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A Professional Property Rental Agency Is A Great Option For Part Time Landlords

By Harold Meyer


A lot of successful Maryland real estate investors started off buying inexpensive properties at auctions and foreclosure sales. They kept full time jobs and managed their real estate portfolio in their spare time. If you are someone interested in buying real estate to lease to others, you need to decide how involved you want to be in the day to day management of your holdings. It is not unusual for owners to hand over that responsibility to a professional Anne Arundel County, Maryland property rental agency.

If you are new to the real estate leasing market, it may be difficult for you to judge what you should be able to expect renters to pay every month. Most agencies handle multiple houses, condos, and apartments. They know what comparable units are renting for and can inspect your portfolio and advise you as to how much you can expect. Representatives will also let you know when it is appropriate to increase monthly rents.

People won't call and inquire about the properties you have for rent unless they know about them. Many owners assume agencies will handle any advertising, but it may not be included in the fee they charge you. The amount of money you are willing to spend may be over and above their management compensation. An advantage of using a management company is the experience they have placing advertising.

You don't want to rent to troublemakers or individuals who are lax about paying their rent every month. If you aren't familiar with the process of selecting the best applicants, you might end up chasing your tenants down at the beginning of each month. Agencies are approved to check credit ratings and call employers and references. They normally require applicants to submit criminal background checks with their applications.

Agencies have standard leases that meet state and federal guidelines. Investors may not be aware of some of the language that has to be included in an application or understand exactly how to review a lease with a new renter. In addition to the monthly rent, agencies hold security and pet deposits in escrow accounts.

Maintaining rent properties can be extremely time consuming and frustrating for owners who have other jobs. Even though they may not do repairs themselves, they still have to hire contractors, evaluate and approve needed repairs, and pay the contractors and the suppliers. There are also monthly maintenance expenses like landscaping and pest control that have to be coordinated.

Another advantage to working with agencies is the ability to leave all the legalities in their hands. Leases are legal documents and must comply with state laws. Individual states have rules and regulations regarding eviction notices and cancellation of lease contracts. There are also federal laws with regard to discrimination that must be complied with.

Successful real estate investors understand that leaving some things to experienced professionals is a good idea. When it comes to renting property, there are a lot of variables. Agencies are in business to handle the leases and maintenance and legality issues owners are unprepared to handle themselves.




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