A Cautionary Tale About a Property Manager in Cinncinatti
Rental Property Investor · Port Washington, NY · Member since 2022 · 27 posts · 36 votes
A Cautionary Tale About a Property Manager in Cinncinatti
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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes@Jacklyn Robins we've run into these ugly surprises so many times when taking over from other PMC's that over a decade ago we made taking videos, to supply to owners, standard practice.
There's no excuse NOT to take & supply videos with today's technology!
Logical Property Management4.9458 Reviews
20 Replies
- Lender · Miami, FL · Member since 2025 · 123 posts · 34 votes9mo
@Jacklyn Robins great example of the risks involved in working with vendors. I check on a quarterly basis to make sure I have the best vendors in terms of pricing, turnaround and performance. I'll check sooner if the in-place vendor is underperforming. Whether it's someone in the acquisitions or property management team.
This is also a great example of an opportunity to develop process for your acquisitions/asset management. There should be a checklist that the vendors complete to ensure their turnaround and performance is being verified, tracked and measured. In the case of the PM, part of the checklist should be pictures of the property with certain frequency to verify condition. Also pictures of maintenance and repairs performed. This will allow you to keep the vendors truthful and performing well.
- 9moArman AhmedPro MemberReal Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 923 votes
Jacklyn, thanks for sharing this—situations like yours happen far more often than people admit, especially with older multis in the Midwest. Your takeaway is exactly right: verification beats trust every time. Photos, videos, timestamped walkthroughs, and unannounced check-ins are must-haves, and any PM who can’t provide that level of transparency is a problem. Six months of vacancy in a rentable area almost always means the units aren’t being marketed properly or aren’t in leasing condition, so catching it early saves a lot of pain. Glad you found a new PM and got eyes on the property—being more hands-on, even from out of state, makes a huge difference moving forward.
- MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes9mo
Thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds like things will notably improve with new PM. Out of state investing is not as easy as many here tout. It sounds like you are a seasoned investor with the financial cushion to weather this storm. Unfortunately many new investors who are encouraged to take on out of state multi family class C&D properties would face financial hardship in a similar situation. There is no short cut with due diligence and even more simply there is also no free lunch and of course there is significant value in minding your own farm.
- Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes9moI’m sorry to hear about everything you went through. That sounds incredibly frustrating and stressful. Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s a good reminder for all of us to do our due diligence. If you’re able to leave a review on their website or Google page, that would be great. It can help more investors become aware and avoid similar issues.
Quote from @Jacklyn Robins:
Ok, I already know I made mistakes here, so just hoping to save another out-of-state investor from stepping into the same mess.
I hired a PM who came highly recommended by a realtor I no longer use (red flag). Two of my four units sat vacant for SIX months. We lowered rents, supposedly did updates, removed bad tenants… nothing worked. The PM blamed “drug dealers” hanging around the property and said she was “getting the cops involved.” 🙄
Fast forward: I’m talking to a new realtor about another deal, mention what’s happening, and she offers to stop by the building. Long story short- the two “constantly shown” units are totally unrentable disasters. No updates were done. A “fixed” roof is still leaking into an occupied unit. And shocker: there are no drug dealers. Just lies. Lots of them. How do I know? I have a new PM who has been on the lookout for weeks and there's sign of them.
Moral: I know I made mistakes. I don’t need to be eaten alive. I’m sharing this because if you can avoid this a$$hole of a PM, run. Ask for tons of photos, videos, timestamps, surprise visits and do NOT trust anyone blindly in this business. You live and you learn. On to the next property where I will be A LOT MORE INVOLVED.
If you want her name and company, PM me.
- 9moDrew SygitBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
@Jacklyn Robins we've run into these ugly surprises so many times when taking over from other PMC's that over a decade ago we made taking videos, to supply to owners, standard practice.
There's no excuse NOT to take & supply videos with today's technology!
Logical Property Management4.9458 Reviews - Real Estate Broker · Atlanta · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 605 votes9mo
Unfortunately, some PMs bank on owners not being local and don’t provide photos, updates or actual oversight. Going forward definitely demand photos, videos, timestamps and unannounced check-ins. Trust is good but verification is essential in this business. Glad you caught it and are moving forward stronger and more involved.
- Property Manager · Lenoir, NC · Member since 2017 · 38 posts · 38 votes9mo
That's awful. What I don't understand is why....why...why a property management company doesn't hustle to get vacant units filled? That's how the money is made!
- 9moDrew SygitBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
Quote from @Judith Sullivan:
That's awful. What I don't understand is why....why...why a property management company doesn't hustle to get vacant units filled? That's how the money is made!
Maybe Flat Fee PMCs, that charge monthly fees whether property occupied or vacant, aren't using the best business model?
Logical Property Management4.9458 Reviews
- 9moAlfath AhmedBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
Quote from @Jacklyn Robins:
Ok, I already know I made mistakes here, so just hoping to save another out-of-state investor from stepping into the same mess.
