I had decided to fire one of my property managers last month and I’ve finally buckled down and am on the hunt for a new one.  I like to avoid hiring property management companies whenever possible in favor of hiring individuals.  They are much more receptive to my way of doing things and I’m in full control of the compensation.

Since I’ve created my own personal landlord system, all I need to do is find someone with the skills I like and the requirements I have, and experience is not necessary.  I train them using a combination of Ken McElroy’s “How To Increase the Income From Your Real Estate Investments” audio set and my property management handbook.  All the checklists, forms, contractors, procedures, instructions are there for them. 

I ran an ad in the newspaper this weekend and so far I have three inquiries.  The ad tells them to email to an anonymous gmail account for a job description and application.  When I hear from someone, I send over the Word doc and after they learn more they can choose whether or not they want to apply.  I’ve received one app back so far from a younger couple (ages 24 and 26) who’d like to do it as a team.  The other inquiries have not sent apps back yet.

I use email on the front end for several reasons.  I want to eliminate anyone who is not internet savvy.  It also allows me to see their writing/grammar capability.  With the application I require them to send me a digital photo of their house and vehicle.  This also weeds out anyone without a digital camera.  I want to see their house because I want to see if the outside looks maintained, and I want to see their vehicle because I require them to transport a push lawnmower between buildings.

I’m planning to gather up applications for two weeks and then do phone interviews with 2-3 candidates.  I’ll keep you posted.