Your investment property is one of your most valuable assets.
And as a pivotal component of your financial future, it shouldn’t be managed by just anyone.
At Agent Team, we’re property investors ourselves, so we know you don’t want a one size fits all property management service.
Instead, you want a personalised service that delivers outstanding results. One that protects your largest investment, while maximising your financial returns.
That’s precisely what we do.
COMMUNICATION FOCUS
Thanks to more than 15 years industry experience – as investors, estate agents and property managers – we know the key to successful property management is communication. That’s why our focus is – and always has been – on developing strong relationships with our property owners and tenants alike.
It’s also why so many clients have chosen to work with us. More importantly, it’s why they’ve chosen to stay.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TO SUIT YOU
You might be a first time investor, and are understandably nervous about who to trust your new property to. Or you’ve been in the game for a while and understand all too well how hard it can be to find property managers you can trust.
Regardless of your position, we can help.
Stress free property management begins here.
Meet your new property manager
When it comes to putting your property in the hands of an experienced agent, Loren is your go-to property manager. With a strong background in administration and banking, Loren keeps every detail ticking along so you can be confident all is under control.
When you meet Loren, her charm and passion for what she does shines through. She’s a country girl in a city dress, surrounded by spreadsheets, with a willingness to call a spade a spade.
She’ll take the time to get to know your property, your standards and required rental income. From there, Loren does her research. She knows the local rental market and understands how to find suitable tenants.
More than a check-a-box process – which you can find from any other property manager – you’ll find reliability and genuine attention to detail with Loren. She has an astringent and detailed vetting process for tenants, which she compares to a home loan application. That’s because experience has taught her that securing the right tenant will save everyone stress in the long run.
A big believer in trusting her intuition and finding a fair solution for all parties, Loren is dependable and a delight to deal with.
When not managing properties and meeting with prospective tenants, Loren is busy being a footy mum to two boys and showing them who’s boss on the golf course.
Need someone to manage your property with honesty and personality? Book a time to meet here
Stress Free Property Management Starts Here
For most people, the purchase of an investment property is one of the largest financial investments undertaken. The day to day management of those investments can have a huge impact on how your investment performs. Here at Agent Team we are always looking to maximise the returns for our landlords. It's a job we take very seriously.
Too often you will find that your current Property Manager is ‘too busy’ to give you the service you deserve. That’s why we would rather see our company overstaffed and able to assist you when the need arises.
We are very serious about growing our business and would like to offer you 3 months free management to give you a chance to try out our services.
I hope that you will give my company strong consideration to represent you and in turn, the opportunity to impress you with our service and our ability to produce exceptional results. By partnering with us and entrusting the management of your property with Agent Team, you can rest easy knowing that we provide you with industry leading levels of service and property management best practice.
Steve Lowe
Agent Team
Director
0414720532
1800261517
[email protected]
www.agentteam.com.au
WHY CHOOSE US?
CHOOSING US TO MANAGE YOUR PROPERTY IS THE SMARTEST MOVE YOU CAN MAKE
Investing in property is a smart move. Investing in the right property manager is an even smarter move. At Agent Team we know you have high expectations – expectations we’re not just committed to meeting, but exceeding. Here’s how we deliver on our promises.
SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT
Your tenancy will be managed by a single property manager from start to finish. Familiar with your property, your tenants and your personal requirements, they’ll provide the personal attention you’ve been looking for.
PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION
We understand the importance of constant communication. That’s why we give you the direct email address of your property manager and return your calls and emails within one business day. We’ll also be in touch after each inspection and at least once a week during any vacancy periods. And rest assured we’ll discuss all prospective tenant applications with you before confirming acceptance.
TOTAL TRANSPARENCY
As a property owner, it’s your right to have complete access to your records, invoices and statements. So along with copies of your entry condition, routine inspection and vacate inspection reports, you’ll also have 24 hour access to your records, invoices and statements.
STRATEGIC MARKETING
We keep your vacancy periods short and stress free by setting the right rent and running highly visible marketing campaigns. We run multiple inspections (including after hours and Saturdays), and carefully screen each prospective tenant. All processed applications are discussed with you, and it’s always your decision as to who moves in, and when.
