One of the biggest mistakes we see in property management is when an owner attempts to manage the property themselves. It is like attempting to represent yourself in court, repairing your own cellular phone, or diagnosing your own illness. Unless you are already a real estate professional, then navigating the murky waters of property management is just as risky and daunting a task as any of the others I've listed. Here are some specific reasons that self-managing your property can be devastating: There are predatory shoppers in the rental real estate market. They specifically seek out self-managed properties or weak managers because they know the right questions won't be asked. Then, once they're in the home and you've moved away your nightmare begins. They stop paying. They stop communicating. They damage your home. And the worst part is there's very little you can do from a distance, without great expense. There are professional predatory tenants out there who can and will stay for several months for free in your home, possibly driving you into foreclosure or worse. This is the primary reason that you need a seasoned representative who is only minutes away from your property, can first properly qualify your prospective tenants and, if needed, respond to issues that arise with rapid and decisive action. Any number of maintenance and/or repair issues can and do arise with your home at any time. We offer an after-hours emergency line wherein tenants can call if and when there's a legitimate emergency. Aside from those situations, we have a tightly-regulated system of receiving work orders (in writing), reviewing them, and if needed, assigning the right professional contractor to effect the repairs. If you're not already established with the right repair people, situations like this can be time consuming and costly. Your time and frustration with repairs and maintenance alone is worth the investment in a property manager. Further, once the work is complete, you have little or no viable way of confirming that the work was done properly. We confirm that all repairs have been completed per the work order prior to paying our contractors. This insures quality work, happy tenants, and the careful and respectful consideration of your finances. Advertising your home for rent is a costly process. Our firm handles all of your marketing and advertising and, given that we work with hundreds of properties just like yours, we are able to do so very cost-effectively. If you manage your own property, purchasing ads and waiting for phone calls can be draining in more ways than one. As a professional real estate firm, we are up to date on the latest laws and regulations concerning leased property in Texas. We also have working relationships with the local courts and other government agencies that get involved if things get rough. Our established network allows us to quickly handle some of the more stressful issues that arise in property management. It's not for the meek or the uninformed. Allow us to handle these situations for you, save you hundreds if not thousands, and let you get on with your own more pressing matters.