I hired a PM who came highly recommended by a realtor I no longer use (red flag). Two of my four units sat vacant for SIX months. We lowered rents, supposedly did updates, removed bad tenants… nothing worked. The PM blamed “drug dealers” hanging around the property and said she was “getting the cops involved.” 🙄
Fast forward: I’m talking to a new realtor about another deal, mention what’s happening, and she offers to stop by the building. Long story short- the two “constantly shown” units are totally unrentable disasters. No updates were done. A “fixed” roof is still leaking into an occupied unit. And shocker: there are no drug dealers. Just lies. Lots of them. How do I know? I have a new PM who has been on the lookout for weeks and there's sign of them.
Moral: I know I made mistakes. I don’t need to be eaten alive. I’m sharing this because if you can avoid this a$$hole of a PM, run. Ask for tons of photos, videos, timestamps, surprise visits and do NOT trust anyone blindly in this business. You live and you learn. On to the next property where I will be A LOT MORE INVOLVED.
If you want her name and company, PM me.
In my opinion - it maybe a multiple of things. Make sure to check the deal to make sure it is in a location you want to invest in. Get an inspection done/ have a contractor walkthrough to understand major capex, mechanicals (roof, hvac, hot water tank, plumbing, electrical, foundation), and cosmetic.
Make sure you buy the deal at a good value that accounts for all your expenses. Interview multiple property managers then get professional photos taken and lease!
This is how you succeed as an investor.
ReafCo | Ahmed Group 530 Reviews - Member since 2024 · 238 posts · 132 votes9mo
Jackie: I remember you and your problem here. Again my sympathies for your monetary loss. Your property is a dump in a bad location in a bad part of town and you paid about double what it would have been worth if properly managed.
To be honest with you, this is really your fault. You should have come up here before you purchased it and you would have seen al the obstacles. People from NYC think a little city on a midwest riverbank is a great place to own and live. Actually, Avondale where you bought property was ground zero for one of the most violent racial riotng in US history. and, your property is on that bullseye.
Cincinnati is a "bifurcated" city. there are 100,000 citizens that work in the massive medical and university complexes, Proctor & Gamble, Kroger, etc. and live like I do in luxurious and affordable near in suburbs or the trendy apartments of Cincinnati's historic district, and then on the other hand 150,000 stagnant mostly unemployed or underemployed minorities who are 92% of the criminal defendants 86% of the welfare recipients and close to 80% of the Section 8 residents. You chose to buy in their worst neighborhood.
No property manager can solve your problem. You need to get that loser property sold and learn from this experience.
- Real Estate Agent · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2023 · 9 posts · 16 votes8mo
Hi@Jacklyn Robins, I attempted to PM you but could not manage to. I was wondering if I could connect with you on the company and name.
- Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2016 · 116 posts · 83 votes8mo
Honestly, I would blame your RE agent also. If you want to name shame them here, it can help other people from getting into the same situation. How can they let you buy in such an area if they know you are an out of town landlord? Unless you specifically told them you want a cheap place in any neighborhood.
- Member since 2025 · 17 posts · 5 votes8mo
That is a brutal experience, Jacklyn, but thank you for sharing it. Stories like this are exactly why the "trust but verify" rule exists in out-of-state investing. It’s incredibly common for bad PMs to use "neighborhood danger" or "professional tenants" as a smokescreen for their own lack of marketing or maintenance oversight.
- Member since 2024 · 238 posts · 132 votes8mo
Residential real estate is a local business and even then it takes diligence. Recently, a former client of mine here in Cincinnati wanted to spread his admin cost by adding a total of 50 units to his portfolio of 200 units. He bought a property through a broker at a reasonable price per door but did not contact me or do any other due diligence. Despite living here most of his life, he failed to see that the demographic where he bought, just a few blocks from some decent properties, was a complete s***hole. He invested more than half a million dollars equity and did not walk through a single unit. It a great location if one wants to buy drugs, sex or Snap cards. He is losing about $150k annually on it.
So, Jaclyn, it can happen to anyone.
- Rental Property Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2023 · 17 posts · 7 votes8mo
Great commentary all around, One thing as an investor I have to ask you and all the other here is.... What in your systems allowed this to happen? Also, what could you have done to prevent this and are your implementing it moving forward?
This isn't to pass blame off on a bad manager, this isn't to say the realtor didn't lead you properly. However, it goes back to the saying "control what you can control".
Could requiring a new PM to send your a video tour of the unit before listing solve this issue? Could requiring proofs of works completed be added to your systems? Could you find a way to secret shop your units? Have another local investor you know tour your units as a prospective tenant to give you feed back?Hate to see you project off to a rough start, that being said the future only will get better if you learn from the mistakes, don't blindly trust, and always verify
- Property Manager · Covington, KY · Member since 2021 · 27 posts · 27 votes8mo
Sorry to hear about this experience - it's frustrating when trust breaks down like that. Your advice about documentation is spot-on. As someone working in property management here in Northern KY and Cincinnati, I know how critical transparency and regular communication are, especially for out-of-state owners.
The verification systems you mentioned - photos, videos, timestamps - should really be standard practice, not the exception. I hope your new PM is more responsive and that things turn around quickly. Happy to chat if you have questions about the Greater Cincinnati market. Feel free to DM me.