MAXIMUM RENTAL RETURN
We’re property investors ourselves, and understand you want the maximum return from your investment. That’s why we take the time to properly analyse, assess and evaluate the market rent of your property. By examining comparable properties, property conditions and the rental market, we maximise your returns, while protecting and growing your investment.
STRINGENT RENTAL ARREARS
We take rental arrears seriously. To ensure your payments stay up to date, we provide tenants with a rent payment schedule covering their entire tenancy. We also generate daily reports to monitor payment status, and follow up any overdue payments on your behalf.
DETAILED PROPERTY INSPECTIONS
The condition of your property has a direct effect on the returns you receive. That’s why we provide you with regular detailed entry condition, routine inspection and vacate inspection reports. We also inspect your property every 6 months in the ACT and every 3 months in NSW, providing advice on suggested improvements, preventative maintenance and repairs.
SERVICE GUARANTEE
We’re confident we’ll deliver the service we’ve promised. So confident that if you’re not satisfied with our performance, we’ll manage your property for 3 months for free.
Fees and Charges
MARKETING
Our strategic marketing across all platforms ensures a better quality tenant in a quicker time frame to achieve the highest rental returns possible and the lowest vacancy rates
Marketing packages:
BASIC- $650
Includes:
Professional photography
allhomes
realestate.com.au
domain
STANDARD- $900
Includes:
Basic package +
Floorplan
Professional copy
Brochures
Signboard
PREMIUM- $1,300
Includes:
Standard package +
Social media campaign
Floor plan
Mini website
LETTING FEE
Our competitive letting fee covers the administration costs of preparing your home for incoming tenants
This fee covers:
Open homes
+
Application processing
+
Same day reference checks
+
Tenancy agreement preparation
+
In-going photographic condition report
+
Bond lodgement and receipting
The letting fee is equal to two weeks rent.
ON-GOING MANAGEMENT FEE
Our on-going management fee covers the 24/7, day to day management of your investment property by our highly trained and experienced property managers.
Typically this involves:
Collection of rent
Co-ordination of maintenance
Emergencies
Routine inspections
Invoicing
Payment of outgoings
Rent reviews
Notices to remedy
Tenant/landlord communication
Statements
+ more
SUMMARY OF FEES
We offer two fee structures.
An all inclusive, full service ongoing management fee for those who want piece of mind that everything is covered or for those who would like a lower on-going fee and pay for additional services as required.
Our all inclusive management fee provides absolute piece of mind with the included landlord insurance and saves you over $1,000 per year compared to our 7.7% fee.
Services inclusive of GST | 8.0% monthly management fee | 13.0% monthly management fee |
Basic Marketing Package | $550 | $550 |
Standard marketing package | $900 | $900 |
Premium marketing package | $1,300 | $1,300 |
Letting Fee | Equal to 1 weeks rent | Included |
Monthly statements | $12 each | Included |
EOFY statements | $50 each | Included |
Rent reviews | Included | Included |
Weekly or monthly disbursements | Monthly only | Weekly or monthly |
Lease renewals | 1/2 week rent | Included |
Cashflow forecast | $250 | Included |
Landlord insurance | $500 | Included |
The value that a good Managing Agent brings to you is a hundred times the fees that they charge you
QUESTIONS?
Should I ask for a discount in agent fees?
Everyone wants to know they are getting a good deal – it’s human nature. If you want to ask for a discount, there is no harm in trying!
It is quite common for agents to discount their management fee by 0.5% – 1% if you have multiple properties to hand over to them. This shows good business sense as it encourages client loyalty.
However, many agents will discount their fees just because you ask them – some even before you ask them! You have to question why they do this. Did they inflate their original fee structure so that they can give you a ‘discount’ to get your business? Are they so desperate to win your business and can’t compete with other agents’ service level so instead they cut their fees? Or are they just lousy negotiators and don’t value the service they are offering?
Be extremely wary of agents that offer cheap or discounted fees. They run a business and if income is reduced, they have to cut corners on important items like wages for experienced Property Managers, on-going staff training, software, and marketing. Their staff will be underpaid and overworked, resulting in costly mistakes, high staff turnover, and substandard service.
Why do I need a managing agent?
