You're trying to learn about property management for your vacation rental property or 2nd home and you have
questions...
10 Questions to Ask a Property Manager
(and how Jimmy Mack Vacations compares)
Real estate property management is a specialized business. Making the right choice is
critical for you to protect your investment. To assist you in your decision, we’ve laid
out 10 key questions to ask any prospective vacation rental property management firm.
To be able to manage your investment successfully, a property management company
should be able to answer "YES" to most of them:
1. Are you a licensed Real Estate Broker?
The answer to this question should be “YES”. It is typically required by state law but that may vary
depending on the location of your property. In Michigan, property management is a regulated activity which
requires appropriate licensing. Michigan Real Estate Licensee Look-Up
or can be found at the State of Michigan website, under Verify License.
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Yes, absolutely. Jimmy Mack Vacations and Jimmy Mack Property Management are
the assumed names of Pinnacle Financial Corporation of Michigan, a Michigan corporation.
2. Would you be able to provide copies of any insurance and/or bonding coverage?
As you can imagine, the answer to this question should also be "YES". If the property management company
does not have insurance or hesitates at this question, RUN!!!!!
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Yes. Copies of our licenses and insurance policies can certainly be provided upon
request.
3. What is your specialty, per your website it appears vacation rentals. Do you have any commercial,
apartments, single family properties that you are trying to sell?
Have you ever called a place of business and they answered the phone; “Jim’s Insurance and Fish n Chips?”,
or something equally as funny? Or found out that the contractor you hired does roofing, plumbing, electrical
and car repairs. How good can either of the service providers in either of these scenarios be at the “one
thing” you really want them to do for you? As you might imagine, they’re probably not very good at
anything. One thing is for sure, they don’t specialize.
Well, the same logic can be attributed to your property and the property management business. You want
someone that does “Vacation Property Rental Management” only. Not commercial, warehouse, retail, office,
etc. We have learned that you can’t be all things to all people.
Would you rather get heart surgery from a heart surgeon, or a heart surgeon / lung specialist / librarian and
part-time fishing charter captain? You want the specialist!
4. Does your firm provide maintenance services?
The concern here is that the management company might “trump up” the maintenance needs of your
property in order to generate revenues/income or to simply keep their employees busy.
Jimmy Mack Vacations does not directly provide maintenance or cleaning services. We oversee your
property and look for maintenance issues, select and schedule required services with outside maintenance
providers. We do this for a few reasons:
5. Do you own any properties yourself?
It’s hard to trust someone to manage your property if they don’t have the first clue about your position and
what you are thinking about and going through from an ownership viewpoint.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – Yes, we own vacation rental properties.
6. Do you belong to any industry associations?
As a property owner, it is hard to decipher whether you are truly working with professionals. It can be a
daunting task and hard to judge based on a few conversations. A deciding factor just might be the fact that
certain companies belong to trade associations and others do not. The reason people and companies join
trade associations are
• To support their industry
• Learn how to best protect your investment
• Keep up to date on laws and regulations that might impact you
• To better serve you and your guests!
Jimmy Mack Vacations – Yes, we are members of the VRMA, Vacation Rental Managers Association
7. If you are not the right fit, do you have any others that you can recommend?
Every management company is not the right fit for every owner, and vice versa. There cannot possibly be a
match 100% of the time. People like to do business with people they know, like and trust. Not everyone can
get on the same page…and that’s OK. That’s just human nature. If a property manager is willing to take on
“just any property owner”, you may want to proceed with caution.
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Yes. If we cannot find the right fit, we will certainly search for alternative
sources of property management services that we can recommend. We are selective in the properties and
the owners that we represent. We realize this arrangement needs to be a win-win situation and that it’s
much more pleasant to work with people you know, like and trust than it is to be in conflict all the time. We
have fun and we make certain that we are a good match for one another.
8. What are your billing / accounting procedures?
This type of information should be spelled out and provided to any prospective owner contemplating the
services of a property manager. The other concern surrounds the practice of collecting and securing funds
from guests that stay in your property.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – Owners
Our systems are automated as much as possible. While nothing can replace face-to-face interaction and
communication, automation and use of technology simply creates a more efficient and relaxed business
model. Our technology is either developed internally or outsourced to only trusted, verified and compliant
providers. We deliver monthly statements within the first 10 days following the end of the preceding month
pursuant to our service agreement. Owner funds can be delivered two ways:
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Guest Side
We utilize an online reservation system which allows guests to view, reserve and make payment for your
property 24/7. Upon guest reservation, we are immediately notified and follow-up and discuss specific
accommodations. Our custom software allows properties to be viewed and sorted by:
We make personal contact via telephone with every guest reservation to make certain that:
When the guest reserves your property, they will remain in that property and not request something
different because it’s not what they expected or wanted.
