Some real estate investors, particularly new ones, see hiring property managers or a property management company as an unnecessary expense. But, they can actually be a huge benefit to your income.
Here are four important reasons to hire a property management company to oversee your rental property:
1. Set the Best Rent for Your Property
You could spend hours, days, or even weeks scrolling rental listings to try and find comparable properties and the rent they’re getting. But a local real estate management company will have a good handle on the local market and be able to tell you how much to charge to ensure that you not only get quality tenants and low turnover but also get the most income out of your property. Plus, property management companies have access to professional sources such as MLS (multiple listing service).
2. Market, Advertise and Show Your Property
Managing your property alone you can spend hours every week crafting ads, fielding phone calls, text messages and emails about the property, and showing the home to prospective tenants. Unless the rental property is your full-time job, this takes time away from your family, work, and downtime. Property managers do this every day. They have the experience and knowledge to quickly create ads, and it is their full-time job to answer prospective tenant questions and show the home. This frees up your time, and also provides more flexibility to the prospective tenant, as they don’t have to work around your schedule.
3. Manage Vendor Relationships
Plumbers, electricians, appliance repair technicians – at some point, they’re all going to need to come to your rental property to repair or replace something, whether it’s through tenant damage or simple wear and tear. As a real estate investor, you’ll always get the same rate that any other private party would get. A property manager, however, may get a discount because they manage so many properties and can give an extensive amount of work to the vendor. You’ll save money and get high-quality repairs through vetted vendors.
4. Ensure Compliance with Housing Regulations and Property Laws
As a real estate investor, you likely did your research before you started. But the regulations and laws can be exhausting, confusing, constantly changing and hard to read. A property management company will be thoroughly familiar with all the regulations and laws, and they will ensure that you comply with them all.
Give Barker Realty a call today to see how we can help!
If you are interested in investment property management, then there are a number of factors that you will have to consider. The time of the year is one of the many things that a rental property investor takes into account to fine homes for ‘at-price’ or below list. Not to mention, much of the competition is off the market due to half of home purchases take place during the fast paced, over-priced spring and summer months.
However, studies have shown that people who purchase a home in October get a 2.6% fair market value discount. And those people who purchase a home in December and January get a 2% fair market value discount.
Fair market value discounts drop during the spring months. That is why the best time for a rental property investor to purchase property can be during the winter months. There are several other reasons why investors should buy property during the winter and our team helps explain a little more below.
Increased Demand During the Spring and Summer Months
Many people purchase homes during the spring and summer months. People who have families move during the summer months because they do not want their children’s school schedule disrupted. Competition increases when the demand increases. This increases property prices.
Most people are not interested in moving during the winter months. They spend time with their family during the holidays. They also do not have extra money for moving. This is why there is less competition. You will have fewer people to compete with if you buy property during winter.
Desperation
Decreased demand creates a problem with sellers. Many sellers are impatient and do not want to wait until the warmer months. That is why they are willing to decrease their prices. However, you have to be careful. Some sellers will sell property that is in poor condition.
Climate
Climate can change the way that a property looks. A property may look great in the summer, but it can look dull in the winter. Snow can hide the more appealing features of the home and make people less likely to buy, hence why sellers are willing to lower their prices in the winter.
Get in touch with our Apex property managers today for more information or to schedule a meeting with our team!
Let’s run through an all too common scenario with real estate investors in the past…
You have a rental property worth $200,000, but you would like to sell it and buy a different one worth slightly more. The property will be used in the same manner as its predecessor. Usually, you would incur a tax liability from the net proceeds, leaving you with less capital for your intended investment.
That was until the introduction of the 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange that allows a real estate investor to defer capital gains tax liability, effectively releasing more money to you for investment. A full deferral means that you will invest the entire net proceeds in the exchange property, effectively dictating that the replacement be of equal value or worth more than the original.
Let us explain further…
What Does This Exchange Mean?
Section 1031 of Internal Revenue Service Code allows you as a real estate investor to defer your tax liability when you dispose of one property and invest in another of the same nature. The said property must be the used for trade to generate income.