Property Management professionals look forward to the time when this is a question of the past, like ‘Why do I need a Solicitor?’ or ‘Why do I need Car Insurance?’
Indeed, you can represent yourself in Court or do your own legal work to save hiring a solicitor. But why would you? A solicitor has access to all the up-to-date legislation and can act as a mediator between you and the other party. Saving solicitor’s fees would inevitably cost you more financially, not to mention the emotional toll it would take on you and your family.
In the same way, you can manage your own property if your goal is to save on agents’ fees. And some owners do a pretty good job of it. After all, it’s all available online. They can advertise for tenants, download all the legal forms, and research what their responsibilities are. In general, these owners have a pretty good relationship with their tenants.
However, we are here to tell you that the honeymoon rarely lasts forever. This is because the relationship between owners and tenants, while it should be purely business, is often fraught with emotion. From the owners’ point of view, the property may be their former family home, or an investment property that they have spent their savings to lovingly renovate. They need the rental income to keep the investment viable, but also are looking for tenants who will respect their property and look after it. From the tenants’ point of view, this is their home where they have chosen to raise their family and they are generally paying the most rent they can afford. They are looking for value for their hard-earned money as well as the assurance to be allowed quiet enjoyment of the property.
Inevitably, life steps in and something goes wrong or one of the parties inadvertently does something wrong. Here are just a few examples:
- The tenant loses their job and becomes late with rent.
- There is an accident at the property.
- There is a break-in at the property.
- The tenant needs to break their lease.
- The owner identifies damages at a property inspection and must negotiate with the tenant to rectify.
- The tenant reports maintenance which is not fixed to their timeline and breaches the owner.
- There is a neighbourhood dispute.
- The owner issues a Notice to Leave at the end of the lease but the tenants don’t leave!
Remember, just as you have access to information and resources, so do tenants. They know their rights, and regardless of how ‘friendly’ your relationship is at the start, it can quickly go wrong when one side feels they have been unfairly treated.
If you have the time and resources to train yourself to be a Property Manager for your portfolio, and are prepared to lose money in rental income or capital growth, and have the emotional steeliness required to evict a family from your property because they are behind in rent, then you should manage your own property.
If, on the other hand, you have a job or business that takes up most of your time, and a family or social life that takes up your spare time, and want to gain maximum rental return and capital growth on your investment property, and want someone else to handle the hassles and paperwork, then you need a Managing Agent.
So how can a property manager help?
We are your professional representatives who are trained to deal with any type of situation that comes up. We know the legislation and have access to many resources that property owners don’t (such as Tenancy Default databases). We are trained in record-keeping, dispute resolution, conciliation, marketing, and Tribunal representation. Because we manage many properties, we know the current rental market and can advise you on how to increase your rental income.
And importantly, we do not have an emotional attachment to your property or tenants and can advise you on the best course of action when a difficulty arises. Make no mistake, your Property Manager works for YOU, not the tenant. Our ultimate goal is to maximise your financial return and every solution we bring to you is with this in mind.
What is the process to engage your services?
In order for an Agent to act on an Owner’s behalf to manage their property, they must sign a Management Agreement
This agreement contains all details necessary for an Agent to represent the Owner, including special instructions and fees payable by the Owner.
Without this agreement, an Agent is not permitted to advertise a property, sign a Tenancy Agreement, or manage a property on behalf of an Owner
Can I hire multiple agents to find tenants?
There is an old and much-heard theory in the marketplace that giving a property to several agents to find tenants and then rewarding that agent with the management will secure a tenant quicker.
Not only is this untrue, it can also cause you more hassle and cost you more money than giving the property to one agent.
This theory assumes that agents can only cast a limited net to the tenant marketplace so many agents would logically mean more exposure. The main flaw in this argument is the revolution of the use of the internet for finding rental properties. All agents subscribe to the same real estate property portals, and since tenants are looking at the same websites, there is no need to have the property featured several times by different agents. In fact, seeing this makes tenants naturally wonder: What’s wrong with this property that it has to be advertised by many agents?” – decreasing its perceived value at first impression.
