Houston Investment Property Managers - A Portfolio Saver

By Duke Morgan

There are a lot of people who feel that when it comes to property, they would like to deal with everything on their own. While there could be merits in this, a far better option is to take the services of a property management company. Property management companies take monthly charges in return for the property security and maintenance facilities. Incidentally, the property management market is quite fragmented with so many players trying to cope with the demands of discerning and demanding consumers. There are a few players that would like to build up scale and magnitude so as to expand globally and also consolidate by means of mergers and acquisitions.

Property management companies come under the purview of the Companies Act under which they are constituted. This implies that these companies have to comply with the provisions of company law. These companies have the ability to handle various legal matters that a property might face. While property management companies specialize in managing and handling various property related issues, it is true also that many of them are rather small and basic in nature. Some of them may also be in a time warp and may not have woken up to the benefits of modern technology like e-mail.

One of the important services that property management companies offer relate to client interface. This includes marketing properties and screening the response they get in order to short list suitable residents. Apart from the maintenance and upkeep of property they also ensure that agreements are signed properly and renewed in a timely and lawful manner. The company has in-house staff and supports its executives in a collaborative manner. The main aim of such a company is to ensure that the project is made commercially viable and its value is enhanced too. The company has certain limits that are imposed in the form of building codes, commercial business practices and also affirmative action provisions.

When it comes to the area of evicting recalcitrant and problematic residents, these residential property managers are able to save costs substantially. Also, when it comes to getting information about the property, residents want to know more than just unintelligible abbreviations like w/d, hw fl, d/w, a/c. Those who want to move into the building would like to see floor plans, know details of the building and also information dealing with its location.

Property managers are partially regulated - if they accept a fee for letting a property on behalf of a landlord they must be associated with a licensed Real Estate Agent. If they do not accept a letting fee but work solely for a proportion of ongoing rental income they are not regulated. Property managers are experienced in every aspect of a building's interior and exterior and have working knowledge of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural systems. All building systems are maintained by monthly preventive maintenance contracts. Property managers are involved in all types of real estate including commercial and industrial, condominiums, residential, and farm and ranch.

In addition to all these services, it is possible to get some accounting services from property management companies. This includes providing a monthly statement that documents various monthly income and expense items relating to the management company on your property. - 23212

About the Author:

Duke Morgan enjoys sharing what he's learned about Houston investment properties especially with people interested in real estate in the Houston area.