Property Management Blog

With our proximity to the Fort Leonard Wood Army installation, we have a lot of experience with military housing. Today, we want to talk about the types of Fort Leonard Wood housing that’s available to soldiers who have received PCS orders and are coming to the area. These PCS tips will be helpful to you if you’re here already and looking for military housing, or you know you’re coming, and curious about what you’ll find for Ft. Leonard Wood housing.

Fort Leonard Wood Rentals On Post

If you’re looking for Ft. Leonard Wood rentals on base, you’ll find that there is plenty of housing available. Most of those units are duplexes, and there are also some single family homes. If you want to stay on post, contact the housing office at the base, and you’ll get details on what’s available and how to choose a place to live.

Fort Leonard Wood Rentals Off Post

When you want to live off post, there are a variety of options that can fit any circumstance or need. Whether you want Fort Leonard Wood family housing or a small apartment just for yourself, we have properties that will fit what you’re seeking. There are apartment complexes, townhomes, and single family homes that are all within minutes of the Fort Leonard Wood Main Gate and the West Gate. That means your commute will be fast and easy to manage. Most of the single family homes are in subdivisions, which allows for easy interaction with your neighbors. If you are looking for more solitude and prefer privacy, we can also show you properties in subdivisions that have larger lots and even areas with some acreage.

If you need help planning your move and finding a place to live, contact us at Century 21 Prestige. Tell us what your preferences are and we can give you some PCS advice, and tell you what’s available. Then, we’ll arrange to show you the properties once you’re in town.

Landlords are sometimes uncertain about what exactly a property manager does for the fee that is collected. This is our second blog in a two-part blog series. In the first part, we talked about finding tenant and in this blog, we’ll discuss what is done when we’re professionally managing your property.

Responding to Tenant Needs

Most rental property owners believe that the most important thing we do is to take the calls in the middle of the night from your tenants. So when your tenant has no water or no heat, they are able to call our emergency number. We have someone available 24 hours a day to handle these calls. Some of our vendors will go out in the off hours. Sometimes, we’ll take the call and then get a service provider out to the property as soon as the doors open in the morning. This is an important service so you aren’t bothered with the emergencies in the middle of the night or over the weekend or while you’re on vacation. We also take routine maintenance calls. If we need your permission before doing any work, we get estimates, let you make your decision, and coordinate repairs.

Conducting Routine Inspections

During occupancy, we do routine inspections every six months. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get into the property since we need access from the tenant. Once we’re in, we take a look around and make sure all is good with the property. We report back to you so you know the status. When tenants are ready to move out, we do move out inspection. This is our opportunity to review how the home looks, and determine how much of security deposit should be returned. Then, we get it back to them in a timely manner.

Providing Technology for Efficient Management

With our software system, tenants can log in 24/7 and request a routine repair. This is usually something that needs to be fixed, but is not of immediate concern. It’s a maintenance issue that needs to be taken care of to protect the condition of your property. The tenants can log in when they realize what is needed, and we will see it and get the repairs scheduled.

Accounting and Bookkeeping for Your Rental Property

You’ll get end of year accounting for your tax records. We can provide you with a record of all bills, charges, and money you have earned. It’s easy to take that information to your accountant and prepare your taxes. You don’t have to do the record keeping. We also make all the calls if there is a collection issue. If tenants are not paying rent, we send them a reminder. As soon as the grace period is up, we start collections and work out whatever arrangements we need to. In rare circumstances, when the tenant needs to be evicted, we will assist with that process and help you get your property back.

If you have any questions about property management fees and services, please contact us at Century 21 Prestige.

When you pay a fee to a property manager for the services involved in getting your home rented to a good tenant, there are a number of things that are involved in finding that tenant and earning that management fee. We’re bringing you a two-part blog series about property management fees, and in this first part, we’ll talk about how we place your tenants.

Marketing Your Rental Property

The most important thing to do when you have a property for rent is to market it well. We are able to take advantage of our relationship with Century 21 Prestige to market our rental listings throughout the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which also enables us to feed these listings out to a lot of national websites. We also put the listing on our own local website and advertise your home in the housing office at Fort Leonard Wood.

Conducting Vacancy Checks

In addition to marketing, we do vacancy checks. So if you have a vacant property, we go out every two to three weeks to walk through and make sure your property is secure and nothing is wrong with it. Then, we report back to you. So if you’re not living in the area, you don’t have to worry about an unsecure, vacant property.

