When Daniel Curran’s primary residence in Richmond, Virginia became a rental six years ago a friend suggested he use a Real Estate broker who did property management on the side to manage his rental. Daniel soon realized that was a mistake when he didn’t get the money due to him on time – first it was a couple weeks late, then a month, then even up to 3 months late. He learned his real estate broker and part time property manager did not have the systems and processes in place to professionally manage his rental home.
Daniel started looking for a new property manager and had a long conversation with Linda Call at Real Property Management Richmond. “Linda told me what I should expectfrom a professional property manager – things I wasn’t getting from my realtor/property manager,” Daniel said. “Linda had her act together and knew what she was doing so I signed an agreement.”
Daniel has a few friends who have rentals who are Do-It-Yourself landlords or use a competitor. “Some people have horror stories but I’ve only had a positive experience – with tenants, my property and financially. Anyone I talk to who owns rentals, I always tell them that a really good property manager makes it so much easier… they know the market, they know what the rents are, and they can get the best possible tenants for the customer. You get the right tenants and they’re happy and your property is taken care of too. A good property manager knows how to do this inside and out.”
Living only 9 miles away, Daniel occasionally drives by and checks on his rental property. “But I don’t know painters, plumbers, and I’m not Mr. Home Improvement myself, so having a property manager who knows the right people and has experience is the way to go,” Daniel says. “Any time there’s a problem Real Property Management takes care of it.”
In March, Jenny Lowenstein took over for Linda. The transition has been smooth. Jenny even had new tenants before the current tenants moved out. “We walked through the house and came up with a plan to fix a few things before the new tenants moved in. She recommended a contractor who worked with a couple of people I wanted to use. They all worked together to fix the deck, repair hardwood floors, strip wallpaper, paint the interior and clean it thoroughly, and in two weeks it was ready for the new tenants.”
Daniel and his girlfriend are moving to Florida soon, and Daniel referred his girlfriend to Real Property Management Richmond to manage her home that will also become a rental. “I’m glad they’re my property manager. They follow up with emails and keep me informed. I have a lot of trust in Real Property Management Richmond which is important to me, especially now that I’ll no longer be close to my property.”
