Investing in Real Estate Successfully With Seattle Property Management

Property investors can benefit from expert help in a couple of ways: following their advice and hiring them to manage properties and renters. If you're starting as an investor, expert insight can help you get going on the right foot. However, when it's time to grow your real estate investment portfolio, or you want to take your free time back for yourself, hiring a property manager is the best way to make more money and regain your time freedom. 

Expert Seattle property management has already been there and done that! We know the pitfalls to avoid and the best practices to adopt for success. Learning from professionals can help you find better renters, set the right rental price, and put rules in place to build good, professional relationships with residents. 

When you enjoy a taste of success as a rental property owner in the Seattle rental market, you might want more. However, managing rental properties quickly becomes a full-time job (and suddenly less passive) if you want significant income to build your long-term wealth. A little bit of success can be manageable on your own, but more success is easier (and more rewarding) when you invest in the right full-service property management company. 

We do it all! From rent collection to renter relationships and maintenance requests, you enjoy the income—while we do the work! 

• Have you struggled to find quality renters?
• Does your property sit empty for weeks (or months) at a time?

You might need to improve the quality of your rental property listings.

Think about what encourages you to purchase an item you see first online: if the photos or item descriptions don't entice you to look closer, you keep scrolling by. 

The same thing happens when your property's listing isn't professional-level quality. Seattle-area renters are smart! They won't waste time clicking an online listing for a rental property if the photos are poor quality and the description isn't compelling. Improving your listings with professional photos and listing text that grabs your next resident's attention can reduce the time your property sits vacant. Better-quality listings also attract high-quality renters.

If you're not sure how to create better property listings, your Seattle property management company can do it for you!

• We write hundreds of listings every year for Seattle home rentals.
• We know what renters need to read to stop scrolling by your investment property.
• We also understand the importance of high-quality professional photos to capture your property's best angles.

Does the quality of your renters really matter? If you have someone living in the property who pays the rent (most of the time), that's good enough—right?

Well, if you want to be a successful Seattle real estate investor, that kind of renter is not good enough to preserve and provide your long-term wealth. If you've ever dealt with a bad resident, you already know the importance of choosing high-quality renters before they move into your property. Once a renter moves in, it's difficult to legally evict a bad resident when things start to go wrong. 

• An unreliable renter who doesn't take care of your property is a financial liability.
• When they miss a rental payment or deliver it late, you lose money or see an impact on your cash flow.
• When a renter doesn't uphold their property care responsibilities outlined in the lease, your rental falls into disrepair, requiring more budgeting for maintenance and repairs.

Successful investors know it's never wise to settle for a less-than-ideal renter—even if it takes a few weeks to find the best new resident. Finding high-quality renters requires patience and a thorough screening process.

Quality Listings Attract Better Renters—but Don't Skip Screening

We talked about how a high-quality listing helps bring in better applicants for your consideration—but that's only the beginning of the selection and placement process. Even if an applicant looks excellent on paper, investors shouldn't skip a thorough screening process to make sure that first impressions are accurate. 

A thorough (legal) screening process gives investors a complete picture of potential renters. The process should include:

• Credit history
• Employment and Income verification
• Criminal history
• Prior rental history
• Reference checks.

With in-depth information about a potential resident, you'll know if they have the potential to be an excellent renter—or if they have a history of evictions and bad credit that tells you that they aren't a good fit for your Seattle home rentals.

Screening renters helps protect your property and income. If you're not sure how to conduct a thorough renter screening—within the law—expert Seattle property management services are the right choice to make. If you're dealing with a bad renter that needs to go, your property manager can also handle the eviction process for you—according to current regulations.

Real estate investors are never too far away from more success in the Seattle area. Our expertise and insights here can help you step up your investment game—but for best success and more income, it's time to hire a professional Seattle property management company! 

Real Property Associates knows the challenges of owning rental properties in Seattle. Managing the demands of a portfolio on your own can be time-consuming and disappointing when the work you put into your properties doesn't translate into better profits. You don't have to do it on your own! Let our team take care of everything while you enjoy more income. 

We create professional-quality listings, screen and place high-quality renters, manage every detail of rent collection, and handle all preventative, routine, and emergency maintenance. If a renter situation isn't working out well, we also take care of evictions according to current regulations in Seattle.

Not every property manager can boost your success! Choose the best team to trust with your properties and income! Contact Real Property Associates to learn more about how we can help boost your real estate investment earnings.