All Forum Posts by: Michael Smythe

@Dave Halevi try @David Rabior or @ Joe Hammel

@Long Bui you should start building a team of experts to maximize your probability of success!

While building your team, it's important you understand the motivations of everyone on your team.

Property Management Company (PMC): No one else on your team should be as vested in a long-term relationship with you as a PMC. They will have to manage whatever you buy on a daily basis until you sell the property or terminate them. You need to find a good one though, that is honest & competent. An honest PMC's incompetency will still cost you.

Sourcing: whether agent, wholesaler, flipper, etc. many only have a vested interest in a transaction. You want to find ones that are vested in developing a long-term business relationship with you. Otherwise, they will screw you for their own compensation.

Inspector: You want an unbiased and competent professional that will properly do their job and document it.

Contractor: Finding contractors that don't cut corners and overcharge is EXTREMELY difficult. Even if they are referred, you really don't know until AFTER they've done a job. The other 3 above should be able to provide referrals, but don't blindly trust anyone!

@Keenan B.

Encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.

Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.

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, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

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!

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😊

You've got $90k into it, what is it renting for?

@Faraz Mog here's the resources, it's their website!

Boston Housing Authority - Boston Housing Authority (click on "For Landlords" tab)

If you're serious about being a DIY landlord, you're going to have to invest MORE time into research than just posting here for help.

Go spend 30 minutes on their website and then ask more specific questions for clarification.

@Zachary N. what have you learned from working with PMCs in the past and how will you apply that knowledge this time around?

Read on for our standard copy & paste advice:)

Encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.

Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.

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, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

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!

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😊

@Marc S. hope you've learned from this that you get what you pay for!

You're complaining about bad customer service from a FREE provider. Really?

Hope you stop and think about that for a moment:)

If you want better service find a service you that charges.

@Thomas Talbert, @Spencer Abeyta - appears you don't understand that Stessa is NOT a PMC!

They are only a software provider for DIY rental property owners. See below link:

Stessa New Customer FAQ | Stessa Help Center

@Cory J Thornton what you are looking at is Class A properties.

Those aren't cashflowing for buyers anymore due to higher interest rates (they haven't historically either).

If you compare new construction to existing Class B & C properties, it's almost always cheaper to buy than build.

@Cheyenne Bolin 

You could get a DSR loan that requires 20-25% down, so how much can you access with a HELOC on your primary?

You do want to be careful though, as in a perfect scenario, you'd BRRRR the rental and when you refi, pull all your cash out to pay off your HELOC until you find the next deal.

Challenge is that it's not as easy to do this as it was 2-3 years ago when low interest rates could cover mistakes.

PM us if you'd like to chat about more specifics:)

@Mohammad Al-hadad investor expectations have been skewed by the last 5 years of low interest rates and artificially low prices.

10+ years ago, most investors focused on Class B and C properties, not Class A.

Reason: hard to get Class A properties to cashflow!

Class B typically cashflows from purchase or within a year or so.

Class C typically cashflow well from purchase, but has tenant performance challenges.

Read copy & paste info below:

Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.

If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.

So, when investing in areas they don’t really know, investors should research the different property Class submarkets.

Here’s our OPINION for the Metro Detroit market (use as a template for your target area!) that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases.:

Class A Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.
Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.
Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+, zero evictions in last 7 years.

Class B Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.
Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.
Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680, some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 years

Class C Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation. Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.
Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.
Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620, many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years. Verifying last 2 years of rental history very important! Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.

Class D Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with zero or negative relative rent & value appreciation
Vacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.
Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560, little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions. Verifying last 2 years of rental history and income extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.

Make sure you understand the Class of properties you are looking at and the corresponding results to expect.