9. Do you have a written agreement and can I review it?
The obvious answer to this question is that you want to see things in writing. Unfortunately, in today’s
litigious society, if it’s not in writing, it does not exist. The agreement spells out the terms and conditions
between owner and the management company. There can be huge differences between management firms.
Read carefully.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – our Owner Management Agreement is fair, competitive and results in a win-win
situation for you and us. Any legitimate property owner has the right to review a copy and have all your
questions answered in advance. We’ll be happy to discuss with any property owner.
10. Do you have any references or testimonials?
This is an often over-looked item for helping decide on property management firms to represent your
property. While privacy can sometimes be a concern in this area, any competent management company
should be able to provide references.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – We feel that guest AND owner testimonials are a large part of our success. Not
only do we have dozens and dozens to share, we actively share them as much as possible. It’s one of our
main forms of marketing our services. Our guests and owner partners are more than transactions to us; they
really do become friends. As friends, we want to know how we’re doing – the good, the bad and the ugly.
We are constantly seeking feedback and this enables us to gain so many testimonials and improve our service
level.
When you treat people right and show your genuine concern for their well-being, they will reward you with
kind words, repeat business and referrals galore!
Property Management Reports for Owners:
10 Things to Ask a Property Manager
7 More Things to Ask a Property Manager
Should You Hire A Property Manager? (yes, no or maybe)
7 Things Owners Should Know About Property Management
The Jimmy Mack Difference
Owner FAQ
questions...
10 Questions to Ask a Property Manager
(and how Jimmy Mack Vacations compares)
Real estate property management is a specialized business. Making the right choice is
critical for you to protect your investment. To assist you in your decision, we’ve laid
out 10 key questions to ask any prospective vacation rental property management firm.
To be able to manage your investment successfully, a property management company
should be able to answer "YES" to most of them:
1. Are you a licensed Real Estate Broker?
The answer to this question should be “YES”. It is typically required by state law but that may vary
depending on the location of your property. In Michigan, property management is a regulated activity which
requires appropriate licensing. Michigan Real Estate Licensee Look-Up
or can be found at the State of Michigan website, under Verify License.
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Yes, absolutely. Jimmy Mack Vacations and Jimmy Mack Property Management are
the assumed names of Pinnacle Financial Corporation of Michigan, a Michigan corporation.
2. Would you be able to provide copies of any insurance and/or bonding coverage?
As you can imagine, the answer to this question should also be "YES". If the property management company
does not have insurance or hesitates at this question, RUN!!!!!
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Yes. Copies of our licenses and insurance policies can certainly be provided upon
request.
3. What is your specialty, per your website it appears vacation rentals. Do you have any commercial,
apartments, single family properties that you are trying to sell?
Have you ever called a place of business and they answered the phone; “Jim’s Insurance and Fish n Chips?”,
or something equally as funny? Or found out that the contractor you hired does roofing, plumbing, electrical
and car repairs. How good can either of the service providers in either of these scenarios be at the “one
thing” you really want them to do for you? As you might imagine, they’re probably not very good at
anything. One thing is for sure, they don’t specialize.
Well, the same logic can be attributed to your property and the property management business. You want
someone that does “Vacation Property Rental Management” only. Not commercial, warehouse, retail, office,
etc. We have learned that you can’t be all things to all people.
Would you rather get heart surgery from a heart surgeon, or a heart surgeon / lung specialist / librarian and
part-time fishing charter captain? You want the specialist!
4. Does your firm provide maintenance services?
The concern here is that the management company might “trump up” the maintenance needs of your
property in order to generate revenues/income or to simply keep their employees busy.
Jimmy Mack Vacations does not directly provide maintenance or cleaning services. We oversee your
property and look for maintenance issues, select and schedule required services with outside maintenance
providers. We do this for a few reasons:
- With the inevitable peaks and valleys of this business, we don’t want to have employees on the payroll
sitting idle. Let someone else worry about that.
- Many other management companies that do have these crews on their payrolls, sometimes find
“creative” ways to perform “the little extra” services on your property when in fact they may not be
necessary
- We are not in the maintenance and cleaning business. There are others that specialize in these areas
and they do a better job. Their expertise results in economies of scale, thus lowering the overall cost
of maintaining your property
- We want to have the ability to hire and fire these maintenance service providers as their performance
and billing rates may dictate in the future. While we certainly honor and respect loyalty, we want the
flexibility to change vendors in the event it will provide a benefit to you, the property owner.
