Choose Wisely

A huge part of being a landlord or property manager is having a great support staff. If you're a property manager, this starts with a fantastic administrative assistant. My administrative assistant or "Super Woman" as I call her, does a fantastic job of knowing how I would deal with a situation and acting accordingly. This is true for working with tenants, owner-landlords or my service providers. She provides a warm, welcome environment in the office and is very courteous & respectful of everyone who calls or comes in. Another major role player is my handyman. In my case, I actually have 2 handymen - one is very good at what he does, but doesn't work well with the public, so I keep him on vacant properties only (move-out stuff, etc). The second is much better with people and is also very good at what he does & both charge very reasonable prices. These are both gentlemen who are licensed general contractors but charge handyman rates. A good handyman is worth his (or her) weight in gold because they are much less expensive than normal service providers while providing essentially the same work on certain items. They're also my eyes & ears at the properties they go to - they're able to tell me if any "shenanigans" are happening at a unit. These gentlemen handle most of my service calls with the exception of plumbing, electrical & HVAC service calls. It is also very important to have a plumber, electrician & HVAC servicer who are straight-shooters and charge a reasonable rate for their service. Sometimes you'll have to go through several to find the right one, but they can also be invaluable when the need for their service arises. Being a good landlord or property manager can be maddening without these support staff - choose wisely.....