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Sorry...this really isn't about the Albany rental market, or only tangentially! What I'd really love to have a couple of recommendations from Albanians! Please forgive the windiness of this message!
I'm an Albanian who has been living out of state for the past 25 years, though I am in Albany at least twice a year for a week or two to visit my hometown (which I have always loved). My husband and I will be retiring to Albany in 2-5 years or so, and in preparation for that we have found ourselves in possession of a lovely house in a splendid walkable neighborhood, which we seek to rent out before we retire. We didn't think we'd find something so soon but we fell in love and as luck would have it (there were ten bids) our offer was accepted. The house closes at the end of the month.
We will be managing the property remotely, and I was wondering if anyone had specific recommendations regarding handymen, electricians, plumbers, etc. I've checked yelp and google but you never know with those sites sometimes.
We have managed property before, with our starter house, but we were exceedingly lucky with renters, so it really didn't seem like we were managing anything at all. I'd like to have several sources to go to for repairs if I get that dreaded 2 a.m. call about frozen pipes, or whatever. If it's too much for us we will go to a management company, but that seems silly if we get good renters in that communicate well about any issues. Plus my trips to Albany will probably increase from two to three to four times per year, which will facilitate things.
Also:
I am interested in "move-in" cleaning. The house as we saw it last month was move-in ready (save for the elegantly placed furniture), so I don't expect it needing the kind of clean a hoarder's house would require, but I want it ready for the renters. I sent the house listing (pending) and a quote request to an Albany cleaning service that seemed nice enough, indicating that I had just seen the house and it had been thoroughly cleaned as of last month.
Well, I was given a quote that amounted to about sixty dollars an hour per person (about $115 an hour for both). !!! Supposedly this is to clean the house to "their" standard. Okay, well, I'm a college professor and I make maybe half that. Is this the going rate in Albany now? Any suggestions? I've never dealt with a cleaning service before. Probably I could give it a spit shine myself but physically I'm not capable of getting down on hands and knees and scrubbing a whole house (which you'd know if you ever visited me in our current house). I'd also like to build a relationship with a cleaning service in preparation for my retirement. I'm certainly open to spending money for a good cleaning service, but those rates seem a bit steep.
Welcome home!
For the maintenance and repair, you might consider Market Ready Property Services as your single point of contact. We keep invoices few, maintenance costs stable, response times higher than a contractor, and it's often the same person taking your calls and visiting your tenants, creating a really good experience for your tenants (they'll feel cared for and heard).
I have one client with 12 units and their plan is as follows:
-12 visits/service calls (1 hour or less)
-$120 materials included
-Immediate responses to owner calls/texts
-24hr turnaround for emergencies
-Monthly invoice with work summary
-Free estimates for larger projects
-10% discount on larger projects
Most rental owners count on spending about 1$/sf on their yearly maintenance. The plan above costs my remote client a little under $950/mo. ($79/unit) for perspective. A duplex might require two short visits per month on average.
Regarding cleaning, that's in line with what a cleaning business should charge, but not a one-person, haphazard show. I pay my cleaner $20/hr (they are not a business) and sometimes they have to leave early or ignore spots that are hard to reach, and I have little recourse; I'm not paying any of the overhead that it takes to run a proper business!
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