If you plan to rent out your Arizona home, do you really need a property manager? Not every rental owner makes the same choice. Some people manage their own homes. Others hire a company to handle the daily work. As a real estate investor with several rental properties, I firmly believe in hiring a professional property manager. I am licensed to handle property management myself. I still pay someone else to manage my rentals. Here is why. A Property Manager Creates a Boundary A rental property is an investment, but landlord and tenant issues can become personal very quickly. What happens when the tenant is late with rent? What if a repair is requested at an inconvenient time? What if the tenant asks for an exception to the lease? What if the owner disagrees with how the tenant is caring for the home? A property manager creates a boundary between the owner and the tenant. Instead of calling the owner about every question, the tenant works with the management company. The manager can explain the lease, collect payments, coordinate repairs and handle difficult conversations. That separation helps keep the relationship professional. For me, that boundary alone is worth paying for. What Does a Property Manager Do? Services vary by company, but property management may include: Advertising the home for rent Showing the property Screening applicants Preparing or managing the lease Collecting rent Responding to maintenance requests Coordinating repairs Completing scheduled property checks Handling lease violations Communicating with the tenant Preparing the home for the next renter Providing reports to the owner Before hiring a company, ask exactly which services are included. You should also ask which services cost extra. Can I Manage My Rental Myself? Some owners manage their own rental homes successfully. Before deciding to do that, ask yourself: Do I understand the lease? Do I know how to screen applicants fairly and consistently? Am I prepared to document every payment and repair? Can I respond when something breaks? Am I comfortable enforcing the lease? Can I separate my emotions from business decisions? Do I know when to contact an attorney? Do I have time to keep up with changing rules and requirements? What will happen when I am traveling or unavailable? Managing one rental may sound simple when the home is occupied and the rent arrives on time. The real test comes when something goes wrong. A water heater can fail. An air conditioner can stop working in July. A tenant may miss a payment. A disagreement may come up over damage, maintenance or the security deposit. Those problems do not always happen during business hours. Why I Believe Property Management Should Be a Specialty Property management and residential sales are both parts of real estate, but they are not the same job. A property manager must focus on tenants, leases, rent, inspections, repairs and landlord-tenant issues. A residential sales agent must focus on pricing, preparation, marketing, showings, contracts, negotiations and closing deadlines. Each job requires different systems, skills and demands on a person’s time. Many property managers already oversee a large number of homes. Residential sales can also require attention at all hours. I do not believe it is in our clients’ best interest for Rover Realty to divide its focus between both jobs. Our clients hire us to help them buy and sell homes. We owe it to them to stay in that lane. That is why Rover Realty does not provide property management, tenant placement, rent collection or lease administration. We also do not handle commercial real estate transactions. We refer those needs to professionals who focus on those parts of the industry. How We Chose Our Property Management Referral Partner Our trust in our property management referral partner was built long before we began sending clients to him. Many years ago, our family owned a landscaping company. We operated that business for about 10 years and completed work for several property management companies. We often visited rentals while one tenant was moving out and the home was being prepared for the next renter. Some properties were in terrible shape. At times, it looked as if the inside of the house had been emptied onto the front porch. We saw damage and signs that smaller problems had been allowed to grow. One property manager’s homes stood out for a different reason. They seemed to have fewer problems during tenant turnover. I wanted to know why. As I learned more about his business, I found that he took screening seriously, completed regular property checks and maintained clear communication with both owners and tenants. His systems appeared to catch problems sooner and set clearer expectations from the beginning. Based on what we saw in the field, we decided to hire him for our own rental properties. We have now used his services for more than 15 years. We have also referred many other homeowners to his company. That referral was not based on an advertisement. It was based on years of watching how he cared for the homes he managed. Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Property Manager Not every management company operates the same way. Before signing an agreement, consider asking: How many homes does each manager oversee? How are rental applicants screened? How often are property checks completed? How are maintenance requests handled? Who approves repairs? Is there a spending limit for repairs? Who answers emergency calls? How will I receive updates? What reports will I receive? How are late payments handled? What are the management fees? Is tenant placement a separate charge? What happens if I decide to sell the home? How can either party end the management agreement? Communication matters. A low management fee may not be a bargain if calls go unanswered or property concerns are missed. Should I Rent Out My Home or Sell It? Sometimes the bigger question is not whether to hire a property manager. It is whether keeping the home as a rental makes sense at all. Before deciding, consider: The possible monthly rent Your mortgage payment Property taxes and insurance Management fees Expected maintenance The age of the roof and major systems Possible vacancy between tenants Your long-term plans The home’s current market value How much money you may receive from a sale Owning a rental can help build long-term