All Forum Posts by: Trey Maclin

Truthfully: it has its ups and downs. I think the best setups see some positions outsourced as they are not integral to "being local", which passes some savings off to the owner, but when it comes to the intimacy of SF or MF management (don't know much about storage), I prefer to have some boots on the ground for direct oversight. An entirely remote team CAN be good, or it can be as difficult to manage as any remote employee. Ups and downs. 

Our general approach is "Never needed, rarely expected, always welcome". They do, for some reason, seem to result in more repair expenses, but this seems to be in decline as time passes with more modern, robust models. 

 Fairly standard, just be careful to read and understand the property reserve amounts, the maintenance limit, etc., i.e. the rules that describe when the money can and can't be used and for what purpose. 

Depending on the company and services offered, PMs function as a legal agent and middle-man for rent collection, property maintenance, etc - this is difficult to do if the owner needs a touch-base for every action. The idea is to allow some wiggle room to handle the small repairs but force a conversation for anything above the maintenance limit, which should require owner approval and contribution prior to beginning any work. 

 Having recently purchased a parcel myself, but not being an expert in the field, I'll happily refer you over to a fellow who knows all and sundry on coverage via DM. 

The upside is the downside - more flexibility for both parties. It's a good model if you know you may have repairs that would inhibit habitability, and I've seen it used to accommodate tenants in good faith who aren't yet certain on their move-out date in self-management situations. 

 You may be making the classic owner mistake of listing at spring prices while you wait on spring. The warm months are now approaching but, for the future, I'd suggest coming in aggressively low during winter months and looking for an 18 month lease to start - that way you'll renew in a better pricing period and see some income while you wait rather than spending three months with none. I don't know your whole situation so this is a best guess. 

 What our clients generally do is take the average gas billing for the year while occupied. give themselves a little wiggle room,  and build it into the rent as a flat rate, similar to water or electric with a single entrance.  Not the best scenario but installing new systems can mount cost quickly. 

1) The pictures need work - if the rest are of equal quality this is a ding on the PM. 
2) You're listed during the holidays - have you been aggressive in pricing? Did the PM push you to be aggressive in pricing? Maybe start lower but look for an 18 month for a better renewal time? 
3) Has the PM communicated with you weekly on results? It doesn't matter how many people are clicking the listing if no one is crossing the threshold. 

Generally, ditching a PM and starting anew is just building in weeks more delays, and the answer is to tweak what you have. 

You can contact the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing at 614-466-4100. You can also file a complaint here.