Property managers have a lot on their plates. They handle a slew of tasks daily, ranging from approving new tenants to ensuring maintenance requests are properly completed. When overseeing multiple properties at the same time, the list of things to get done is endless.
This is where outsourcing comes in. As reported by STAFFVIRTUAL, outsourcing some of your daily tasks with a virtual assistant team can help you be more efficient as a property manager. It does not just benefit you but also others involved in the properties you handle.
Decreased stress levels
Does the idea of going to work the next day stress you out? Imagine what it would be like if you could lower your stress levels and not have to dread every workday. Varying levels of stress come with every job, but the more steps we take to decrease it, the better it can be. Outsourcing tasks can help with that.
Don’t go rogue and outsource without telling your employer. Inform them of what you’d like to do and seek permission. Stress that the tasks will get done properly by people qualified to do them. Using certain platforms can also help significantly, streamlining the process for how you do specific tasks so they get done quicker and easier.
Thrilled landlords
Every property manager who has been in the business for a while has their fair share of stories about landlords who wanted them to be mind readers and get things done before they even put in the request. Unfair, yes, but it is often an unfortunate part of the business.
Outsourcing could lead to tasks getting done more efficiently because they are not stuck in limbo much further down on your to-do list. The more tasks you expertly outsource, the quicker the list moves along and the more that gets accomplished. The faster tasks get completed (and to their specifications), the more pleased the landlords will likely be.
For instance, screening prospective tenants yourself is a task that you can outsource to another company instead of doing it yourself. Along with screening tenants, your outsourced team can also promptly respond to emails, post properties on rental websites, and even make marketing materials.
Happier tenants
Understandably, tenants don’t want to wait for help with certain issues. For instance, if they put in a maintenance request, such as if their water operations are down or the heat will not kick in in the middle of winter, it is not only a matter of comfort but also health and safety. Tenants deserve to reside in a space where they can count on the landlord and property management team to keep up with maintenance and repairs.
Outsourcing maintenance tasks to qualified professionals and/or using software that allows you to handle and track maintenance requests can be huge for helping to make tenants happier.
More satisfied tenants can also be much better for landlords. It is easy to imagine how upset tenants would be if they felt like their basic living needs were not being met, then taking that disappointment to their landlords. This, in turn, can lead to frustrated landlords who may be ready to take their property management business elsewhere.
The happier you can make both the landlords and tenants, the better it is for you, and the fewer angry messages you will likely get.
Speaking of happier tenants, outsourcing to a third-party company can improve the daily schedules of your in-house team, too. They can focus on what they like to do or what needs to be done rather than busy work tasks.
Shorter to-do list
People do not typically look at their daily to-do lists and get excited over ones that are incredibly long. Property managers will always have additional tasks to do but delegating at least means there is a higher chance that the list will get shorter in much less time as the day progresses.
This can be great for easing your stress and mental strain. Considering stress can negatively impact productivity, it is not a great thing for a professional environment where tasks need to be completed constantly.
Outsourcing can be a major way to decrease your stress levels. However, it is important to outsource the tasks the right way.
For example, let’s say you are using a platform that is supposed to make your work life easier, but it glitches constantly, there are security issues, and it does not function the way it was intended. This can add to your stress rather than lessen it. The same goes for hiring handypeople who are supposed to be fixing things in apartments, but they are horribly rude to the tenants or do not do the work properly.
Expect your to-do list to get longer instead of shorter if you constantly need to micromanage issues that were not supposed to be a problem in the first place.
Skilled expertise and quality websites
Many property managers genuinely want to help the landlords and tenants they regularly deal with. As such, it can be frustrating when one or more things interfere with properly doing that.
Opting for teaming up with skilled professionals and quality platforms can be huge for taking a massive weight off your shoulders. It could feel like breathing a huge sigh of relief knowing that you can help landlords and tenants the way that you want while also eliminating a decent amount of hassle from your own work life.
People say time is money. While, yes, this is a cliche, consider how much your time and your team’s time are worth to you. If you can get bigger-picture items accomplished while your property management virtual assistant team handles responding to phone calls, the budget is being used smarter. Hopefully, this leads to an improved ROI at the end of the year.
When you evaluate the situation, it is easy to see how, when done the right way, this can be an incredibly smart approach.
The benefits extend to landlords, tenants, and even prospective tenants. Outsourcing certain tasks can help make you more productive regularly and — depending on the situation and your job — could help you love your work life more than ever.
