We specialize in long-term residential rentals. Richardson Real Estate Services leverages years of experience in business management, contracting, fair housing, marketing, market analysis, insurance, home maintenance, government compliance, home inspections and property evaluation to provide you with the highest level of Santa Barbara real estate service possible. Our Santa Barbara real estate team constantly seeks to develop new ways to enhance efficiency by utilizing the latest technologies to improve our management practices. Managing a rental unit is far more than just collecting rent each month. Here's a little insight into how we manage your property: Property Inspection and Analysis Before we begin managing your property, we walk through it with you to see exactly what state your property is in, whether in pristine condition or perhaps needing a little help. We do this before managing your property so that you can understand what is necessary to (1) get top market value for your property; (2) satisfy the needs of your future tenants; (3) improve the overall equity of your property; and (4) limit your potential liabilities. In this manner, we can help establish proper expectations on all accounts. Maintenance With years of experience in both property management and real estate sales, Richardson Real Estate Services has built a valuable network of reliable vendors. We pride ourselves on the quality of our vendors and the ability to keep our vendor costs at fair market rates. Not only are our vendors qualified, but also we provide multiple bids for owners to review along with our own suggestions. In addition, Richardson Real Estate Services takes NO additional fees for maintenance. The costs of each job are directly from the vendors, driving lower fees and creating a better relationship all around, from vendor to owner to property manager. Marketing Once you have decided to use Richardson Real Estate Services as your property manager, we will take pictures of your property for marketing collateral. Properties that are nearing vacancy or are taken under management as vacant units are posted to our online rental list. Once added to our system, your property not only will be posted on our site but it is syndicated across hundreds of other Craigslist-like real estate rental listing sites, providing your property substantial exposure. Leasing At Richardson Real Estate Services, we strictly use C.A.R. approved leases. To protect your best interests, we encourage our owners to offer annual leases instead of month-to-month leases. This helps you keep your property rented in the slower rent season (our 'winter' months and while local colleges are in session). Santa Barbara's best times of the year to rent lie within the months of April thru September. While getting a property rented is very possible year round, the height of the rental season provides an abundance of potential tenants, allowing us to have a higher number of applicants for your property and providing the opportunity to more easily obtain market rent by increased demand. Rent Collection Richardson Real Estate Services provides many ways for tenants to pay rent. Tenants with prearranged payment agreements can set up automatic payments by ACH for the 1st of each month. Our office drop box makes it easy for tenants to pay any day of the week at any hour. With our 'due on the first' leasing and late fee policy, rents are paid in a timely manner, which means you are paid quickly - typically by the 10th of the month. Online Statements Each of our owners has access to our owner portal where they can review income statements and other valuable notes about their property. Whether you are looking to be actively involved in your property or are looking to have us handle the minute details, our owner portal and online eStatements make it easy to provide you accurate information about your property instantly. Owner 1099s At the end of each year, Richardson Real Estate Services provides you with a comprehensive year-end summary of your property's performance. Included is your yearly 1099 for filing. We can even electronically file your 1099 for you!