What Are The Conditions For A 1031 Exchange?
The law states that the exchange property should be like-kind, meaning it should resemble the sale property in nature and character rather than quality. You can spread the net proceeds over one or more exchange properties.
Like-kind property considered in the deferral plan include:
Exchanging an unimproved property for an improved one.
Exchanging a single family rental unit for a multi-family one.
Selling a vacant piece of land to buy a commercial building.
Selling an industrial property to buy rental property in a resort area.
Personal property does not qualify for 1031 unless for productive use in business or trade.
In a full tax deferral, you are expected to invest the entire net proceeds in an exchange property.
Timelines
A real estate investor must adhere to strict deadlines if they are to benefit from this tax deferral plan. You should identify an exchange property within 45 calendar days of closing on of the sale property. After determining the replacement property, you should close the deal within 180 calendar days of closing the previous investment.
Practically, say you sold your property on January 1, 2017. The identification period ends on February 15, 2017, while the exchange period ends on June 30, 2017. If you fail to close the deal within that time limit, you lose your deferral privilege.
We are an experienced Raleigh property management company that would like to see you take advantage of this tax deferral. Talk with Barker Realty today for more information on 1031 Exchanges and managing your rental properties with ease!
Barker Realty proudly serves the Wake County area, including Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Fuquay Varina, Clayton, Knightdale, Garner, Holly Springs, Zebulon, and Wendell.
At Barker Realty, we have been managing rental properties in the Triangle area since 1984. In 1996, Barker Property Maintenance Company was formed as a sister company to Barker Realty. While this is a separate company that functions on its own, it offers a quick and affordable resource for our property managers and the owners with which they work. Today, we would like to share a few ways we handle maintenance issues for our property owners.
One way to avoid large expenses is through preventative maintenance measures. At Barker Realty, we offer periodic maintenance services, such as gutter cleaning, filter changes, and annual service contracts for your heating and air conditioning systems. We also offer annual under-house inspections as well.
Property Maintenance Accountability
Through our maintenance company, we are able to provide more accountability to our property owners. Whether one of our staff technicians or a vendor is working on your home, everything we do is warranted by Barker Property Maintenance Company. Our technicians offer feedback and recommendations when they’re servicing your property, because preserving the condition of your property is important to us. When we work with an outside vendor, we require that they be licensed and insured. This provides additional protection for you and your investment.
Raleigh Property Management: Our Availability
Our maintenance team is available and accessible 24/7 for after-hour emergencies. One of our technicians will speak directly with your tenant and if possible, walk them through the remediation of the problem. This may mitigate any damage to your property and save you money on potentially expensive after-hours repair work.
If you haven’t been keeping count, the millennial generation is—almost—all grown up. The youngest, born in 1996, will be turning 24 this year, and the oldest, born in 1981, will be 34. As this unique generation enters its next stage of life—a stage potentially involving marriage, kids, and higher salaries—researchers are watching closely to see where they’ll head to next. And all the data collected so far shows that, like their parents before them, millennials are ditching huge metropolises for cleaner, greener pastures. In today’s post, we’ll discuss how many are leaving, where they’re going, and what this means for Raleigh investment property owners.
The Numbers So Far
According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last year, big cities lost about 27,000 young adults in 2018. A “big city” was defined as a city with more than 500,000 residents—such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston—and a “young adult” was defined as a person between the ages of 25 and 39. More alarmingly, 2018 marked the fourth consecutive year with such a noticeable decline. Although a quick Google search turns up plenty of claims that millennials are flocking to big cities, census data suggests the reverse is true.
Where They’re Heading
Luckily for Raleigh property owners, census data also shows where those young people are moving to: mid-sized cities that are still urban, but smaller and more affordable. The most popular millennial destinations included Denver, Austin, Nashville, Portland, and, you guessed it…Raleigh! All of these cities are known for having a vibrant, youthful population; a thriving urban scene; and housing that, while not cheap, is not prohibitively expensive. And with populations that hover around the 500,000 mark, instead of high above it, there’s a lot more room for newcomers to move their elbows, too.