Responding to Potential Tenants

The next phase of finding a tenant is taking calls from all Internet leads, scheduling showings, meeting people at the property and walking them through it. We explain the features of the property and discuss the rental terms. At that point, if the tenant is interested in renting the property, we use a third party rental screening company that allows us to do a background and credit check. This is a professional company that gives us a letter grade for each applicant, which helps ensure they have the ability to pay and there is no criminal background or history that would preclude them from renting your property.

Signing a Lease and Accepting a Security Deposit

Once your tenant is approved through this objective service, we put a lease together for signatures and we collect the security deposit. We can hold the deposit in our corporate escrow account, and it stays there until a tenant moves out, at which point we do a walk-through of the property. If everything looks good, we promptly return the deposit. If there are any damages, we get estimates and have repairs made. Then, we return whatever portion is due back to the tenants. There are legal rules about when to return the deposit. We have 30 days to have it back in their hands, so we are sure to return deposits appropriately and in a timely fashion.

If you have any questions about the services we provide in exchange for the fee you pay to find a tenant, please contact us at Century 21 Prestige. We look forward to talking with you.

Homeowners have many factors to consider when they are relocating out of the area and deciding whether to sell their property or rent it out. After thinking about these initial things, you will be more prepared to make the decision that’s best for you.

Consult with an Agent

Speak with a reputable real estate agent. A Realtor can help you determine the current market value of your home based on existing market conditions in your area. The agent can also explain what might need to be done to the property in order for it to sell and what the costs would be to sell. If you have not lived in the home very long and the market has not increased in value, the best decision is to rent the property out. When you do that, you can build equity until you’re ready to sell it at later time.

Repair and Maintenance Costs

When you want to rent it out, consider if you have enough money set aside to make any necessary repairs. You will need to maintain the home and keep it in good condition for your tenant. Tenants won’t want to wait for repairs while you save up to make them.

Mortgage and Tax Considerations

Think about whether you can afford to pay your mortgage if the tenant’s rent is late or you have a vacancy period. Talk to a tax expert who can explain the tax advantages and disadvantages involved in owning a rental property. These change based on your personal situation, so speak with someone who understands your financial picture and can explain the implications prior to tax time.

Plans to Return

Sometimes homeowners still can’t make a decision. They know they will be okay financially either way. In these cases, I ask if they would ever consider returning to the area. If it’s a place where you can see yourself living in the future, the it’s a good idea to hang onto the house and rent it out. When you return to the area, you’ll have a place to live once your tenant’s lease is up.

Selling and Renting Together

Many people ask if a property owner can list the home for sale and rent at the same time and take whichever happens first. This is a good strategy and it can be done. Make sure your real estate agent and property manager consult and communicate frequently so if you accept an offer or sign a lease, it’s pulled from other market.

We are always available with a team of experts to answer any questions you might have. If you’re not sure whether to sell your home or place it on the rental market, please contact us at Century 21 Prestige.

Today at Century 21 Prestige, we are going to talk about living on and off post. Choosing to live on post or off post is a decision every military family makes during PCS moves. You’ll want to consider the cheaper option and the better option for you and your family. 

BAH Rate

Lifestyle Considerations 

Making Connections 

The military is a relatively small community, and you can get a lot of helpful advice and feedback from friends you know or people who have been stationed in the area to which you are moving. Check social media too because Facebook groups are popping up all the time for family members and service members assigned to duty stations. Facebook can help people moving to a new duty station where they may not know much about the local area. Nearly every military installation has their own Facebook group with information about neighborhoods and community. Join those groups and ask your questions as you get invested in your move. 

Changing Your Mindset

Not Updating the Property 

Timing 

Pricing 

Overpricing the home in the hopes that you’ll get a little more rent is also a mistake. You want to price competitively, and even offer a move in incentive. Make those decisions as quickly as possible to help your visibility. You want more people to see the home and take advantage of the incentive. Don’t wait for September or October because your volume of tenants is smaller in the fall and winter. These are just some of the common mistakes that local landlords tend to make. If you have any questions about this blog, or you’d like more information about how to avoid these mistakes, please contact us at Century 21 Prestige.

Marketing and Advertising 

Tenant Screening and Leasing 

Rent Collection and Maintenance 

Move Out Process