Regarding Rental Properties

Thank you for your interest in working together.  We provide hands-on Property Management.  Our experience goes to the 1970’s when we bought rentals. The firm began as a bi-lingual mother-daughter brokerage. Please call and would be happy to answer any questions.

We are based in Scottsdale and we manage approximately 250 units now:  single family homes, condos and multi-family apartments.  One of our strengths is our extremely low vacancy rates.  We believe in personal contact with tenants and owners.  Tenants are given our cell numbers and we answer our phones seven days a week!   Tenants and owners appreciate our staying in touch.  We do our own leasing and screen prospective tenants.  Tenants are given a repair request form each month along with an envelope to mail the rent.  This alerts us to the need for repairs and gives us a chance to resolve maintenance issues promptly, before problems become more serious.  

What makes us different?

1. We don’t make money unless you make money! Our management fee is a percentage of the rent collected.  We don’t charge during vacancies.

2. Extremely low vacancy rate of 2% vs. 8% industry norm – this brings more to your bottom line!  (An extra month’s rent more than compensates for any differences there might be in fees.)  We believe in personal contact with tenants and owners.  We do our own leasing and screening of prospective tenants.  

3. No Renewal Fee Charges – management companies typically charge you a renewal fee every year that tenants stay. We don’t.  You’ll only ever pay 1 leasing charge per tenant and many of our tenants stay for years! 

4. No Start Up Charges  - We don’t ask you for any money up-front. (provided the rental is move-in ready).  After we rent your property the first time, we establish an operating reserve of a few hundred dollars to pay for future repairs. 

5. No Advertising Fees, Postage Fees, Sign Fees etc.– These are all included! 

This is not intended to solicit business from other brokerages.

6. Ethics regarding Realtors – Our Management Contracts stipulate that owners who are referred to us by sales agents will be referred back to their agents when it becomes time to buy or sell.

7. Ethics regarding Leases – Department of Real Estate regulations state that even if a tenant moves out after only 1 week, the brokerage is entitled to keep the leasing fee you paid.  Although it is not required, when a tenant moves out without fulfilling their lease our general practice is to replace the tenant and pro-rate the leasing fee for the replacement tenant…just because “it is the right thing to do”!

8. State Regulations – We are responsible for making sure all regulations are followed for the properties we manage.  We license and register property with the county and submit rental “sales” tax for the cities etc.  These regulations and tax rates change periodically and we’ll make sure you are in compliance.

9. Financially Convenient – We transfer funds into Your Bank Account at the end of each month.  It isn’t legal to use tenant security deposits for repairs so we use the rent collected at the beginning of the month and your operating reserve when necessary to pay your expenses.  Owners rarely need to send funds.

10. Reports –Monthly owners receive an email with a link to the current month’s report.  Older reports are available by logging onto our website.  Tax time will be easy because you’ll receive a year end statement showing the information required by accountants.

11. Repairs and Repair Bills – We don’t Mark-Up Repair Bills.  We’ve been shocked to learn that so many companies mark up their repair bills!  They frequently do this by stating they have their own repair company (ie: Jo Plumber gives them a bill for $40 and they put it on their invoice as “Our Repair Company” for $65).  We do not believe that is ethical.  We have a handful of vendors for repairs who work for us frequently and their charges are lower than most contractor rates.  You pay exactly what they charge.  When repairs are serious and require licensed contractors, we get quotes and call you with the information so you can make an informed decision about your property. 

12. No “Push 1, Push 2”…Voice Mail! – Everybody is given our cell phone numbers and we answer them ourselves absolutely as much as possible!  We find it odd that our competition is so reluctant to do this.  We retrieve messages multiple times throughout the day and return calls quickly.  Beyond being more pleasant, it means prospective tenants get information about our vacancies in a more timely manner, helping us achieve fantastic occupancy rates! 

13. Buying Rental Property– Who would know better if an investment makes sense than a good Property Management firm?  We’ll provide our opinion about the property and location as well as help you assess what the rents and repairs are likely to be.  We often work as a team with other Realtors to help owners select lucrative investment properties.  When we help select properties it is like a marriage – we’re committed long-term to our shared success with you and with the property.  

Most of our clients are so happy with our Management services that they won’t purchase property in areas we won’t manage.  

Please feel free to request references!

                               We look forward to speaking with you in more detail!  

                       Thank you for considering us for your Property Management needs.