The Importance of Hiring a Property Management Company

 In this age of independence and mindset that one can manage on his own, it is inevitable that a property owner would think he will do fine on his own. Sure, you got tenants who at first, pay on time until gradually they won't, some will breach the contract and lease terms, then they cause problems with the neighbors and other tenants, then slowly you will notice you are losing money and when you decide to evict the tenant, next thing you know, you have a lawsuit at your doorstep.

The reality is if you use the services of a professional property management company, not only do you have peace of mind, your investment is protected and the consistent cash flow you receive through rent can assist you to buy additional investment properties.

This is why you need the assistance of a property management company, but before that, we will determine the pointers on why it is important to hire one.

Determining the Worth of Your Property

The problem with inexperienced owners is that sometimes they get overwhelmed on how they price their property to the market: oversell and you have to deal with the high vacancy rate with no profit, undersell and you will realize you are slowly losing profit. This is where a property management company comes in, they will help you determine a balanced meal where you gain tenants and continue to rake in profit.

A property management company is also well-versed in marketing your property and placing ads where it will attract tenants. They will answer any inquiry and they know what entices a prospective tenant, therefore will help you point out some cosmetic improvements so that the tenants will feel that renting your property is worthy of their money.

Avoiding Major Problems with Tenants

Screening tenants would not be one of your problems anymore because the property management company will take care of it. They know too well how to check the background of the interested tenants, their criminal records, their relationship with previous property owners and if they have ever caused problems before. Think of it as helping you weed out the bad ones for a healthy and bountiful crop.

Collecting rents is the most common problem in renting out your property. When left to your own devices, having your tenants pay you on time will become a child's play of hiding and seek between them and you as the property owner, certainly some tenants will tug at your heartstrings and gain your sympathy with the hope that you will let them get away with it. A property management company, however, will become the middleman who will ensure that the tenants abide by the lease terms and should understand that they are just doing their job for you, keeping your cash flow consistent.

Maintenance

When a tenant has reached the end of the contract, the grueling process of turnover will usually keep you busy as a property owner, but with a property management company by your side, that is another pile of stress that will be taken care of. Any deductions from the security deposit will be made and returned to the tenant, and the restoration process of repairing any damages, repainting, changing locks and cleaning the property would be done without getting your own hands dirty.

As a property management company, expect that they know the right people to contact should there be any problems with leaks, wiring, and plumbing experienced by the tenants and their dilemmas will be addressed promptly.

Saving Time and Money

A successful businessman knows that delegating tasks is key for a successful business so that one can have more time to deal with other business ventures. With almost everything being taken care of, it seems like the only thing left to do is to visit your property at a certain time interval and continue to rake in profit while having more time to spend it with your family, social life, other priorities, and investments.

IN CONCLUSION

Hiring a property management company takes care of the burden for you, especially if you are well aware that marketing, confronting tenants with late payments and handling maintenance are not your strongest points especially if managing your property is not the only priority you have in your busy life. Therefore delegating this task to a reliable property management company may just be one of the best decisions you have ever made.

Tax Reporting Requirements for Property Managers

 The beginning of each calendar year is a very busy time for many businesses, and Property Managers are not left out of that category! Whether you are a large Property Management Company or an individual Property Manager, this is the time when all tax forms should be issued for funds paid out to Rental Property Owners or Vendors during the previous calendar year. The form that is used to complete this task is the 1099-MISC, and this form must be submitted to the recipient and the IRS by a specified date each year. When 1099s are submitted to the IRS, they must be accompanied by a summary form, Form 1096, to meet the tax filing requirements.

- Why is the 1099-MISC necessary? 

The IRS uses 1099s to monitor any income source that is not filed on a traditional W-2 form, which only shows income received as a salary or wage. This is a way in which the IRS captures any income received by an independent contractor or rental property owner that may otherwise go unreported. A Property Manager or Property Management Company is acting as a reliable source for the IRS to help enforce that all income is being reported.

- Who should receive a 1099-MISC? 

• Rental Property Owners - all rental property owners that have received $600 or more in rent disbursements in a given calendar year should be issued a 1099-MISC.

• Vendors - all independent contractors or vendors who are unincorporated and have received $600 or more in a given calendar year for services provided should be issued a 1099-MISC.

- When does a 1099-MISC NOT need to be filed? 

Every situation has exceptions, and tax filing and reporting is no different. Here are some of those exceptions: 

• If the total payments to a rental property owner or vendor are less than $600, a 1099-MISC does not need to be filed. 

• If a rental property owner is a corporation, a 1099-MISC does not need to be filed. 

• If a vendor is an incorporated business, a 1099-MISC does not need to be filed.

- What information is required on a 1099-MISC? 

• Tax ID # - this can be an individual's SSN or an EIN for an unincorporated organization. 

• Address - this is needed for the 1099-MISC to be sent to the recipient. 

• Funds Paid - this includes a total of all income paid to a vendor or individual rental property owner during the previous calendar year. (Remember, only if the total is greater than $600)

- What boxes are used on a 1099-MISC to report income? 

• Rental Property Owners - all income collected that was for rent should be reported in box 1 "Rents" on the 1099-MISC. Any additional income paid (late fees, utility bill reimbursements, NTQ fees, etc.) should be reported in box 3 "Other Income" on the 1099-MISC. 

