Property Management Blog

I HATE rentals! I LOVE rentals! – A Dialogue

I HATE rentals! I LOVE rentals! – A Dialogue

Sometimes it is interesting to just observe a debate between two other real estate agents—both of whom you respect.

“I hate doing rentals,” said Jennifer. “They are such a waste of time. I spend hours doing paperwork, credit checks, inspections and getting COs, and yet I only get paid a fraction of a month’s rent.”

“Really?” said James. “I actually really enjoy doing rentals.”

“How can you say that?” asked Jennifer, incredulously. “You do a good business with sales and listings. What was your volume last year? Around $13 million?”

James nodded to confirm the amount.

“So how many rentals did you do on top of all your sales & listing units?”

James thought for a moment. “I did 25 rental sides last year, a significant number of which were both sides.”

Jennifer looked amazed. “But what about all the time it takes to sit there for two hours waiting for the CO inspection, the credit checking, the pain-in-the neck walk-through where the tenant wants every smudge on the paint documented? I think my hourly income comes out at about minimum wage after I account for all the time I take having to do those things for rental clients.”

Now it was time for James to look puzzled. “You mean you do all those things yourself?” he asked.

“Well, of course. Who else is going to do it?” she asked.

“Jennifer, I think I need to introduce you to SureWay Property Management,” James suggested. “I recommend all my landlord clients use SureWay. They thank me every time. After all, who wants to get calls at midnight complaining that the refrigerator has died? Not only that, but once I have referred a landlord to SureWay, I never lose the client because every time a tenant chooses not to renew their lease, SureWay calls me to relist the property instead of taking the listing themselves, like most other property management companies.”

“Wow! That’s really awesome,” said Jennifer. “I can see why recommending SureWay is great for your landlord clients, but how does that save you time? That’s my biggest objection to doing rentals. They take so much of my time to process. Time I could be using on more profitable activities.”

“That’s my point,” said James, emphatically. “SureWay does all of that. They don’t just take care of the property management for the landlord, when we find a new tenant, SureWay does the credit & background checks, they prepare the lease, they get the CO—they even escort the tenant through the property to do the pre-move-in inspection. All those things that you’re complaining about—SureWay does them all for me, at no cost!”

Jennifer looked genuinely stunned. “I had no idea such a company existed,” she admitted. “I’ve got several property owners who rent out their properties. How do I find out more about SureWay Property Management?”

“You can look at the website: SureWayPM.com, or you can call them at 856-552-0505. And as a real estate agent, SureWay will pay you a referral fee for every landlord you send them. I love doing rentals because SureWay Property Management makes them so easy for me,” said James.

“Wow!” Said Jennifer. “I’m glad we had this conversation. I think you’ve shown me how to start embracing rental property business again!”

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