Out of state property managers

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John RacinePro Member
Rental Property Investor · Casselberry, FL · Member since 2008 · 191 posts · 106 votes
1d

Nikola, here's how I'd build a list:

- Check the local REIA in that market. Look at the property managers who are members and reach out to a few.

- Look at online review sites. Reviews can be a challenge for PMs, so take the heavily negative ones with a grain of salt.

- Scour BiggerPockets. Search for the city and see which managers investors keep recommending.

- Look on Zillow in the area. If a couple of property managers have a lot of listings, they're active there and worth a call.

That should give you a decent list. Then interview each one and ask them for referrals. You want both current owners and previous owners if you can get them. Lee's idea of asking for a sample owner statement is also a great way to compare them.

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  • Lee Futcher
    Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 214 posts · 51 votes
    1d

    Hi @Nikola Krzyston,

    That's a great question, and I think it's one of the most important decisions an out-of-state investor makes, because the manager really ends up being your eyes and ears on the property.

    I'm not an investor myself, so I'll leave the specific referrals to people who've hired managers in your market. What I'd do is ask every manager on your shortlist for two things before the first call: a sample owner statement from a real property, with the owner's details removed, and their written process for any repair over a set dollar amount. A trustworthy manager can usually send both the same day, and reading them side by side shows you pretty quickly who explains their numbers clearly and who checks with you before spending your money.

    Best of luck with the search,
    Lee

    1Reply
  • John RacinePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Casselberry, FL · Member since 2008 · 191 posts · 106 votes
    1d

    Nikola, here's how I'd build a list:

    - Check the local REIA in that market. Look at the property managers who are members and reach out to a few.

    - Look at online review sites. Reviews can be a challenge for PMs, so take the heavily negative ones with a grain of salt.

    - Scour BiggerPockets. Search for the city and see which managers investors keep recommending.

    - Look on Zillow in the area. If a couple of property managers have a lot of listings, they're active there and worth a call.

    That should give you a decent list. Then interview each one and ask them for referrals. You want both current owners and previous owners if you can get them. Lee's idea of asking for a sample owner statement is also a great way to compare them.

    2Reply
  • Jimmy LieuBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    1d

    Welcome, Nikola. Lee and John covered the shortlist side well, so here is what I'd add for the trust part.

    The best signal I know of is talking to two or three current owners who are also out of state and have had that manager for a year or more. Ask them how the manager handled a vacancy, a surprise repair and a tenant who stopped paying, because anyone looks good when nothing goes wrong.

    Then read the management agreement closely before you sign. Look at the leasing fee, the renewal fee, how long the term runs, what it costs to leave, and the dollar amount at which they must call you before approving a repair. Those clauses tell you more than the sales call does.

    Also ask how they screen tenants and how quickly they typically fill a vacancy in that area. A manager who can answer with specifics is usually one who tracks their own numbers.

    Which market are you looking at? Happy to connect and compare notes.

    [email protected]614-300-7535
    Jimmy Lieu, Red 1 Realty4.9124 Reviews
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  • Caleb Brown
    Real Estate Agent · Kansas City · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    22h

    Referrals will yield the most reliable ones. You can also ask in local FB groups. As you network ask which company people use and who they avoid. I find the larger PM's don't have great service. The small to mid size companies do the bets job.

    0Reply
  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    19h

    We’re a Property Management Company (PMC) in Metro Detroit ONLY, with 25+ years of experience, and we’ve seen owners make the same mistakes, over & over again when looking to hire a PMC – which drives us nuts!.

    In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make is ASSUMING all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY.

    So, owners mistakenly think price is the only differentiator – and look for a PMC like they’d shop for groceries☹

    We encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others by reading posts here on BiggerPockets from owners that picked a PMC solely by price and regretted it.

    We recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.

    Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (), etc.

    Even if someone gives you a referral, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that just because a PMC met their expectations, they’ll meet your expectations. We all have our own expectations and what works for someone else, may not work for you.

    If you’re new to all of this, it's often a case of not doing enough research, as you don't know what you don't know!

    So, ask more questions!

    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!

    A well written management contract should clearly spell out what is expected of both the PMC and the owner, to PROTECT both and avoid misunderstandings. Why do you think purchase contracts are so long and have such small print?

    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😊

    [email protected]248-209-6824
    Logical Property Management4.9462 Reviews
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  • Arman AhmedPro Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 972 votes
    18h
    Quote from @Nikola Krzyston:

    How do you guys search for out of state property managers and how do you know they are trustworthy?

    Hey Nikola, I’d start by asking local investors and other out-of-state landlords for referrals, then interview a few property managers before making a decision. Check their reviews, ask for owner references, and find out how they handle maintenance, vacancies, and reporting. I’d also make sure they have a solid local network of contractors. Having boots on the ground that you can trust makes a huge difference when investing remotely.

    [email protected]614-418-6081
    0Reply
  • Ryan BakerBusiness Member
    Lender · Strongsville / Cleveland, OH · Member since 2026 · 152 posts · 38 votes
    16h

    Hi Nikola, great question. A few things that help when you're vetting a PM from out of state: ask how often they do inspections and whether they send photos, how they screen tenants, what their average days to lease is, and how they handle maintenance approvals and markups. Ask for a sample owner statement and talk to a couple of their current out-of-state owners.

    I work with investors and have a local property management and construction team, plus I do lending, so I'm happy to talk through what to look for in your market or how we run things. Give me a call, my number's in my signature below.

    – Ryan

    [email protected]330-548-3340
    0Reply
  • BJ Everson
    Realtor · Columbus, Franklin County · Member since 2026 · 144 posts · 56 votes
    16h

    Nikola, welcome. Disclosure: I'm a Realtor with Swiss Realty Group and also assist at Swiss Property Management Group in Columbus, so I see this from both sides. Once you have two or three names, here's what I'd compare beyond reviews:

    • The management agreement itself: leasing fee, renewal fee, any maintenance markup, the dollar limit they can spend without calling you, and how you can terminate and what happens to the tenant file and deposit if you do.

    • A sample monthly owner statement, when owner funds are sent, and where security deposits are held.

    • Written screening criteria applied the same way to every applicant, and their average days to lease over the past year.

    • Licensing. Many states require a real estate license to manage for others, so check the state's lookup.

    • How they handle a turnover start to finish, with photos. Which market are you buying in? That changes a lot of the answers.

    0Reply
  • Remington LymanBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    1h
    Quote from @Nikola Krzyston:

    How do you guys search for out of state property managers and how do you know they are trustworthy?

    Most investor-friendly realtors will have trustworthy referrals

    [email protected]614-541-8475Podcast Guest on Show My Job Laid Me Off, So I Replaced My Salary with Rentals
    Reafco512 Reviews
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