How To Hire The Best Property Management Company In St. Augustine
Hiring a property management company for your homeowner’s association, condominium association or vacation rental can be a stressful process. How do you know what to look for? What questions should you be asking them? How will I know when I’ve found the right one?
These are all great questions and just the fact that you found this article means you’re doing your due diligence and on the right track to success. In this article, we’ll cover three things you should be doing to hire the best property management company in St. Augustine. Let’s get started!
How To Begin The Search Process
Chances are you found this article by searching for the best property management company in St. Augustine. If so, you’re going in the right direction. Google is a great place to start looking for your next property management company. Not only does it bring up local companies in your area, but it also allows you to view their website, look at reviews, and find other positive or negative news that may exist. Once you’ve found a few companies that you want to compare, here are some key items to look for:
- Are they local to the area? Do they have onsite staff available in case of an emergency?
- Are they licensed, bonded, and insured?
- How long has the company been around?
- How is their online reputation including reviews? On this note, we recommend reading through the reviews and seeing the positive and negative notes left as well as reading replies from the property management company. The replies bring us great discussion points as you move into finalizing your choice.
- Do they perform HOA management? Condo management? Individual vacation rental management? Perhaps all three? Make sure they perform the services you’re looking to implement.
What Questions Should You Ask?
This will depend on your needs (St. Augustine HOA management, condo management, vacation rental management, etc.) but you should first and foremost ensure that will provide the services you are looking to have handled. Most St. Augustine property management companies have a wide net of services and plans can be customized to the needs of the community or individual. Examples of services Sovereign & Jacobs provides to our clients includes:
- On-site supervision by licensed property manager
- 24-hour emergency service 365 days per year
- Administrative expertise
- Computerized Accounting Department
- Licensed, Bonded and Insured
- Proven Track record in association management
- Maintenance Fee Collection
- Accounts Payable Management
- Meeting Agenda Preparation
- Unit Owner Notification
- Meeting Minutes Preparation
- Competitive Bid Preparation & Analysis
- Contractor Supervision
- And More
We would recommend jotting down a list of the services you think you need prior to calling any company. Oftentimes, we may recommend additional services that would save you time and money depending on your situation.
How Do I Know I’ve Found the St. Augustine Property Management Company?
The most important characteristics in a property management company is communication and following through on promises. The great thing is these are two characteristics you can begin to feel out before hiring. Does the property management company you are considering hiring call you when promised? Do you get fast email responses? If they say they are going to send you over more information, case studies, referrals, etc. do they follow through on that promise? If there is a lack of communication in the pre-hiring stage, then that could be a sign of what’s to come. Similarly, if communication is A+, they’re following through on promises, that should also be taken as a positive sign.
Sovereign & Jacobs – St. Augustine Property Management Company
Who are we at Sovereign & Jacobs? We’re a local property management company based right here in St. Augustine, FL. We bring 29+ years of experience to the property management space. We specialize in providing condominium and homeowner association management services throughout the St. Augustine area including Vilano Beach & Crescent Beach. We go above and beyond for our clients to save your association time and money. While you are searching for a new property management company in St. Augustine, we would appreciate the opportunity to talk. Please call us today at 904-461-5556