5. Do you own any properties yourself?
It’s hard to trust someone to manage your property if they don’t have the first clue about your position and
what you are thinking about and going through from an ownership viewpoint.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – Yes, we own vacation rental properties.
6. Do you belong to any industry associations?
As a property owner, it is hard to decipher whether you are truly working with professionals. It can be a
daunting task and hard to judge based on a few conversations. A deciding factor just might be the fact that
certain companies belong to trade associations and others do not. The reason people and companies join
trade associations are
• To support their industry
• Learn how to best protect your investment
• Keep up to date on laws and regulations that might impact you
• To better serve you and your guests!
Jimmy Mack Vacations – Yes, we are members of the VRMA, Vacation Rental Managers Association
7. If you are not the right fit, do you have any others that you can recommend?
Every management company is not the right fit for every owner, and vice versa. There cannot possibly be a
match 100% of the time. People like to do business with people they know, like and trust. Not everyone can
get on the same page…and that’s OK. That’s just human nature. If a property manager is willing to take on
“just any property owner”, you may want to proceed with caution.
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Yes. If we cannot find the right fit, we will certainly search for alternative
sources of property management services that we can recommend. We are selective in the properties and
the owners that we represent. We realize this arrangement needs to be a win-win situation and that it’s
much more pleasant to work with people you know, like and trust than it is to be in conflict all the time. We
have fun and we make certain that we are a good match for one another.
8. What are your billing / accounting procedures?
This type of information should be spelled out and provided to any prospective owner contemplating the
services of a property manager. The other concern surrounds the practice of collecting and securing funds
from guests that stay in your property.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – Owners
Our systems are automated as much as possible. While nothing can replace face-to-face interaction and
communication, automation and use of technology simply creates a more efficient and relaxed business
model. Our technology is either developed internally or outsourced to only trusted, verified and compliant
providers. We deliver monthly statements within the first 10 days following the end of the preceding month
pursuant to our service agreement. Owner funds can be delivered two ways:
- Direct deposit into your checking account
- PayPal
- Mailing of a regular check
Jimmy Mack Vacations - Guest Side
We utilize an online reservation system which allows guests to view, reserve and make payment for your
property 24/7. Upon guest reservation, we are immediately notified and follow-up and discuss specific
accommodations. Our custom software allows properties to be viewed and sorted by:
- Availability
- Project or development name
- Geographic location
- Number of bedrooms desired
- Pets
- Smoking
- Pools
- Waterfront
- Many More
We make personal contact via telephone with every guest reservation to make certain that:
- The guest meets our minimum age requirements
- The guest reserved the right property for themselves (i.e. accuracy)
When the guest reserves your property, they will remain in that property and not request something
different because it’s not what they expected or wanted.
- Your booked reservations remain booked and paid.
- We answer any all questions up front to ensure a “no-surprise” guest arrival, thus helping create long-
term, satisfied, repeat guests for your property.
9. Do you have a written agreement and can I review it?
The obvious answer to this question is that you want to see things in writing. Unfortunately, in today’s
litigious society, if it’s not in writing, it does not exist. The agreement spells out the terms and conditions
between owner and the management company. There can be huge differences between management firms.
Read carefully.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – our Owner Management Agreement is fair, competitive and results in a win-win
situation for you and us. Any legitimate property owner has the right to review a copy and have all your
questions answered in advance. We’ll be happy to discuss with any property owner.
10. Do you have any references or testimonials?
This is an often over-looked item for helping decide on property management firms to represent your
property. While privacy can sometimes be a concern in this area, any competent management company
should be able to provide references.
Jimmy Mack Vacations – We feel that guest AND owner testimonials are a large part of our success. Not
only do we have dozens and dozens to share, we actively share them as much as possible. It’s one of our
main forms of marketing our services. Our guests and owner partners are more than transactions to us; they
really do become friends. As friends, we want to know how we’re doing – the good, the bad and the ugly.
We are constantly seeking feedback and this enables us to gain so many testimonials and improve our service
level.
When you treat people right and show your genuine concern for their well-being, they will reward you with
kind words, repeat business and referrals galore!
Property Management Reports for Owners:
10 Things to Ask a Property Manager
7 More Things to Ask a Property Manager
Should You Hire A Property Manager? (yes, no or maybe)
7 Things Owners Should Know About Property Management
The Jimmy Mack Difference
Owner FAQ
| Property Management Reports - Jimmy Mack Vacations |
| Vacation Rentals -- Homes - Condos - Cottages - Cabins |
| 231-715-1167 info@JimmyMackVacations.com |
| Helping Families and Friends Make Lifetime Memories |
