It happens time and time again. Homeowners and renters who serve in the military often have to move quickly. They may be posted to Joint Base Lewis-McChord and need to find housing fast, or they must move away suddenly and then need to find tenants to rent their homes because they cannot sell or because they want to return in a few years when they retire from service.
Housing near the base can be limited, so they need an alternative. The trends indicate that they now come south for great schools, extensive services, and a wonderful community. (See this related article about 200 new students joining the North Thurston Public Schools this year.)
“Lacey has done a phenomenal job of making itself very military friendly,” said Andrew Barkis, owner of Hometown Property Management. Hometown works closely with Joint Base Lewis-McChord as well as the Lacey Chamber to anticipate the needs of the military community.
Making it Easier for Families to Find Homes Quickly
“We are continuously striving to make it easier for military families to rent homes in our community, so we’ve implemented an improved process to get families into homes on a timeline that works for them,” said Barkis.
First, Hometown improved their website to make it easier to navigate. Next, they became one of the only companies in the area with dedicated leasing agents; they do nothing but show homes. This creates a personal relationship with the prospect which helps ensure that families find a home that best suits them. If a client is making arrangements long-distance the agent can send photos of the home as well as a virtual tour of the property.
In addition, Hometown streamlined the application process to create a 24-hour approval notification system. All of these steps have helped to create a leasing process that is as smooth as possible. Typically Hometown offers a one-year lease, but they honor the military clause which allows a lease to be modified in certain circumstances.
Professional Property Management: Significantly Reduces Risks of the Property Owner
When a service member contacts Hometown about renting out a home they own they are usually in a hurry. Hometown provides a market analysis and works with the owner to get the house on the market for rent in a timeframe that works for them.
Some families who leave the area still owning a house often try to manage the property themselves to avoid management fees, but Barkis indicates that this can be a mistake. “Owners may try and manage the rental themselves, but this can be a liability, especially if they are long-distance landlords,” he said.
Barkis gives an example that he sees often: a water-leak. The tenants have a water leak, and the owner gives the tenant authority to take care of it. “Before you know it the owner is incurring potentially a thousand dollars in repair bills. If Hometown had been involved, we would troubleshoot the problem and have our plumber inspect it. Usually it would cost the homeowner around $100. Our fees end up paying for themselves,” he said. Professional property management mitigates or significantly reduces risk for the client.
Having a poorly screened tenant is another liability that can result in month after month of lost revenue, plus legal costs. “The property owner could have saved money if they had used a professional management company. The costs involved in going through the eviction process, legal fees, and damage to the house are phenomenal,” he said.
“People have literally sat in my office crying because they don’t know what to do. They tried to manage the property on their own and now are faced with no income and extensive damage to a house that they love,” he said.
“Peace of mind” is priceless and distinguishes Hometown from other companies in the area. “All we do is single family property management and we are a Certified Residential Management Company (C.R.M.C.),” he said. Barkis suggests that when property owners interview potential management companies that they ask five simple questions that will tell the owner all they need to know to determine if the relationship will be a success:
1. How long have you been in business?
2. What are your banking procedures? (If they don’t have a banking procedure walk away.)
3. What maintenance and vendor networks do you use? (They should be able to provide you with a list of vendors.)
4. Are you C.R.M.C. certified? (The answer should be yes!)
5. What other real estate activities are you involved in? (Ideally it should only be Property Management.)
1600 – 4th Ave E
Olympia, WA 98506
360.456.7368
