How to Find a Property Manager: 3 Online Resources

Institute of Real Estate Management (http://www.irem.org/)
The IREM website seems a bit intimidating at first but the resources here are very helpful once the initial shock wears off. The key is to bypass all the membership only features and go directly to the Owners/Investors tab at the top center of the page. Here you’ll find valuable information and resources, as well as a search function for all IREM members by state, name and member or property type they manage. A great starting point for your search for the perfect property manager.

LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com)
LinkedIn is like Facebook for professionals and businesses. It’s a great way to find property managers and businesses and see their resumes and professional recommendations. It’s hard to make a decision about using companies or individual managers when the only information at hand is their sales pitch and business card. You will have to set up an account on LinkedIn to be able to connect with the most likely candidates but it’s time well spent. In addition to finding potential property managers, you’ll also be able to browse LinkedIn’s Q&A sections with tips on everything from filing taxes to property repairs. Tapping into this great community of professionals may be the best thing you’ve done for your investment portfolio.

Yelp (http://www.yelp.com)
Yelp may seem like it’s just for finding a good restaurant or nightlife spot but businesses and individuals of every kind can be found here. Just typing in “property management” will give several listings. The number of options on Yelp aren’t going to match the variety found on large sites like IREM or LinkedIn but the advantage to Yelp is the service reviews. Anyone that’s used the company’s services can leave a detailed review and rank for their satisfaction, giving you a feel for just how good the company or individual actually is at their job. Take into consideration the number and quality of reviews: Are they detailed? Is there just 1 review at 5 stars, or are there 6 reviews with an average ranking of 4 stars? There will always be some disgruntled person or a rave review but the sum of the whole will give you a taste of how good (or bad) their business is.