Finding Remote Property Manager

[Jeremy689]

Hello,
Does anyone have a contact for a short term property manager that specializes in remotely managing short term rentals and/or specializes in creating/managing short term rental experiences?

I am going to purchase either a small country house or a mountain cabin in eastern Washington that I plan to rent as a short term rental. I would like to find a short term rental property manager (and a backup or two) that can manage everything remotely, verify cleaning and other services are available, and provide input on potential occupancy and total expenses prior to me purchasing the property they will manage. Due to the remote locations I have found it difficult to find local short term property managers, so I am wondering if there are people/companies that specialize in managing remote property. I would also like to create an experience, like a yurt in the mountains or a country home getaway. If anyone knows of people or companies that specialize in these things it would be greatly appreciated if you would send a link and/or contact info my way. Thanks!

[Brian2036]

@Jeremy689 :

That sounds like a money-losing idea to me 

I own and manage a remote property in the Ozark Mountains, and although it’s only about 40 minutes from Branson, MO and other tourist attractions, I can’t get anyone else to manage it for me.

 I found a company that SAID they would “do everything” and all I had to do was spend the money they sent every month.

They didn’t do much of anything other than tack on extra fees for themselves, and if I had been foolish enough to sign up for their “full service” package I would have had to pay them every month more than the rental income.

We are out of the country for at least two months of the year and all we can do is close up the house and block the dates.

If you want a totally hands-off operation you will probably have to buy something in an established resort area where there are a lot of other vacation rentals. Then you might be able to find a reputable service agency, but be careful.

 The guy we ran into made so much money screwing the absentee owners and they lost so much money that now he is buying up their properties at a steep discount… he’d like to buy mine too but that ain’t happening.

[Marissa160]

@Jeremy689  I’m afraid there likely isn’t anything like what you need. I manage my listing remotely in a rural area and there is no company or person that will help manage it, despite it being near a popular lake and other rentals. I even reached out to other hosts in the area to see how they were managing. Your best bet is to do some research on AirDNA regarding your market which will help you understand demand, occupancy, and avg rent. You can also browse other listings to see how you might compete. Next, you should start asking around locally for people who can clean, do maintenance, plumbing, etc. an excellent cleaner will be your lifeline, they are the ones that will see it the most often, take pictures of damages, tell you when you need to restock, etc. An experienced real estate agent also might be able to help you run the numbers you need to see about profit. But you can also do that yourself with a little research : ) lots of luck to you, I hope this was helpful. 

[Karmyn1]

Hi! I live in western Washington in Issaquah. I wanted to check in to see if you’ve been able to find a remote property manager recently? I saw that you were looking for one. I’ve been trying to be more involved in vacation rentals as I sharpen that skill set. Let me know if you have any questions!