3 Tips For Hiring A Property Manager in 2021

Whether it is the start of the new year or mid-August, there is never a bad time to consider hiring a new Property Manager in San Diego. Each Quarter presents its own set of opportunities and challenges. Today we will discuss what you should be looking for in a Manager/Management Company to help your property thrive all year round. Keep reading to learn our three tips for finding talent and hiring right the first time.

I would argue that the number one complaint from Owners about Property Managers is a lack of communication. That seems to be a resounding theme in almost every avenue of business. The inability to get a real human on the phone, not being able to set up meetings and being stuck with a laundry list of unanswered questions is the number one way to lose trust in a Manager. How do you solve that and make sure your new Property Manager will be there when you need them? Set your expectations early.

If you want a weekly report or a monthly meeting on the 17th at 2 pm, set it up from the get go. Let the potential Manager know what you need and make sure you know what their time restraints are. You are likely not their only client, but you also deserve a Manager who will get back to you in a timely manner, and have time for you and your Property’s needs.

Ask them what their business day looks like and what the best time to call with questions is. If they are open 8-5 for business, that may mean that they are in calls from 8-9, in meetings from 10-12 and on site visits from 3-5. They may have Tuesday booked every week and be unavailable for meetings. Having a clear understanding of their day helps you to know when the best time to get your questions and concerns answered are and it won’t feel like you are being ignored.

Bonus Tip: If they are unable to give you a rough schedule of their day to day activities, they probably are not organized and it will cause frustration further down the line.

The 2nd tip has to do with finding a true professional. Real Estate can be a confusing mine field of legal blocks, tax implications and liability. Your Manager should be able to answer the questions you have regarding the laws and rules applicable to your property type, or know where to find the answers. If you ask them about a new rent restriction, they should know it, or at least be aware of it and willing to research it.

The easiest way to find out if they are truly knowledgeable, or just putting up a front, is to really narrow down on a few key topics and give them hypothetical scenarios. The key to look for is clarity in their answer. If they give a long and ambiguous answer and are stumbling around, they probably don’t know the real answer. This is an important step because you want to have someone who is an expert in the field and knows the rules and processes forwards and backwards.

Will everyone have the answer to every possible scenario? No. But they should be able to thoroughly answer a few of the topics you bring up. After all, you are looking for a Real Estate professional, not a person who just knows a little about Real Estate.

This is often times the most under looked part of Management. Do you actually like the potential Manager as a person? This is going to be the person you are hopefully in fairly constant contact with for years to come. They will be there for the good days, and they will be there when the Fire Sprinkler system floods the building from the 4th to the 1st floor. You want to not only be able to trust them as a professional, but also be able to stand in an elevator lobby and have a friendly conversation.

There will undoubtedly be disagreements at some point in the business relationship and days where something has gone wrong, and it is a lot easier to keep cool and calm when you know the person on the other side is someone that you get along with and is on your side. In the 2021 world, Emotional Intelligence and people skills is continuing to bring more business success than ever before. Remember, your tenants will need to be in contact with this Manager too, and if you don’t get along with them, you tenants might steer away as well.

Those are our 3 tips for finding hiring a Property Manager in 2021. If you have any questions or are in the market for you own Property Management company, be sure to contact any one of our agents and Managers here.