• Vendors - all payments made for vendor services should be reported in box 7 "Non-employee Compensation" on the 1099-MISC.

It is also good practice to send all rental property owners a copy of their financials for the previous calendar year so they can see where the amounts in each box on the 1099-MISC were derived from.

Not filing 1099s when required can lead to penalties and fines by the IRS, so it is very important to keep accurate records of amounts paid to each vendor and rental property owner and request any necessary forms that you may need to file the tax forms to be compliant in this process.

Real Estate Agent Job Description

 Real estate agents liaise between home owners and buyers to conduct the sale, purchase or rent of properties. They work for brokers and play a major role in assisting people buy or sell residential, commercial or industrial property. They keep and maintain an up-to-date account of property listing and other relevant housing information to stay abreast with properties available on the real estate market. They subscribe to several listing services to advertise and market properties up for sale. They also contact property and market properties up for sale. They also contact property owners to obtain information regarding a property.

As part of their responsibilities, estate agents present sales and purchase offers to clients for consideration. They advise them on property rates, legal requirements and general market trend. They also interview clients to determine their property preference or specification. Usually, they prepare a list of properties that best match the needs and requirements of clients. They visit and inspect properties in order to establish precise property value. They also proffer recommendations to clients on properties that best suit their budget and preference.

Most estate agents oversee the preparation of closing statements, purchase agreements, representation contracts and other necessary documents required for estate trade. They conduct negotiations between property sellers and buyers to establish price and other terms of sales. They also liaise with pest control operators, home inspectors etc. to ensure the terms and conditions stated in a purchase agreement are met prior to the closing of sales.

In fulfilling their role, real estate agents oversee the closing of property sales, they ensure payment is complete and appropriate documents signed. They maintain contact with clients to offer them real estate services/products and assist with the resolution of issues. They also provide consultation services to clients to recommend strategies for the speedy sale of property. They often conduct training programs for junior/trainee sales agents to enhance their sales skill. This job position requires at least a high school diploma, state license for practice and an aptitude for sales. Qualities needed for the job include persuasion, interpersonal skills and problem-solving skills.

Real Estate Agent Job Description Sample

Given below is a sample of the job description usually handed real estate agents by most employers:

• Act as liaisons to conduct real estate trade between property buyers and sellers
• Present sales offers to clients as well as bid on available properties
• Carry out investigations to determine client credit status and ability to complete payment
• Inspect properties to appraise its value and estimate the worth on the property market
• Interact with clients to identify their requirements and proffer recommendations on properties that best suit their budgets
• Assist home sellers in promoting their buildings on property listing services to attract clients for purchase
• Prepare and deliver sales pitches to clients in order to secure real estate contract
• Provide clients with a list of properties available for sale to assist them in making choice selection
• Conduct price negotiations between property buyers and sellers to ensure a fair bargain for both parties
• Provide clients with a tour of residential, industrial or commercial properties to showcase and explain property features
• Carry out investigations to confirm clients have clear property titles
• Provide appropriate reply to client's enquiries concerning property appraisals, financing, maintenance etc.
• Examine property premises to recommend maintenance measure required to improve the face value
• Assist clients in evaluating mortgage options to obtain the best rate and terms
• Attend conventions, conferences and seminars to improve existing job knowledge and expand personal network.

If you are a recruiter needing the best real estate agent to hire, you can use the sample job description above in making one for your company, for use in hiring and assigning duties to the successful candidates.

How Do You Select The Best Property Management Software

 Property management can be a challenge, especially without the right tools. Getting the right software program is very essential in helping you streamline the process of handling your growing business and to keep it organized. More and more companies are eliminating paperwork by choosing software solutions that can handle all important functions including management of documents. But then how do you go about selecting the best property management software for your business?

Step 1 - Start by focusing on what you need

Avoid choosing software that is an overkill or under-kill for your business. It is important that you evaluate exactly what you need the software program for; you can separate office accounting needs from property management needs to cut costs of the software program. Consider whether it is important for the system to help you with tenant background checks, liability and asset accounting and budgeting so you do not waste your time on a solution you really do not need. Whereas you do not want to go overboard when choosing the system, you also do not want to end up with a program that cannot handle the most basic things for your business. It helps to at least ensure that the management software you settle for can automatically post management fees, rent and late fees, maintain separate ledgers for tenants and owners, easily update information via a friendly interface, handle different property types without additional module buying and deal with bank deposits and checks.

Step 2 - Check all important features

There are so many features that may not be that critical to the management process of the property, but they will prove to be valuable on your software. Some of the features that can make a difference in your system include reminder features to help track appointments, pop-up lists of owners and tenants owing you money, features that help check tenant info for log back payments and credit references, automated rent amount updates, automated account updates and other. The more you are able to do with the program the better the convenience you stand to enjoy running your property business.

Step 3 - Confirm support, reliability and reasonable pricing

Most property management software companies fail in offering the needed support. Some may even compel you to pay for software updates to enjoy technical support, whereas others may offer free support for a limited time frame and start charging for any support beyond that. Choose a support plan you can fully trust in and rely on. On the same line, you should take the mandate to check for any hidden costs when buying the software. Ask as many relevant questions as possible and read as much as you can about what you stand to gain using the solution before making the final purchase. It helps to choose a software program that is easy to install and use and one that comes with a comprehensive inbuilt help file. Keep off programs that require you pay for updates and research.