Property Management Maven

Since my management portfolio is mostly high-end single family homes, many prospective renters who call me are getting smart and are asking if the rental home I am offering has recently been on the market for sale…they don’t want trigger happy property owners putting THEIR home on the sales market next spring and tasking them with showings and staging their home while paying rent.

For this reason, I don’t take properties listed/offered for sale and lease simultaneously. When scheduling a viewing appointment, if there is a FOR SALE sign in the yard, my experience is that rental prospects will not show for the appointment which wastes my time and energy….Additionally, my website requires photos and floor plans for listing continuity which takes time and energy to prepare and upload.
 
Most rental prospects for area rental homes are asking for longer term leases - 2, sometimes 3 years. They are coming to UVa or other large area employers and don’t plan to buy and don’t want to move several times over the next 2 or 3 years. This is another reason they are selecting homes rather than apartments or condos where they have no knowledge of their neighbors or management capabilities.

A few Sundays ago, I was at my office when I received a phone call on one of my rental signs.  The caller identified himself as member of the new board of directors and that my FOR LEASE sign would have to be removed.  For the last 2 years, the new HOA had been self-managed by the developer who obviously had had sufficient sales to trigger the formation of the HOA under the original governing documents.  I asked the board member if he realized the long term effect of not allowing For Lease or For Sale signs and he indicated he thought it would approve the appearance of the property.  I suggested that from 40 years of experience, the opposite would be the case.  I then went to the property and removed my sign.

Rather than getting into a  philosophical discussion, I decided to post a question on ActiveRain - the 80,000 member real estate website…..almost all replies came back that my argument was true.

Most real estate signs are professionally made and well-maintained.  Many agents actually have covers for their signs for storage in their cars, basements or offices.  My signs are stored in my basement and maintained and discarded when they deteriorate.

Most real estate signs actually benefit the unit owner whose unit is For Lease or For Sale in addition to the HOA….In these hard real estate times, marketing is critical and by posting a real estate sign, the agent/owner is notifying adjacent owners that a unit is for sale is a good way to market units in new buildings.  Additionally, unit purchase prospects driving through the development can see other units on the market that may better suit their needs.

Unit owners who can not post a real estate sign in front of their unit often post a hand-made sign in the window of their unit…..now that can be TACKY!!

Vacant units that remain on the market in the current real estate environment often remain on the market longer, causing financial hardship on the owners.  If the unit owner goes into foreclosure, any back/deliquent HOA fees are erased and the ENTIRE association membership/other unit owners share in the increased cost of these deliquencies. 

The HOA should ENCOURAGE any and all efforts in assisting in the financial health of all unit owners and that should include getting rid of any onerous rules and regulations including no real estate signs in front of units.