Your Person On The Ground
Although you can 99% effectively manage a property from afar, there are some things that need to be done in person such as conducting the initial walkthrough with applicants when they move in and conducting a final walkthrough when tenants move out.
I recommend that you have a couple of people local to the rental property that you trust to carry out these tasks.
When conducting walkthroughs with applicants, they should know enough about your property to field questions about it. Similarly, when conducting the final walkthrough, they should have the move-in / move-out form in hand and have a good eye for spotting damage.
Premier North Carolina Property Management
Since 2003, Real Estate Management, has focused on delivering property management services for civilian and military families throughout the Crystal Coast. We manage a diverse portfolio of single-family homes scattered throughout communities in and near Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point. Our rental homes offer something for everyone. As a family-friendly and pet-friendly management firm, we strive to make the rental experiences for our residents and property owners easier.
Who We Are:
We are a dedicated group of real estate professionals focused on elevating the rental experience for owners and tenant. We strive to place tenants in homes that complement their lifestyle and location preferences. Thoughtful screening provides potential tenants with best-fit rental solutions, and owners with confidence their assets will be well-cared for throughout the tenancy.
What We Do:
While serving clients, we provide a hands-on property management approach that includes monthly drive-by check in’s, regular property inspections, and emergency maintenance service. We partner with professional contractors to ensure all maintenance requests are handled promptly, and our clients receive the personal care they deserve.
Our goal is going beyond the routine of collecting and disbursing rent with premier services other agencies do not provide. We are passionate about making the rental experience easier for both property owners and tenants.
Once You Have Interested Applicants They Enter The Pipeline
This is where you handle the applications, walkthroughs, leases, and payments.
- Application: Most applicants are going to want to walk through the property before filling out an application. Never allow this. Why would you allow someone to walk through your property when they might not even be a qualified tenant?
- Walkthrough: After their application has been accepted, schedule a walkthrough. This is when you will enlist the help of your person on the ground .
- Lease and payment: At this point, you will send the lease to the applicant to sign and send back. Ensure your lease will hold up as a legal document. Seek assistance from an attorney if you do not already have a lease. For payments, you want to at least collect the first months rent and a security deposit. Usually, the security deposit is equal to one months rent. Also, ensure that whatever method you decide to use to collect rent is communicated clearly with the tenants.
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How Do Net Distributions Work
Net distributions keep your accounting clean and simple. Each month well collect rent from the tenants, deduct any repair expenses for the previous month and any management/leasing fees for the current month, and credit the remaining net operating income to your account.
Youll receive a statement via email each time a net distribution is processed, and can view all transaction details in your Propertyware owner portal.
Tips For Hiring A Property Manager
The most beneficial way to find a solid property manager is to ask for recommendations. This could involve asking a friend who they are using, or finding a real estate investor in your area and asking them. If they are currently using a property managerand they like them enough to recommend themthat is a good place to begin your search.
Next, I would recommend that you interview at least three property managers. You can do this on the phone, or in their office, but regardless I recommend that you ask them for a copy of the agreement you would be signing to work with them. Take this agreement home, and you can compare the agreements from all three companies.
There are a whole slew of things to look out for when hiring a property manager. Here is more information on screening and hiring property managers.
Here are the most important questions to ask property managers during your interview:
I recently came to the conclusion that a property managers personality plays a big role in their success rate too. In my experience, and speaking with other investors, the best property managers are a little rough around the edges. You dont necessarily want the super shiny, well-oiled machine, with the smooth-talking front-runner as your management team. You want a team that isnt afraid to get dirty or be firm when tenants start getting out of hand.
At this point, I own over 20 rental units, and spend less than an hour a month dealing with them because I hired a solid property manager!
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Tenant Screening And Placement
While you focus on serving our country, the NFI Property Management Solutions team will conduct thorough tenant screenings so we can place only the best tenants on your property.
From credit and rental histories to employment and income verification, we take care of the tenant screening and placing process from beginning to end.
Additionally, thanks to our experience in the Pensacola real estate industry, were prepared to go over-and-above standard procedures to ensure your quality tenants want to stay long-term.For instance, were sensitive to the unique needs of military tenants, and when unexpected issues arise surrounding things like active duty were committed to finding solutions that satisfy the needs of all parties involved!
