Property Manager finally joins BP (Fresno, CA)

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Property Manager finally joins BP (Fresno, CA)

Rob Boese
Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes

Hello bigger pockets world! I've been listening to BP podcasts for what seems like forever. I've finally joined the discussion on the BP forums. I've heard a lot about folks struggling with property management, so I wanted to let people know there are good, diligent and honest property managers out there. You must screen your property manager like you would any tenant, investment partner, or contractor. Because, in the end, your property manager acts as a bit of all of these; plus we handle legal and financial accounting matters that require a high degree of experience and skill. There are good property managers and bad ones, just like there are good and bad investors, landlords, etc... In future posts, I'll talk about property management in depth and people can certainly ask me advice about property management and how to find a good one or if you need one. 

Additionally, I am the Broker and President of a full service property management company (commercial/residential/associations) and full service real estate brokerage(buy/sell/lease/investments). We're located in Fresno, CA. 

Real Estate is my job, hobby and passion. It's my favorite subject, so don't be afraid to reach out to me with questions or just to connect. Being a broker, property manager and active real estate investor, I have different perspective on real estate deals and what I look for. I'm looking forward to sharing that insight.

Thanks guys! I'm looking forward to connecting with you soon.


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  • Louis Leone
    Real Estate Investor · New York City, NY · Member since 2014 · 121 posts · 47 votes
    12y

    Welcome to the forums @Rob Boese !

    0Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese 

    welcome to the site.

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    Thanks for warm welcome! I'm please to finally participate.

    For those that just read BP or listen to the podcast, I recommend you participate too. Like real estate, you can read about it forever but you have to get started sometime to get anything out of it.

    3Reply
  • Yutaka M.
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 12 posts · 5 votes
    12y

    Welcome to BP @Rob Boese.

    I'm a former Fresnan living in Socal. I invest in long term SFR. BP has been a great way for me to network with RE people from Fresno.

    Sharing your PM insight will be a popular topic. People will pickup on your enthusiasm. Wishing you much luck!

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    Thank you Yutaka! I grew up on Long Island where a 3/2 would run you a half million. Here in Fresno, you can find a 3/2 on a quarter acre for $150,000 in a lot of areas of town that could be great for buy and hold, flips or any deal really. Needless to say, I love being located here and being part of an active real estate community.

    I lived in Baltimore for a number of years and if you couldn't see the potential there, you couldn't see anything at all...

    In a future post, I'l talk about my time living in New York and leasing luxury apartments, sometimes for 20K a month or more

    0Reply
  • Charmaine M.
    Queens NY, NY · Member since 2013 · 467 posts · 107 votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese...welcome.

     I have a question...I am looking to intern @ a pm office, to get an understanding of how exactly things work.

    What do i look for and what are some of the criteria of a goo PM?

    Much appreciated!!

    0Reply
  • Rachael Collins
    Investor · Frazier Park, CA · Member since 2014 · 70 posts · 14 votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese 

    I appreciate your reminder to just get out there. I am interested in looking into property in Fresno but am super new at all this, so am not quite in a financial position to jump in quite yet. However I am absorbing info at breakneck speed with the help of BP. I have seen a few props up there (I am a  few hours South) that look promising, and have heard the numbers can certainly work for buy and hold but I don't know the area. With your additional input that Fresno looks promising, I will certainly keep my eyes open.

    Thanks!

    0Reply
  • Ned CareyPro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese  welcome to BP Nation. It sounds like you have a lot to contribute. 

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    Thanks Ned! I hope I can bring a different perspective to the discussions and hopefully answer questions about property management and investing.

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Rachael Collins

    Thank you! I really like the Fresno market and I've had great success partnering with some great people "down south" on managing buy and holds. I started my company with the intention of managing property but as things progressed, my team turned out to magnificent at leasing. Maybe that got that from me as investor, vacancies make my skin crawl! Except... when I am buying of course since I know my team can rent/lease it out quickly in most scenarios as long as we can bring up to standard quickly. With a low entry price point, Fresno is a terrific entry market for buy and hold new investors. Let me know if I can help in aspect of your future investments. There is almost nothing we can't do. If we can't do it, we certainly can point you to who can.

    0Reply
  • Omi C.
    Investor · Santa Cruz, CA · Member since 2013 · 86 posts · 47 votes
    12y

    Welcome to BP @Rob Boese  ! Looking forward to your insights on Fresno and property management.

    0Reply
  • Antonio Coleman
    Specialist · Sibley, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 190 votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese Man I love the way you come through the door and prop your feet up on the BP coffee table. This just means you'er here to educate and bring useful material to all members of the BP world. Thanks for stopping by

    Antonio Coleman “Signing Off”

    0Reply
  • Shoshana Shulman
    Investor · efrat, israel · Member since 2014 · 93 posts · 20 votes
    12y

    Welcome.

    It's great to have a property manager on board.

    I've been looking to invest in another Baltimore buy and hold (fix and flip if something turns up is also good), but I hesitate because I am very concerned about getting good tenants.

    I have heard of many people who have put section 8 tenants in, and despite government guarantees for most of the rent, the rentals have turned into disasters. The people I know in Baltimore don't want to deal with section 8 anymore, even when they are in Class B- or C+ neighborhoods. 

