s taking up the most time or causing the most frustration with the portfolio today?

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25 y/o with 22 properties – looking for advice + feedback on new PM (Detroit)

25 y/o with 22 properties – looking for advice + feedback on new PM (Detroit)

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