How Wjd Supports Government And Military Homeowners
If you are an Active Duty Member of the Military or work for an agency like the Department of Defense and are interested in hiring the best professional property management company in Northern Virginia, WJD Management is the premiere choice. We have been proudly been serving the Northern Virginia Community for over 35 years. We have an excellent reputation in the military and government community marked by years of commitment and service in property management. We understand that when an active duty military member or government employee has to relocate overseas, they often need to locate a property management firm quickly and our agency is designed to respond immediately to those needs. In our experience, military and government homeowners need a firm that specializes in residential property management and has the infrastructure in place to manage multiple properties at a high level, while still staying connected to the local community. At WJD we maintain a core mission centered on being the only local firm that does not have a real estate sales arm. In our opinion, the most important question that you should consider when hiring a firm is whether the real expertise and focus of a given property management firm is on management or on sales. The answer to this question is usually a pretty precise indicator of the quality of the service you will receive.
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Lean Towards Selling If
- You will have to pay money every month to hold onto the home
- You have a significant amount of equity in the home, and could put it to better use elsewhere
- You have no interest in living in that house, or town, ever again
- You dont want to own any more rental properties in that market for example, if it is very tenant-friendly, and you dont want to mess with it
- You cant find a solid property manager and dont want to self-manage
- If owning a house is going to stress you out a ton
There are a ton of if this, then that ways to consider whether to sell your home, or rent it, when you PCS.
I generally tell people that the way I consider this is simple. If you will legitimately cash flowmeaning the home is paying you to hold onto it, after all of the expenses are accounted forthen it probably makes sense to hold onto the home for the long-term.
That is unless you have no intentions of ever living there again, owning other rentals there, or cant find a good property manager.
If, on the other hand, you have a lot of equity in the home, it probably makes sense to cash outunless rental properties fit into your investment portfolioand reinvest that capital into the investment strategy you prefer.
Keep in mind, that if you occupied the home for 24 monthly out of the last five years15-years if youre still active dutyyou will not have to pay capital gains tax on the sale of the home. Here is more information on capital gains rules for military families.
Property Maintenance And Repairs
As a member of the United States military, you probably dont have time to take care of maintenance requests or property repairs.
Thats where we come in! Thanks to our years of industry experience weve developed positive professional relationships with Pensacolas best insured and licensed contractors, handymen, and tradesmen.
You can rest assured knowing that your property will be safe and well cared for while its in our hands.
To hear more about our comprehensive services, and get information on our discounts for service members, reach out to us today!
Get one month of free property management.
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What Owners Like You Say About Us
WJD has managed our property for over 16 years. During that time, they have found qualified tenants, collected fees and rents, inspected the property, and kept the property continuously occupied during those many years. Communication has been excellent. They have advised us regarding rent and maintenance issues, and I have recommended them to others over the years and will continue to do so.
L. D.
Military Relocation Professional On Staff
Our Associate Broker Michelle Williams both understands military lifestyle and holds a Military Relocation Professional Certification. In terms of supporting Government and Military property management owners this is valuable resource because we understand your unique situation and have the knowledge to help you make informed decisions about your property.
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Military And State Department Permanent Change Of Station
We offer our full suite of marketing, leasing and managing your property. Your rental fees will be automatically deposited to your bank account. You will be able to view everything that is happening about your property on our Owners Online Portal including accounting, maintenance, repairs and inspections, including pictures.
You can rest assured that your property is being well maintained and will be ready for you should you return. However, if you decide during your time away that you would like to sell the property, we can handle the entire process for you.
Hear From Our Residents:
“Thank you so much for the quick attention and fast turnaround in resolving our problem. We feel so overly blessed to be in a situation where the community and housing management treat us with their utmost care. “
– Giovanny
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, they were very courteous about the timely manner they are having to postpone routine work orders “
– Navy Resident
“This is the 2nd time Iâve gotten this guy. He’s wonderful! has lots of patience & his personality is awesome. Always willing to help. “
– Yanisha Harewood
“All maintenance personnel we’ve encountered since moving in have been excellent! “
– Christina
“You guys are always on point, thanks for coming out so quickly we really appreciate it. “
– Michael Ross
“Our technician was excellent and was very professional. We really appreciate his explanations of everything, and he was very knowledgeable. “
– Carine Peoples
“Fast, efficient, social distancing approved! Thank you! 😀 “
– Nasha Weller
“Great work and awesome responsiveness! A+++++ “
– Capt. Jefferson
“Thank you so much for the FAST and EXCELLENT service!! Very efficient and professional even asked if I needed anything extra. As thank you to the receptionist whom placed the order! Standards have not changed during COVID 19 “
– Octavian
“Excellent services of communication!! Very please and thanks so much!! “
– Vistro
“Thank you so much for helping our family during this especially challenging time for all of us! “
– Andrea Griffin
– Jess Eisele
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Managing Investment Property While Serving In The Military
Advertiser Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the authors alone. This article may contain links from our advertisers. For more information, please see our .