- Property Manager · Member since 2025 · 3 posts · 3 votes6mo
- That is such a bummer to hear... Hate hearing these kinds of stories about bad, unreliable, and dishonest property managers in Cincinnati. Sadly there are probably 10 to 20 bad property managers in Cinci per 1 good property manager.
Before hiring a property manager in Cincinnati or Dayton, I highly suggest asking super detailed questions about their days on market. We price all of our rentals at True Home Ohio Property Management to be on and off the market in 21 days or less. We are very good at hitting that and it does fluctuate (right now it is sitting at 23 DOM), but this is a critical part of what you need to investigate deeply when hiring a property manager.
Ask them to specifically tell you EXACTLY how they accomplish this. What we do is set a price range with our clients that we all agree upon which allows us to be extremely quick and nimble when we are showing our units we manage. We've got it down to a science and I suspect most property managers simply just create an ad and post it on Zillow. When it doesn't rent in 2-3 weeks and their clients ask them why, the PM just says "Nobody wants it"...
It takes a lot of employees to be successful at leasing so you could also ask specifically how many employees they have that focus on ONLY leasing.
- That is such a bummer to hear... Hate hearing these kinds of stories about bad, unreliable, and dishonest property managers in Cincinnati. Sadly there are probably 10 to 20 bad property managers in Cinci per 1 good property manager.
- Member since 2024 · 238 posts · 132 votes6mo
None of the best property managers in Cincinnati would touch this property. It is a dump in a bad neighborhood. And a one off. Does anyone think Marvin Rosenberg from Towne properties or Dan Schimberg from Uptown would represent this property? She needs to sell this and next time come to town and sit on the front steps for 15 minutes.
- Rental Property Investor · Port Washington, NY · Member since 2022 · 27 posts · 36 votes6mo
@Gregory Wilson I can't believe you're still commenting. My post was to 1. Warn people to not use LISA SCHULZE or The Perfect Apartment. 2. To bring attention to the fact that we make mistakes in real estate and we learn. However, you continue to come in here desperate for attention so i'll give it to you. Yes, the property is in a ****** neighborhood. But I have gutted the units to make them more livable for the tenants moving in and as i've said before, low income tenants still need somewhere to live. And that government checks shows up every month with my rent.
I grew up in Brooklyn (not the nice parts) and I lived there until I was 28. Mocking me and telling me to sit on the steps for 15 min because there's an entire building of low income tenants next door? Give me a break. To bad everything in NYC in gentrified or I would have invited you to come to the hood as well. We could compare.
Anyway, thank you to everyone else who has offered their perspective and advice as well as those who have reached out directly. We have a bunch of applications in place now that the weather has turned and 2 of the units are rented so hopefully about to close on a third and then will flip the 4th unit. We also need to clean up the stucco on the front facade of the building so working on that.
- Member since 2024 · 238 posts · 132 votes6mo
Quote from @Jacklyn Robins:
@Gregory Wilson I can't believe you're still commenting. My post was to 1. Warn people to not use LISA SCHULZE or The Perfect Apartment. 2. To bring attention to the fact that we make mistakes in real estate and we learn. However, you continue to come in here desperate for attention so i'll give it to you. Yes, the property is in a ****** neighborhood. But I have gutted the units to make them more livable for the tenants moving in and as i've said before, low income tenants still need somewhere to live. And that government checks shows up every month with my rent.
I grew up in Brooklyn (not the nice parts) and I lived there until I was 28. Mocking me and telling me to sit on the steps for 15 min because there's an entire building of low income tenants next door? Give me a break. To bad everything in NYC in gentrified or I would have invited you to come to the hood as well. We could compare.
Anyway, thank you to everyone else who has offered their perspective and advice as well as those who have reached out directly. We have a bunch of applications in place now that the weather has turned and 2 of the units are rented so hopefully about to close on a third and then will flip the 4th unit. We also need to clean up the stucco on the front facade of the building so working on that.
Jacklyn:
My quote is to warn people too. The mistake here was not that you picked a bad manager. You just seem to misunderstand that. And, this is not a criticism of you personally. I am sure you are a delightful person and I am sure you are doing your best with the property. The latest Zillow photos look really good. I go by there about once a month for about the last 50 or so years. When youu come to Cincinnati, look me up. i'll take you on a tour of OTR an urban neighborhood like Brooklyn where you would want to live or own property.
The warning you are giving will fall on deaf ears unless the manager decides you are defaming her. And no one wants that.
There are hundreds of property managers in Cincinnati. Most of whom are little more than a first floor tenant with a checkbook and a step son who can clear a toilet or change a smoke alarm battery. Any one of them would gladly take a commission on the purchase of an unsuitable property.I apologize to you for the offense I have apparently visited on you. It was not my intention. But my warning stands.
IF A PERSON THINKS THEY CAN SAFELY BUY PROPERTY 600 MILES AWAY WITHOUT A VISIT THEY ARE MAKING A HUGE MISTAKE.
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