Lease & Property Management

Getting the Best Return on Your Investment and Managing Your Property

Choosing the right property is the key to getting the best return on your investment. Our team will work with you to research and find you the neighborhoods where you can maximize your investment. Two different philosophies and goals come into play when choosing investment properties: appreciation and rentability.

We know the neighborhoods that have seen the best appreciation in recent years. The caveat that is given by stockbrokers holds true in real estate as well, “past performance is not a guarantee of future profitability”. Thankfully, the real estate market does not have the daily ups and downs of the stock market; even a strong market area such as Greater Raleigh has had plateau periods of very slow appreciation (but has never had a significantly declining market). Statistically, we’ve seen that single-family detached homes have the highest appreciation, followed by townhouses, with condos having the lowest appreciation. There may be opportunities to get in at the early stage or final stage of a subdivision where you’ll get almost instant equity of $10,000 to $20,000 with a trade-off in a lowered monthly rent.

Factors that we’ll cover with you in selecting the right property within a neighborhood include:

• Rentability
• Maintenance
• Absence of Competition

We have found that you’ll do better in subdivisions that are mostly owner occupied. Potential renters like a centralized location close to highways and shopping with good or great schools always being a major plus. Exterior amenities are important as a fenced yard gives a sense of security for young children or pets, a nice deck or patio will lend itself to outside entertainment.

Since many investors gear their property’s rental to renew during the summer months, community amenities such as a pool being included in homeowner association dues are important. We normally suggest homes with surfaces and exteriors that will wear well and require minimal upkeep, such as hardwood and tile floors along with vinyl, hardiplank or brick exteriors. A property that is easy to maintain with great amenities will produce an easy resale for you.

We are currently not providing Landlord Assistance or Property Management services, however we have a strong working relationship with one of the Triangle’s top companies specializing in this business. Their Landlord Assistance program establishes the fair market rental value of the property, then markets the home, checks credit, references, residence history and employment, negotiates the lease terms, drafts the rental contract and completes a Property Condition Report at the beginning and end of the lease. Their commission is 80% of one month’s rent on a 1-7 month lease, a full month’s rent on an 8-23 month lease and one & one-half month’s rent on leases longer than 23 months. They provide full Property Management at 8% per month with an $80.00 minimum charge.