Dealing with tenants can be an unnecessarily stressful endeavor if you arent prepared for it. I have heard countless military landlord horror stories, as Im sure you have too.
Fear not, there are many more successful landlord experiences than there are failuresyou just dont hear about them as often because nobody runs to Facebook to post, My tenants paid their rent this month, and everything is going according to plan!
As with everything in life, there is a right way, and a wrong way to go about managing investment properties while in the military. Taking a little time to prepare can make all the difference, and here are some tricks Ive learned over the last five years as a military real estate investor!
Diverse Portfolio And Experience
As a result of our having over 100 years of combined industry experience, there are no challenges we arent prepared to face!
Our solution-driven attitude sets us apart and allows us to take care of any issues that may arise with your property or tenants. This means that you wont have to worry about your property when youre on active, or non-active, duty.Additionally, we specialize in all kinds of property including single and multi-family homes, apartments, condos, HOAs, commercial, and investment properties. These diverse specializations allow you to expand your investment portfolio in any way you choose!
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What Makes Us Different From Other Property Managers
- We do extensive new tenant screening including credit and criminal history
- We provide owner electronic payments with email statements
- We are members of NARPM
We provide owners & tenants their own website portal for use 24/7
- Owner Portal Real time accounting technology lets owners see how their property is performing financially, make payments, check balances and initiate work orders.
- Tenants Portal Allows tenants the ability to make rental payments, check balances, and initiate work orders.
- Application Portal Allows prospective tenants to fill out an application, pay for the background check.
Deep Dive: Why Property Management Is A Must For Military Homeowners
There are many benefits to having a property manager for military homeowners. First and foremost, it takes the stress out of renting your home while deployed.
You wont have to worry about finding tenants or dealing with repairs all of that will be taken care of by your property manager.
Additionally, a good property manager will also help maximize the profitability of your rental by keeping vacancy rates low and ensuring that rent is paid on time.Choosing a reputable and trustworthy property manager is crucial to ensuring peace of mind while away from home.
When looking for a company to manage your rental, make sure to do some research first. Read online reviews, talk to other military homeowners who have used their services, and ask for references.
Once youve found a property management company you can trust, youll be able to relax and enjoy your deployment knowing that your rental property is in good hands.
Why You Should Consider Property Management for Your Military Home
When youre in the military, you have to be ready to relocate at a moments notice. Thats why its important to have a property management team in place to take care of your home while youre away.
Here are four reasons why property management is a good idea for military homeowners:
This way, you can focus on your mission and leave the property management to the professionals.
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Have You Received A Permanent Change Of Station And Are Unsure What To Do With Your Home We Can Help
At Sweyer, we hold the greatest respect for members of the military. If youre a member of the armed forces serving at one of our wonderful local military bases who has received a PCS, we can help you discover the great advantages that come along with owning an investment rental property.
- Planning to return to the area after your deployment? Turning your home into a rental investment is a great way to not only earn some extra income, but also ensure that your property is being well cared for in your absence. We can find well-qualified tenants to rent your home and handle any maintenance concerns that may arise.
- Slow sales market? Leaving a home sitting vacant can create potential risks such as maintenance issues going undetected. Turning the home into a rental investment will allow you to rest assured that the property is being protected as well as give you some time to wait until the sales market rebounds in your favor.
- If youve never been a landlord, dont worry. Our team of experts can guide you through the process of preparing your home for the rental market as well as provide guidance on pricing and upgrades that will make your home more attractive to area renters.
Get started with your FREE RENTAL PRICE ANALYSIS by completing the form .
Buy Vs Rent Considerations
Several factors can influence a military familys decision to buy or rent a home. In addition to typical factors that impact civilian homebuyers, such as budget and interest rates, military personnel also need to consider the length of their PCS orders and the BRAC issues that affect specific military bases, among other things.
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