    Finding a good tenant is a real hurdle in Baltimore, as far as I can see.

    The competition is pretty strong here, as well, as many investors are looking for the same thing.

    Shoshana Shulman

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Omni C 

    Thanks for the welcome! I see you are located in Santa Cruz, which is one of many beautiful pocket markets here in CA, where you have astronomical real estate prices along the ocean and lots of opportunities in the "sea shanty villages" more inland. Terrific market for clever people like yourself. CA + Ocean = Demand

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @shoshana Shulman

    I really enjoyed Baltimore. I had a house in the "Oakenshaw" neighborhood but really it was at the the intersection of Calvert and St. Paul. Everyone in Maryland will know that corner. It is the nexus of 4 neighborhoods, really.  

    It is a great real estate town. Much like Fresno. If I were you, and looking at Fresno, I would target one of the many college areas. There will always be a decent pool of renters in Baltimore for college. Let me know what you are interested in and maybe I can share more of my experience there. If you are not located there, make sure you build in room for a good property manager. Baltimore, for all its Charm, does have it's problems.

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Antonio Coleman 

    Thanks Antonio! Sometimes you just have to show up. I looking forward to talking to people about all the things I learned about real estate over the years and learning from everyone's experiences too

    0Reply
  • Leng Thao
    Investor · Clovis, CA · Member since 2012 · 44 posts · 11 votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese 

    Welcome to BP. Glad to have a local pm & investor on board. 

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Charmaine M.

    Hi! I had a long reply to you that for some reason, did not post. That gave me time to reconsider what I posted before. 

    Ask yourself, why do I want to work at a property management company? What kind of real estate are you most interested in? Make sure you align your goals with that company. 

    I've worked for my family's management company, a big juggernaut property management company, and for myself. If you are strictly looking to learn about property management, there are lots of good firms in NYC near you. Do some research about what people are saying about the company online, check out employee reviews on sites like Glassdoor. 

    Warning: When property management is going well, there is usually nothing to talk about or review. You will run into good companies with no reviews. 

    Check out their websites and connect with the most junior employee you can find and talk with them. Like any good real estate investor, look at the properties they manage, find the owner and call them directly and ask how it is going.

    It sounds silly, but find out what management software they use. If it is Yardi or something similar, you may spend your first four months learning only how to use Yardi (stuff of nightmares). Big value if your only goal is work for a property management firm.

    If you want to learn a little about property management and real estate in general, find a medium sized real estate investor who has a property management division. That way, you get the most exposure to real estate deals and transactions and you might find that property management is or is not your thing.

    1Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Leng Thao

    Hi Leng! Thanks for the welcome. I'm amongst my people now.

    0Reply
  • Tyrus Shivers
    Investor · Jessup, MD · Member since 2013 · 437 posts · 180 votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese 

    Welcome to BP. It would be awesome to hear some of your stories and experience. I have started a PM company in Baltimore MD and I am acquiring units quickly. What do you feel is/was one of the toughest issues to overcome when starting out?

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Tyrus Shivers

    Hi Tyrus - Really for me, getting the systems and people in place. Having the right PM software, hiring people with the right qualifications and experience. Building a great vendor list. Hiring people can be challenging. I am very demanding and expect a high standard of quality in property management. 

    I have four people that work in my office. My Controller who along with my VP do financial reporting/owner statements. My VP manages a mix of commercial warehouse, multi-family, and single family along with leasing. My Assistant Property Manager does commercial for the most part and intensive leasing. I have an office administrator who handles front line duties and work orders not issued by the other managers. I have a marketing person that is on a contracted basis but she will join us full-time in about a month. Keep in mind, I also participate heavily in all of the above in addition to business development.

    Compliance is a big issue for PM's. All my people carry at minimum, a valid an active CA real estate license. In California, all property managers have need to be licensed. All my people carry licensing so we can all collaborate on leasing, managing and sales as a team as the workflow demands.

    I realize there are a lot of PM's that cut corners. We are not one of them. Don't ever be temped to do so and you'll be in good shape. Take great care in the trust placed in you and let your property management experience shine through, especially when things get difficult.

    0Reply
  • Tyrus Shivers
    Investor · Jessup, MD · Member since 2013 · 437 posts · 180 votes
    12y

    @Rob Boese 

    Thanks for the reply. I agree with you wholly on not cutting corners. That seems to be one of the most common complaints against PMs. As I continue this journey I seek to bring a great experience to both owners and tenants. As I go along I know questions will occur and I am glad to see someone established with the same principles I have here on BP that I can reach out to. 

    0Reply
  • Dave VisayaPro Member
    Moderator
    Audio Engineer and Investor · Cebu City, Cebu · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 881 votes
    12y

    Hey @Rob Boese welcome to BiggerPockets! It's great to have you here! 

    BiggerPockets
    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Tyrus Shivers

    Hi Tyrus - Sounds like you have the right attitude! Property Management is a great field to be in. Make sure you are properly insured and your trust accounting is immaculate. I wish you the best of luck and I'll follow your progress

    0Reply
  • Rob Boese
    OP
    Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    12y

    @Dave Visaya

    Hi Dave - Thanks for the warm welcome

    0Reply
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