wealth, but it is not passive income every month. Homes need repairs. Tenants move. Expenses come up. The decision should be based on real numbers, not only on what the monthly rent might be. A property manager can help you understand the rental side. A real estate agent can help you understand the current sales market. What Can Rover Realty Help With? Rover Realty does not manage rental properties. We can help if you want to: Sell your current rental Buy a residential investment property Sell after a tenant moves out Prepare a former rental for the market Review the likely sale price of your home Compare selling with keeping the property Sell an inherited home that has a tenant Understand how the home’s condition may affect a sale If you decide to keep the home as a rental, we can introduce you to the property management company we have personally used for more than 15 years. You should still interview the company, review its services and decide whether it is the right fit for you. Frequently Asked Questions Do I have to hire a property manager to rent out my home? Not every owner chooses to hire a manager. However, you will still need to handle tenant screening, the lease, rent collection, repairs, documentation and other landlord duties. Speak with a qualified Arizona professional about any rules that apply to your situation. Is hiring a property manager worth the cost? For many owners, it is. A manager can save time, create a boundary with the tenant and handle problems when they arise. The value will depend on the company’s service, communication and fees. How much does property management cost in Arizona? Fees vary by company and service. Some companies charge separate fees for tenant placement, lease renewals, inspections or maintenance coordination. Ask for a complete written list before signing an agreement. Can a property manager find a tenant for me? Many property management companies offer tenant placement and screening. Some will place the tenant without providing ongoing management. Ask what options are available. Why does Angela use a property manager for her own rentals? I value the boundary between owner and tenant. I also want someone who focuses on property management every day. Even though I am licensed to handle it myself, I believe my rentals are better served by a specialist. Does Rover Realty manage rental homes? No. Rover Realty does not provide property management, tenant placement, rent collection or lease administration. We specialize in residential real estate sales. Can Rover Realty help me sell a rental property? Yes. We can help you prepare, market and sell a residential rental property. The plan will depend on whether the home is vacant, occupied or in need of work. Can Rover Realty help me decide whether to rent or sell? We can help you understand the estimated sales value and what may be involved in preparing the property for the market. A property manager can provide information about expected rent and management costs. Looking at both sides can help you make a more informed choice. Can Rover Realty refer me to a property manager? Yes. We can introduce you to the company we have trusted with our own rental properties for more than 15 years. Are You Deciding What to Do With Your Arizona Home? If you plan to rent out your home, we recommend speaking with a property management company that specializes in tenant placement and ongoing management. If you are deciding whether to rent or sell, Rover Realty can help you understand the current residential sales market and what your property may be worth. We do not provide property management. We help people buy and sell residential homes throughout Mesa, Apache Junction and the East Valley—and we refer the rest to trusted specialists.

One of the most common questions we get from Arizona home sellers is: “Do I really need to disclose that? We already fixed it.” In most cases, the answer is yes . A repair doesn't erase the history of what happened. Maybe the roof leaked five years ago and was repaired. Maybe there was a plumbing leak behind a wall. Perhaps termites were treated years ago, an electrical issue was corrected, or an air conditioner needed a major repair. Sellers sometimes think that because the problem has been fixed, there is nothing left to disclose. That's not a safe assumption. “When in Doubt – Disclose!” The Arizona REALTORS® Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, commonly called the SPDS, begins with a Residential Seller Disclosure Advisory that prominently tells sellers: WHEN IN DOUBT – DISCLOSE! There's a reason that warning gets so much attention. The SPDS is designed to help Arizona sellers provide information about the property and its history. Arizona sellers also have disclosure obligations that go beyond simply telling a buyer what is broken today. A previous problem can still be important information even when the repair was successful. A Repaired Roof Leak Is Still Part of the Home's History Let's say your roof leaked four years ago during a monsoon. You hired a roofer, the problem was repaired, and you haven't experienced another leak since. That's great. But the fact that the repair was successful doesn't mean the previous leak should simply disappear from the property's history. As a real estate broker, I'm not supposed to tell a seller what to write on their disclosure statement. These are the seller's disclosures , not mine. What I can do is ask questions. If a seller checks a box indicating a past roof problem, for example, I may ask them to expand on their answer. What happened? When did it happen? Was it repaired? Do you have an invoice or warranty? The seller can then decide how to accurately explain what they know. That additional context can be extremely helpful to a buyer. There's a big difference between an inspector finding unexplained evidence of a previous roof leak and a buyer already knowing that something occurred, that the seller addressed it, and that additional information or documentation is available. Disclosure doesn't automatically make a house look bad. Good disclosure can answer questions before the buyer even has to ask them. I Encourage Sellers to Include Repairs and Improvements Too My advice to Rover Realty sellers generally goes beyond only thinking about past problems. I encourage sellers to think about repairs, replacements and improvements