What About the Suburbs?
Census data also showed that millennials are increasingly migrating to suburban areas, as well. But the line between a “suburb” and a mid-sized city was not well defined. Speaking to CNBC, tax policy expert Cathy Koch noted that the two terms are not mutually exclusive. “The ‘suburbs’ may very well be smaller cities close to larger urban areas…these still afford the richness of city living, including employment opportunities, at maybe lower home prices.”
What This Means for Raleigh Property Managers
Even though the world has been thrown into some uncertainty by the coronavirus outbreak, this data shows that Raleigh isn’t down-and-out—not by a long shot. In fact, an argument could be made that in terms of cities, we are among the most well-positioned to survive and thrive in an economic downturn. With a population of about 474,000 people, we are just barely under the “big city” qualifier; we offer all of the advantages of a sparkling urban center, without metropolitan drawbacks such as crowding and congestion. Our nationally-ranked universities and technological hubs like the Research Triangle Park continue to draw educated, professional young adults from all over the country; adults with families, needs, and purchasing power. Finally, although Raleigh has been criticized for being less artistically-focused than some of its neighbors, our STEM specializations would be an advantage in a recession, as medicine and technology will always be human necessities. In conclusion, if you are considering purchasing an investment property sometime soon, Raleigh is an excellent choice.
Barker Realty, Inc. has provided leading real estate management and property services to Raleigh residents since 1984. We help both experienced and first-time property owners select lucrative real estate options, and provide any property management services they might need. To learn more, please click here.
On the surface, renting out investment property can seem like a dream: instead of toiling away all day in an office, you can kick back, contract out all the tough stuff, and rake in your rent dollars at the start of each month. We sincerely wish it were that simple! Unfortunately, the reality of property investing is that it’s as challenging as anything else. And, like anything else, your success depends on a number of factors, both within and outside your control.
The short answer? Yes, you can make money on rental property. As long as…
You Buy in the Right Place, at the Right Time
What qualities make a good rental property? Well, we’ve dedicated a whole blog to answering that question; but to make a long matter short, it’s all about location. A great investment property should be within driving distance of schools, shopping centers, grocery stores, hospitals and other amenities. It should also be in good repair; have reasonable property taxes; and have a low crime rate. The property you choose will be half the battle when it comes to making a profit, so be sure to work closely with a property management company or realtor with substantial industry experience. Timing matters, too: if you buy near the bottom of the housing market, your properties will likely increase tremendously in value.
You Have—or Can Build—an Emergency Fund
Furnaces; air conditioning units; roofing; sump pumps; pool repair. That’s just a very small list of things that you may have to fix at one point, which individual tenants aren’t responsible for (and which therefore can’t be paid for with security deposits). Now, in an ideal world, if you are charging high enough rents and spending as little as you can, you should have enough left over from your profits to cover big repairs. But since we’re not living in an ideal world, it’s likely that the repair money will have to come from your own pockets. That means that you’ll need to have an emergency fund already set up by the time you purchase your first property—and you’ll need to be the type who is budget-savvy and budget-loyal. If you currently love shopping and spending, that will have to change if you want to be a profitable landlord.
You Can Set Firm Rules and Stick to Them
Not only will you have to be firm with yourself, you’ll have to be able to be firm with your tenants—no matter how nice or forgiving you want to be. Unfortunately, some people will take advantage of temporary kindness for weeks, months, or even years until you work up the courage to put your foot down. A good landlord needs to be able to enforce rules in a non-confrontational, yet assertive way. If you struggle with doing that in your day-to-day life, you will probably struggle as a landlord.
You Approach Property Investment as a Job
We have been working in the Raleigh property management industry for over 30 years. What we see again and again in clients who are ultimately successful is that they approach property investing as a job, not as an escape from one. Even with the help of a property management company, being a landlord is a 24/7 commitment. Just like pursuing an expensive education, it’s a long, tough road with a big payoff—it’s not the “easy way out!”
For that reason, you will need one more quality to become a successful landlord: optimism. If you can’t weather ups and downs with courage and calm, you’re better off staying at a safer harbor.
