Here Are The 3 Worst Types Of Homeowner Clients.

How To Not Be A Bad Client For Your Property Manager.

Are you a bad homeowner? Human nature will tell you that you’re not, and that you are doing just fine! Well, what I want to discuss today are traits of the worst owner clients that we have come to see during our many years in the business. The most interesting thing about these folks is that they do not realize they are shooting themselves in the foot, and building walls, not bridges. There are 3 types that we will discuss. In addition, I’ve made a video here that you can watch instead of reading if you’d like! =)

The Haggler.

The first type of person I want to discuss is probably the worst of them all; it’s the price haggler. This person feels the need to negotiate every number that comes through to them. They are usually negotiating these numbers not with facts to support it, but rather just an internal, emotional based rationale that, in our eyes, holds no merit. For example, if we quoted them $500 to repair a roof they would say “Can you do it for $450?”.

It’s an old school type of business dealing that has no place in our current society. Haggling is a thing of the past simply because nowadays data is at the fingertips of anyone who wants it. There is no gaps of information or imperfect markets because things have neutralized solely because of technology/internet. The business that has been hit the hardest is the car industry. 10 years ago, you would be at the mercy of the salesperson to trust and ensure you are paying market value. Now, there are apps that will tell you what a car is worth down to the penny. Don’t haggle, we don’t like it!

The Worrier.

Next up is the emotional dealing, call me for everything person. What I mean by this is that they want to be notified either in person or by phone for every incident that occurs. Again, this is an old school approach that Nexus simply is unable to provide because it’s not the most efficient way to handle matters. For example, if a work order comes in through our proprietary software they will immediately call me up with how they want to handle it. We typically have 200+ open work orders daily. If I knew about every one of them I would have less hair than I currently have! It’s simply impossible to do business this way effectively. The right course of action is for that homeowner to click “yes” or “no” on their owner portal, and then make a comment on the work order for our staff to be alerted by. In addition to the streamlined communications, it also leaves a record of what was said forever. If we are having phone calls about everything we are bound to forget and lose information. Clean it up!

The Expert.

The last person we see is usually a combination with the person above. It is the micromanaging know-it-all. This client will typically have been around the world twice; once forward and once backward on a pogo stick. They have all the answers, all the vendors, and sometimes even the materials in their basement to use! With that said, what do you need Nexus for? Oh, that’s right, you are in California and you can’t get there in time to fix it! When you have experience in the industry that is a good thing, but it is not something you have to continually remind us of or waive in our face at every opportunity. We are here to solve issues as soon as possible, get paid, and ensure all folks we deal with are left happy. So, when you hire a property manager you are not giving away your power and authority, you are simply delegating those responsibilities to us. Our job is to be the face for you and be the medium exchange between you and the tenants. This frees up your time and mental space! What’s better than that? You get to call the shots from anywhere in the world! That’s already a luxury in itself, don’t push the envelope!

We would love to hear your feedback on this topic! Post a comment below so we can start a discussion!

Gregory Rice is the Vice President of franchise sales for Nexus Property Management®.

Nexus Property Management® is a National Property Management Franchise that manages all types of rental property from single family homes or condos to large apartment buildings and complexes.

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