Rental Property Investment and Ownership Blog Series: Part 4 - The Right Property Manager For You

Welcome back to our series: Rental Property Investment and Ownership. Today on Part 4 we’ll be helping you figure out what management company is best for you and your specific needs.  If you missed our first posts, you can read up the rest of our series here.

Part 4: What Management Company is Right for You?

Choosing the right Property Manager plays a big part in the success of your real estate investment. With so many Property Managers in the 30A area, how can you tell them apart? Especially when they claim to offer the same services? Use our insights below to help you find the perfect manager for your 30A vacation rental.

5 | Communication

Consistent communication from initial discussions to even after you welcome guests is a must. If you’re not communicating well with the property management company in the initial stages of research, that is never a good sign.  Communication is so important to ensure you feel that your home-away-from-home is in the right hands.  At Benchmark you’ll have access to your full Property Management and Owner Relations teams for all of your questions and concerns.  Our Guest Relations team is also always there in case you have questions from more of a guest perspective.  Your vacation property is our passion!

4 | Trust Your Gut

You know the feeling you get from someone after multiple conversations.  You have to ask yourself; do you feel comfortable with this person?  No matter what their offering is or how low their fees are, if you don’t feel right about any of the business interactions, you know it won’t be the right decision. Benchmark is a locally owned and operated family business. This business is a legacy to our families, and we work hard every day to make sure our owners and our guests feel taken care of.  We are here to foster a lifetime partnership.

3 | Expectations

You have to be cognizant of companies who might over promise and under deliver.  At Benchmark, we pride ourselves on using the data; not only our internal data, but data from across all of 30A. We use this information to put realistic expectations upfront. We ensure that during all our initial conversations we are clear on the types of services we offer. Some companies might entice you with a lower management rate, but you really need to ask questions about the entire program. What are the maintenance fees? Do they charge for each visit? Do they charge credit card fees? What are the guests charged? Are there any other fees? All of these things make a huge difference on your bottom line. 

2 | Inventory Alignment

What is the company’s other inventory? If they have several other units in a building or homes in an area, the whole team from Property Managers to Reservationists are going to be familiar with any standard issues or questions.  The more homes in a neighborhood, the better relationship they might have with the HOA.  Alternatively, do you want your home to be lost in a sea of several other larger homes? Or do you prefer a company with a wide selection of homes to attract a diverse customer base.  We certainly can’t answer those questions for you, but we do think our inventory across all 30A communities, neighborhoods, and complexes speaks for itself.

1 | Experience

We’ve been around since 1987.  And our team has well over 50 years of combined property management experience.  On top of property management our backgrounds include marketing, customer service, construction, finance, real estate, and legal services.  We have the knowledge and experience to service our owners and have been doing so for decades. 

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 If you have any other questions or need advice, we are here to help.  Interested in a projection? We can provide you with one - just reach out to us at [email protected]. We’ll provide you with a projection based on deep knowledge of our own portfolio alongside outside data across all of 30A. 

Thank you for spending that last few months with us as we help to better explain how the vacation rental industry works and what sets Benchmark Management apart!

Published on Monday, August 30, 2021