Another disadvantage of using many agents is the difficulty of negotiating with prospective tenants. Often there are several applications coming in at once, and when more than one agent is involved, the owner has to deal with several agents to try to pick the right tenant. If only one agent had been involved, all enquiries would be funneled through that agent who can give you a clear idea of which applicant can be best for your property.
Another danger with putting several agents in competition with each other in this way is that the “race” to get a tenant becomes more important than getting the RIGHT tenant. Agent 1 might speed through an application in order to get the business, and the owner might approve this applicant, unaware that Agent 2 has received a much better application. Agent 1 is in a “race” to get there first, and may place a tenant in your property which may cause you problems in the long run.
No matter how you look at it, the only way to secure the best possible tenants for your valuable investment property is to use ONE agent who is working in your best interests.
Do I really need professional photos?
Absolutely.
Advertising of rental properties is largely misunderstood by the Real Estate industry. They rate Rental listings as second-rate to Sales listings, presumably due to the difference in commissions involved. While every care is taken with photographing Sales properties, most Rental property ads use amateur photos taken by the Property Manager on their smart phone.
The result is a substandard ad that does not show your property is its best possible light, thereby not attracting as much interest as it should from potential tenants. This can lengthen the vacancy period and/or reduce the rental price.
Furthermore, good advertising and professional photos work on a much deeper level. A rental ad communicates more to the potential tenant than just rent price and features; it provides an introduction to the agency, property and owner. If the ad is poor quality, it tells the tenant that the agency has low standards, the property is probably not well-maintained, and the owner doesn’t care about his property. This type of ad actually deters good quality tenants.
Conversely, a quality ad with good, clear professional photos attracts a quality tenant who is looking for a good agency and owner who cares about their property. It also conveys to the tenant that the owner and agent expect the property to be kept to a high standard during the tenancy.
Professional photos are not expensive and the beauty is that they can be used over and over again, whenever you are looking for tenants. For such a small investment, professional photos are a must.
How do you find tenants?
These days, 98% of tenants look to the internet to find their next rental property.
As a result, we have had to become expert online marketers to attract the best tenants for the highest possible rental price with the least possible vacancy period.
There are several real estate websites that agents can advertise through – including allhomes.com.au, realestate.com.au domain.com.au, rent.com.au and realestateview.com.au. However, social media is also becoming a big player
How do you qualify tenants?
Processing tenant applications is an important task which, if not done properly, can result in a high-risk tenant being placed in your property.
We have a set list of criteria for approving tenants which is openly advertised and adhered to by all team members. We follow a processing checklist so that no step is missed.
The following should be verified by documentation and written references:
- Identification
- Tenancy Default Database check
- Income
- Stability of employment
- Current rental reference
- Previous rental references
Generally it takes 1-2 business days to process an application because it can take some time to connect with references.
How long is a lease agreement?
A Lease can be written for any period of time, as long as both parties (owner and tenant) agrees.
A standard lease term is often 12 months; however, quite often a 6-month lease is negotiated to suit either party. We often recommend to our owners to sign up new tenants on a 6-month lease as a ‘trial period’. If all goes well, we then proceed to a 12-month lease renewal.
We recommend to our owners to avoid locking themselves into a lease for longer than 12 months.
What is a rental bond?
A bond acts as a security for the performance of the tenant’s obligations under a residential tenancy agreement. Bond money can be used by the lessor (also known as the landlord) to pay things such as damage caused by a tenant (besides normal wear and tear) or any outstanding payable rent.
Lessors and agents are not required by law to take a bond from a tenant, however, if they do receive a bond they are required to lodge it. Bonds can be any amount not exceeding the first four weeks rent. Lessors and agents must give the tenant a receipt as proof of payment of the bond.
The ACT Revenue Office is responsible for the receipt and management of residential tenancy rental bonds in the ACT under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (the Act) and the Residential Tenancies Regulation 1998 (the Regulation).
The ACT Revenue Office does not provide legal advice to tenants, landlords or real estate agents.
If you’re the lessor, you’ll need to pay land tax for a rented or vacant property that’s not your principal place of residence. You may be liable for the foreign ownership surcharge if you’re not an Australian citizen or resident.
More info: https://www.revenue.act.gov.au/rental-bonds?result_1060955_result_page=1