Hi, my name is Len. I’ve stayed at Topsail Island for vacations since 2003 and began property management in 2016 for select people. I am an AirBNB Co-Host. As an AirBNB Co-Host, I screen tenants, set up a security deposit and manage the maid service. Tenants pay all State and County taxes via AirBNB. I’m the big computer guy on the left in the picture below.
Read about my experience as an AirBNB CoHost here.
Why have me manage your house?
- I make people money. I get people the maximum amount of money they can get for their houses while minimizing the risk of crummy tenants.
- I only manage 2 to 3 beach houses at a time. My availability is limited. I am not out to create a large property management company. In fact I don’t even want to be paid for managing your house. Compare that to the 27% the other Topsail Island Property Management companies charge.
- I am self employed and work from my laptop. This gives me the opportunity to travel and availability to manage houses along the coast. I’ve been self employed around 20 years and have over 27,000 satisfied customers. That’s taught me a thing or two about customer expectations and service. As of 2015 I work with some of the most reputable law firms in the US as a remote marketing consultant.
- I just get sh*t done. I make sure the maid arrives, act as a layer between you and your tenant, make sure the WiFi works, etc. I make decisions in the blink of an eye with your best interest in mind and even handle nuisance repairs.
My Ideal Client (Is this you?):
- You don’t want your house trashed, so you don’t rent it. I get it. My parents owned a vacation home when I was a kid and they wouldn’t even let their brothers and sisters use it. But, you wouldn’t mind renting it when you’re not there and making some extra money. (I get $2,800/wk for a 3 bedroom during peak months)
- You are easy to get along with and accessible. I am on excellent terms with my existing clients. We’re not best buddies but they answer the phone when I call and are excited to hear from me.
- Your house is decent. I’m not going to waste my time on a trashed house. Sorry! If I’m going to deal with tenants we need a solid WiFi router, working appliances and you need to allow me to proactively maintain the HVAC, because if that thing breaks all hell breaks loose!
How I rent your house:
- I have linen services lined up for people to use. We will indeed need basic linens anyways.
- I have a maid service lined up. I charge tenants cleaning fees. 95% of the time they obey, which is nice since the maid doesn’t have time to do extra work. She won’t. She cleans Saturday mornings.
- I take care of nuisance repairs. Toilet always running? Light bulbs out? Electrical sockets fizzling? Problem solved.
- I personally take care of pest control. I am not going to fumigate your house but I will prevent cockroaches from taking over with a 4 step proactive approach.
What I do not pay for:
- Appliance repairs
- HVAC repairs
- Basic supplies. If you send me $1000 a ear or reimburse me (I’m easy) I’ll keep the place stocked up with soap, trash bags, paper towels, etc. We don’t HAVE to do this but I always do. It’s the little things which keep tenants happy and a happy tenant is a respectful tenant.
- Other: If I see something that needs to be done and I can snag it on Amazon and pop it in place, done. If it’s a dirty job, involves climbing on the roof, special tools, costs over $100, or I am not in town, you’re going to have to pay for it. In 2018 my main client paid $0 (other than a new $25,000 deck they decided to add)
- I also do not paint or do anything too labor intensive. You wouldn’t want me painting anyways! I do caulk and do basic repairs and can fix electrical issues without getting shocked.
How I rent:
- I have a list of dozens of people who love the island. They’ve rented from me in the past and trust where I send them will be fun for them and their family.
- I use AirBNB. AirBNB tenants pay all of their own taxes and other junk. When they pay, money goes directly into your bank account; I don’t even touch it.
Things we need:
- Medical kit
- Fire extinguisher
- Fire alarm
- Internet connected keypad entrance (about $200)
- Internet connected thermostat (about $150)
- Beach house
Is this for real? Why trust me?
I’ve owned multiple companies and done right by my last 27,000 customers. I’ve worked with numerous police departments and law firms for the last 25 years. If that’s not good enough, I’ll be happy to put you in touch with other beach house owners and you can ask them for yourself. I’m friends with all of their neighbors and several small business owners in Surf City, too!
What’s in it for me?
When you aren’t there and the place isn’t being rented, I want to go! I go frequently for 3 day trips in the off season. I love April and October as I spend the whole day fishing over at Sound Side Park or on a pier. I generally text you to be sure you’re not there. If you are I just go somewhere else such as Asheville or New York, who knows. When I am there, I’m usually out and about. Sometimes I even take fishing charters out:
I do have to go in the summer about every 5th week. This is why I can only manage a couple houses at a time. I honestly do not want to be at the beach all the time. Back on the mainland I have a huge garden, chickens, a swimming pool and I’m active in my community in the farmer’s markets, boy scouts and my church. If I managed 5 beach houses I’d be at the beach the entire summer and I can’t do that – it’s just too much beach for me. But anyways, I do have to go in. After 4 weeks there’s going to be things which need to be done that I can only discover while staying there. I’ve found AC units freezing up, washers dripping water into floors, heard light switches fizzling, seen bugs behind ovens, etc. Batteries will need to be changed in doors and I’m going to have to fix sliding windows. Even the best tenants are going to break door hinges and fridge shelves from time to time because I rent to families and all of them have kids.
Being there also allows me to get to know your neighbors, fill them in on our intentions and make sure we’re all on good terms and many have become good friends. I can get along with anyone and do. Just last week a handy neighbor ran over to a beach house I manage and did a quick plumbing fix for me, saving the homeowner hundreds of dollars.
Screening tenants:
If I have to advertise your house I stick it up at the last minute after everyone else’s house is rented.
I charge the most possible. If the neighbor’s house lists for $2500 I’m going to list yours for $2800. I don’t want to take advantage of people staying at the beach but the people who don’t care about spending a few hundred bucks are less likely to have a keg party.
On AirBNB I can only screen by accepting tenants who have previous rental history. They do leave a damage deposit. By renting to people with positive reviews and previous AirBNB experience, there’s no discrimination and people with a solid rental history rent!
My rules
- I do not allow pets.
- I do not allow smoking.
- I do not allow parties.
- I rent Saturday 3PM – Saturday 10AM.
I can’t guarantee people will follow these rules, but to date I’ve never had a problem. Generally speaking I seem to attract a family with 2 or 3 kids and people tend to bring their in laws. People have indeed brought additional friends down against the rules but they cleaned it all up so “I wouldn’t know about it” (a neighbor filled me in). I generally do not intervene on people’s vacations – never have – wouldn’t unless there was a major problem.
Your rules are my rules too. If you have additional restrictions we can definitely take care of it.
More about me:
I am 40, married and have two kids. When I come down it’s often myself and a kid or the whole family. I prefer to be alone so it’s usually just us although I do have a family come down for a night or two here and there. I do not rent to friends and keep the $$ or anything like that. I do give discounts to people who have a previous rental history with me. People pay you, I don’t even handle the $. I do have an 8.5yr old German Shepherd – she is a big deal on social media and has thousands of followers – she is harmless other than leaving hair everywhere which I do clean up. She is “old” for a Shepherd so she probably won’t be around forever and I am probably not replacing her anytime soon as she’s my second one and I need a break. Other than my dog I do not allow dogs. She is a couch potato and is long past the age of peeing on the ground and chewing up furniture (yeah, she did that as a puppy).
Contact me to see if we’re a match.
I am specifically seeking oceanfront property but I am open to managing other well maintained properties or hearing about other opportunities which benefit both of us. Maybe I can be your “boots on the ground”. Email me here with your phone number and I’ll give you a call!