Investing in Austin real estate is a great way to earn additional income. Once you’ve purchased a rental home, made any repairs necessary to ensure it’s safe and up to code, and secured renters, managing one or two homes can be simple for the experienced investor. But as your portfolio grows, managing more than a couple of properties or expanding your investment area can be overwhelming. When is it time to hire a professional to manage your Austin rental property?
If you are managing properties, you are most likely looking for the highest return on investment and watching your costs carefully. Balancing costs with investment takes careful consideration, and property management companies are both a cost and an investment. Here are factors to consider when determining when to hire an Austin property manager:
Time Versus Money
Rental homes require attention, attention involves time, and your time is valuable. It’s easy to recognize that managing one or two properties requires less attention than working with three, four, or more units. If you have the time but not the money, managing your own rental homes makes the most sense. If you have the money but not the time, hiring a professional should be on your to-do list.
Time Equals Money | Expanding Your Portfolio
The time it takes to manage multiple properties is time you can spend focusing on other ventures including a separate profession, searching for new rental properties, or higher-level management tasks. Instead of taking urgent calls, answering tenant questions, screening renters, or fixing toilets, your time can be spent expanding your portfolio, marketing, or networking. If your time is more valuable spent elsewhere, hire someone to take those management tasks off your plate, and increase the quality of your output.
Expanding Beyond Your Current Geographic Location
Investing in Austin could be where you start, but if your sights start to focus further outside the city limits, your expertise, capability, and desire to travel may start to wane. Diversifying your portfolio is a smart investment but also requires diversification in management to help subsidize your knowledge base, maintain properties, and balance your time. Expanding geographically would be a time to hire a professional.
Managing properties in Austin can be a lucrative business, but the best landlords and investors understand balancing costs, time, and knowledge. If you are managing multiple properties, are overwhelmed with management tasks, or considering expanding your portfolio, it’s time to hire a professional property manager. Contact Dona Brown, Talk Property Management, for a local Austin perspective that can help you navigate the area’s investment real estate market, manage your property with experienced ease, and set you on a course for success. 512-721-1094.
