We know that a lot of landlords in Eureka feel pretty confident about leasing and managing their own rental properties. That’s great. If you have the knowledge, resources, and time to take care of your own investment, you’ll likely have a successful and profitable rental experience. 

It’s not for everyone, however. For some owners, professional property management is the best way to go. We can save you time and money and we can provide the expertise and experience that’s often necessary when renting out homes in California. 

Here are some of the pros and cons we’d like to share with you about managing your Eureka rental property yourself. If you’re not sure you want to self-manage or work with an expert, check out this list. Then talk to a management company about what professional services would look like. 

Every landlord is different, and the needs of your tenants and investment properties are also different. You need to know what’s going to work best for you.

Self-Management Advantages for Eureka Rental Homes

What are the benefits to managing your own rental home? There are a few:

• There’s No Management Fee

One of the reasons a lot of landlords hesitate to invest in full-service property management is that they don’t want to pay a leasing fee or the monthly management fee. They imagine property management is expensive. 

There’s a lot of value to the professional services you receive. We believe that property management more than pays for itself. 

However, you do have the benefit of not losing that management fee every month. You won’t have to factor the expense of professional management into your budget while you’re estimating how much you’re likely to earn and spend with your rental property. 

• You Maintain Complete Control Over the Rental Process

Here’s another benefit for landlords and property owners who prefer to be hands-on: You don’t have anyone else making the decisions for you about your rental property or your tenants. You maintain complete control over the tenants you’re placing, the maintenance you’re conducting, and the systems and processes that you put into place during the leasing, management, and maintenance of your rental property. 

A number of real estate investors prefer to be completely hands-off when it comes to their properties. They’d like an experienced management company to take over when it comes to marketing, leasing, taking care of maintenance, and handling the renewal process. 

If you like to keep all of this for yourself, however, self-management is the way to go. You can still reach out for help and advice from time to time, but ultimately, you’ll maintain total control over your property and how it’s rented. 

• You’ll Get a Great Learning Experience 

When you’re thinking about a future in real estate, property management, or even maintenance, there’s no better way to get the training that will help you than doing the job yourself. A lot of professional property managers went into business because they are investors themselves. 

Self-Management Challenges for Eureka Property Owners 

Now that we’ve taken a look at the pros of managing your own rental property in Eureka, let’s take an honest look at what can be difficult.

• It’s Easy to Make Mistakes

Unless you’ve been managing, leasing, and maintaining properties for as many years as a professional, it’s easy to make mistakes. Unfortunately, those mistakes can be expensive. Not understanding the fair housing laws, for example, can lead to a claim and a lawsuit that may cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Sending back a security deposit late will result in another expensive penalty. If you don’t screen carefully, you’ll end up with bad tenants. When you have the benefit of professional management, your investment is protected.

• Managing Rental Homes is Time Consuming 

When you’re renting out one property and you have an easy, low-maintenance tenant, the job feels pretty manageable. If you have multiple properties, however, or a difficult tenant or a property with a lot of maintenance needs, it can feel like you have another full-time job. You’ll have to meet tenants at your property when you schedule showings. You’ll have to invest time and resources in preparing the property for the market. You may need to meet vendors to coordinate repairs and you’ll have to conduct inspections. There are phone calls to field and messages that need responses. 

• You’ll Need Maintenance Resources 

Maintenance can be a headache for self-managing landlords. You’ll have to respond right away to emergencies. You’ll have to coordinate the vendors who respond to routine repairs that tenants report. You’ll have preventative maintenance that protects the condition of your asset and keeps your costs down. 

Good maintenance and vendor resources make professional Eureka property management well worth the management fee. 

Keeping your rental property in good condition is important to the preservation of its value. Responsive maintenance also contributes to tenant retention. Property managers can keep a close eye on the needs of your property. We have systems in place to respond right away to emergency and routine repairs. For independent landlords, it can be a little more difficult and much more expensive to keep up.

Are You an Investor or a Landlord?