OWNER FAQ

We are active investors like you and understand what makes a rental property profitable. We take a proactive approach to management. Our goal is to catch small issues before they turn into major problems. We also put a lot of value on our resident’s satisfaction. Residents that feel respected and have a clean, safe place to live are going to pay on time, take better care of the property, and stay longer. 

Yes absolutley- this is how we get many of our owners. Before we jump into the details, lets discuss the biggest fear agents have- losing their clients. That's a fair fear. However, even though we're a properly licensed brokerage, we do not have sales agents. Any sales you see are sphere leads the owners have from pre-existing relationships and not referred clients. Even those sphere leads are ofter referred out to other agents as we're too busy running the business to list houses on top of that. When clinets are ready to sell, we encourage them to go back to their referring agent to help them with the sale. 

We are happy to pay a referring fee and discuss how we can help your clients with their management needs. There's a ton of questions agents have so schedule a call so we can see if we're a good fit for you and you client.

We like to keep it simple and don't want you to feel like you're being nickel and dimed. We charge 4 fees.

1 -Monthly management fee

2- Tenant placement fee 

3- Onboarding fee 

4- Project management fee for large rehabs

Everything else is covered. If there's something out of the ordinary management duties that needs to be done, we'll discuss the cost prior to doing it. 

We service all cities in Lake and Porter counties in Indiana. We manage single-family properties as well as small to midsize multi-family properties.

We will assess the property for condition and marketability and make any necessary recommendations.

We perform a detailed market analysis to maximize the rent potential and recommend a rental rate. If any work or repairs are required prior to marketing the house, we will arrange such repairs to be completed. We will ensure the property is in proper showing condition and prepared to make the best impression.

Once ready, we market the property across multiple platforms using Appfolio’s syndication services. We also have paid services which put your property at the top of those sites’ search results. 

We set the rental rate. We talk with our clients before setting the price to determine their goals with the property. Do you want to create sustainability for long-term residents or push the market? Whatever we decide,  we react to what the “market” tells us after the property advertising goes live. A property’s advertised market rent can vary seasonally and even monthly depending on what other properties are available in the neighborhood/area. Our goal is always to maximize the rental rate; however, a vacant property does not produce any income, which is why we sometimes need to adjust rental rates based on market conditions.

We check credit reports, criminal background, eviction records, judgement history, and sex offender registry. We ask for verification of employment, proof of actual income, and we research rental history. If a pet is involved, we require shot records, a pet reference, and a photo verification. Additionally, we collect a security deposit and hold it in a designated escrow account.

We hold all security deposits since we are ultimately responsible for returning it to the resident after they vacate the property. If you are bringing occupied properties to us to manage, we ask that you forward the security deposits as soon as the management agreement is signed. All security deposits are held in a separate account solely for deposits. 

We focus on maintenance. Our goal is to have emergency items completed within 24hrs and non-emergency items within 3-4 days. The top two reasons residents move out is they do not like the landlord/property manager and maintenance items are not completed timely or at all; usually lack of maintenance leads to not liking the landlord/property manager. Proper maintenance makes our residents happy, which reduces vacancy, which reduces client costs, which improves client profit, which makes our clients happy. 

We have move-in/move-out and periodic assessments completed to document a property’s condition and identify preventive maintenance items. 

We have in house maintenance persons to deal with the basic stuff quickly. For larger items like HVAC, plumbing, and electric, we have a list of trusted vendors we use regularly.  If a client has a preferred vendor(s), we are happy to use that vendor as long as the vendor can be placed on our approved vendor list and adheres to our company policies. 

The cost of the repair is deducted out of the rent we pay you at the end of the month. In your monthly statement, you’ll receive copies of the invoices and pictures whenever possible. In the event the repair is going to exceed rent or the property is vacant, you'll able to pre-pay through the online owner portal.

We take every measure to have rent collected on time each month. We have an internal collections process which consists of phone calls, email, and letters. In rare cases, we may have to file for eviction. If that’s the case, we’ll deal with all the paperwork and attorneys necessary to complete the eviction and removal of the resident. 

Owners are paid at the at the end of the month. By paying at the end of the month ends, you have a complete monthly income statement without gaps. Payments are made via ACH direct deposit and arrive within 1 business day after being sent.

It depends... if you were referred to us by a local agent, we ask that you reach out to them first and give them the opportunity to list your house. If they aren't licensed anymore, we have a large network of agents we can refer you to who we use and trust. 

Obviously vacant houses are super easy to sell but occupied have significantly more challenges. Lets have a call to discuss your options before listing. 

At the end of the year, owners are sent a 1099 documenting all the income and expenses for their rental property.