Are you wondering whether you should hire a real estate agent or a property manager when it comes to managing your investment properties?
Good news – you don’t have to choose one or the other. In fact, you’ll serve your portfolio better if you find a San Diego property management company that also provides real estate services.
A lot of investors think it has to be one or the other. Or, they’ll hire a separate real estate agent and a property manager. That’s a waste of time and money and it can also create confusion and chaos – which is never a benefit when we’re talking about financially valuable investments.
We’ve been serving this market for years as property managers, brokers, investment advisors, and real estate experts. We know that you have a lot of choices when it comes to hiring a San Diego property management company. Our best advice is this: if you really want to leverage a professional’s experience, resources, and network, you’ll find a company that does both management and real estate buying and selling.
When you work with a company that can handle the purchasing, sale, and management of your investment, you get so much more out of the relationship. You get access to a larger network and ultimately, you find better results.
Property managers who also do real estate can provide a full-service investment plan that covers the entire lifecycle of your investment – from conception to sale. It allows you to work with the same partners at every step of the process. Real estate agents on their own will help you buy and sell property. Property managers on their own will help you lease, manage, and maintain that same property.
Why not work with a team that does both? It’s more efficient, more rewarding, and all the accountability lands at the same place.
At Chase Pacific, we feel strongly about this, so we’re sharing some of the advantages that you might not be thinking about.
Access Diverse Expertise with One San Diego Expert
Why do you hire a real estate agent when you’re buying or selling a property?
A good San Diego real estate agent will:
- Provide experience and insight into the sales market.
- Listen to your needs and wants. You can talk about the type of property you’re seeking, and your agent will identify opportunities and set up showings.
- Take care of every detail involved in seeing the property, studying the neighborhood, and negotiating the purchase price.
- Help you navigate escrow, closing, and other transactional necessities.
You can rely on your real estate agent during the purchasing process to help you with closing the deal. You’ll rely on their local experience in the market and their expertise in working through a real estate sales contract. You’ll also get a wide selection of potential properties to buy.
Real estate agents know where the hottest new properties can be found, and they might have resources that can bring buyers to homes that aren’t even listed yet.
And, why do you hire a property manager when you’re planning an investment?
While a real estate agent can help you see properties and negotiate the contract and purchase details, a San Diego property manager is really essential in getting the best deal and recognizing the right investments.
Here’s why you want a property manager present during the purchase of an investment property:
- San Diego property managers understand the local rental market.
- Your property manager can help you estimate how much rent you can expect to earn
- You’ll get an idea about how long it will take you to rent the home out
- Property managers know the tenant pool and what renters are looking for.
Your property manager can also tell you whether any work will need to be done before the property is ready for the rental market.
This information is invaluable to investors before they buy. While a real estate agent can help you determine whether an asking price is fair during a sale, that agent who does not also manage properties likely won’t know much about what the average rental rates are in a specific market. Each professional has a set of tools and resources that are specific to their own area.
So, why choose just one area of expertise when you can get all of that knowledge in one professional company?
We recommend that you find a company like ours – able to help you navigate the purchase process, the leasing and management, the maintenance, and eventually – the sale of your investment. It keeps all of the skills and talents required for real estate investing under one roof.
You get a smoother, more organized investment experience. A more profitable one, too.
Property Managers and Real Estate Experts Save You Time and Money
The real estate market is competitive, especially now and especially in San Diego. If you’ve taken a look around on your own, you know that offers are coming in furiously fast, and sellers are enjoying a strong market where they hold most of the cards.
This can be unnerving if you’re trying to buy something. Inventory is low and demand is high, setting up an extremely fast-moving market.
You need more than an agent and you need more than a property manager. You need a dream team.
This is another great reason to work with a management company that also does real estate.
If you want to invest, you’ll need to move seamlessly through the steps of acquiring an investment property, preparing it for the rental market, and leasing it to good tenants. When you have a consistent team of professionals helping you through every part of the process, you save yourself a lot of time and money. There’s less vacancy, fewer surprise expenses, and a single commission to pay to one company instead of several.
When your property manager also helps you identify investment opportunities and negotiate favorable details, you’ll be able to transition seamlessly from one step of the process to the next. Your property manager will know the rental home and what it needs even before you close. All the necessary work can be planned in advance and you’ll save money by getting that property on the market faster – with less vacancy.
Nothing ends when you close the deal. If you’re working with the right management partner, this is really only the beginning.
Creating Customized Real Estate and San Diego Property Management Plans
Another benefit to working with a San Diego property management company that also does real estate is that your management team will really get to know your property. There won’t be a huge learning curve when it comes to that home’s neighborhood, rental value, maintenance needs, and marketing strong point. You’ll already have seen the property with your management team, so they’ll know what’s needed to lease and manage it right away.
This leads to a customized management plan that meets the needs of your investment goals and your investment property. No two rental homes are alike. They need different levels of attention and maintenance. When your property manager is already familiar with the home because they helped you through the purchasing process, you’re going to have a better experience.
Maybe you are renting out an older home that needs a strong preventative maintenance plan. Or, perhaps tenant retention is a huge goal of yours and you want someone who can really provide the best possible service to your residents. A management company that hasn’t been there with you through the acquisition and rent-ready process may not understand this as well as if you were working with someone who has been with you since Day One.
If you have a management company that’s been effectively taking care of your rental property and your tenants for years, why would you want to turn to someone else when you’re ready to sell it? You’re going to get more money and more potential buyers when you’re selling the home through someone who is already familiar with the property.
Accountability throughout the Investment Cycle
You can also count on more transparency and accountability. You and your management team will get to know each other while navigating the purchase process. You’ll have shared your expectations and set some goals together. This leads to more accountability and a drive to do better for you and your portfolio.
You’ll also have an experienced real estate agent looking for ways to grow your portfolio. They’ll know when it’s time to sell, where the market is trending, and how you can leverage your current investment properties to grow your portfolio.
We think you get the best of both worlds when you work with an experienced, high-quality company that provides both property management and real estate services. We’d be happy to tell you about how we blend our San Diego property management expertise with our real estate experience to deliver the best possible service to investors like you. Contact us at Chase Pacific Property Management & Real Estate Services.