they have made to the home as they're completing their disclosures. The SPDS includes categories covering things like roofing, electrical systems, plumbing, heating and cooling, pools and other components. But not everything fits perfectly into a particular category. Maybe you replaced flooring. Maybe you remodeled the kitchen, replaced windows, added insulation, updated irrigation, replaced pool equipment or remodeled a bathroom. There is an additional-information area on the SPDS where sellers can provide further explanation. If a seller has more information than will comfortably fit, additional information can also be attached as appropriate. Again, I'm not filling out the disclosure for the seller or telling them what words to use. My role is to encourage sellers to slow down, think through the property's history and provide complete answers based on what they actually know. Disclosure Isn't Limited to Things You Can Touch This is another area sellers sometimes miss. Property concerns aren't always a broken pipe, roof leak or electrical problem. Think about things you've experienced while living at the property. Noise can matter. Odors can matter. Pests can matter. And yes, in Arizona, that includes scorpions . The Arizona SPDS specifically asks sellers whether they are aware of or have observed certain pests, including scorpions. This is where sellers can get themselves into trouble by deciding that something doesn't matter simply because they don't personally consider it a big deal. The “Scorpion House” Problem Imagine a seller has regularly dealt with scorpions but decides not to mention them. The buyer closes. They're unloading the moving truck on day one when the neighbor walks over and says: “Oh good! Someone finally bought the scorpion house!” We've got a problem. Now the buyer may start asking questions. Did the seller know about them? Was the house being treated? Is there a pest-control company with service records? Did neighbors know? Were there conversations about it in the neighborhood Facebook group? Information isn't particularly difficult to uncover anymore. Something that could have been openly discussed before closing can become a much bigger issue afterward if a buyer believes the seller intentionally withheld information. More Information Can Actually Make a Disclosure Less Scary I had a seller once who checked the box indicating that he had seen a scorpion at the property. When I reviewed the disclosure, I simply asked him to tell me more. His answer completely changed the context. He had purchased the house about 16 years earlier and, shortly after buying it, had seen one scorpion on the back wall of the yard. That's a very different situation from a buyer seeing a checked scorpion box with no explanation and imagining they're about to purchase the East Valley headquarters for the Scorpion Appreciation Society. This is exactly why I ask sellers to expand on certain answers. I'm not telling them what to write. I'm asking them to tell the buyer the story only they know. A checked box may leave a buyer with ten questions. A seller's own explanation may answer nine of them. Don't Guess and Don't Exaggerate Disclosure works both ways. Being transparent doesn't mean speculating. If you don't know something, don't turn a guess into a fact. Maybe you purchased the house five years ago and were told that the previous owner replaced the roof before you bought it. That's different from personally knowing who replaced it, exactly when the work occurred or precisely what was done. The same principle applies throughout the disclosure process. If you have invoices, warranties, receipts or other records, those may help provide additional information. Stick with what you actually know. Facts are your friend. What If I Don't Remember Every Repair? Nobody expects most homeowners to remember every toilet flapper, sprinkler head or light switch they've replaced over 20 years of homeownership. The goal is to complete the disclosure truthfully and thoroughly based on the seller's actual knowledge. That's one reason I like sellers to start working on their disclosures early. Don't rush through the SPDS five minutes before dinner. Take some time. Think about the history of the home. Look through your records. Check old invoices and warranties. Think about insurance claims, service calls, repairs and major improvements. You may remember quite a bit once you start looking. What If the Problem Was Completely Fixed? That's useful information too. The fact that something happened and the fact that it was repaired aren't competing pieces of information. They're both part of the property's history. If I see that a seller has disclosed a previous problem without much additional information, I may ask them questions about it. Was it repaired? Approximately when? Who performed the work, if they know? Is there paperwork? Have there been any additional issues? The answers belong to the seller. My job is to help make sure they understand that a simple checked box may not tell the complete story. Transparency Can Protect the Seller Sellers sometimes worry that disclosing too much will scare buyers away. I'm usually much more concerned about the opposite scenario. I'd rather have a buyer understand something before closing than discover it afterward and believe information was intentionally withheld. That's especially true when the information could easily surface later through an inspection, contractor, service company, neighbor or even an old neighborhood social-media post. That's why the phrase at the top of the Arizona disclosure paperwork is so important: When in Doubt, Disclose. Don't assume a previous problem disappeared simply because it was repaired. Don't decide for the buyer that something isn't important. And don't assume that checking a box is always enough to help someone understand what actually happened. Tell your own story. Provide context when appropriate. Include documentation when you have it. A well-informed buyer is far better than a surprised buyer after closing. Frequently Asked Questions Do I have to disclose an old problem if it was completely repaired? In most cases, sellers should not assume that a successful repair means the previous condition no longer needs to be disclosed. Arizona sellers have disclosure obligations concerning known material facts, and the SPDS asks numerous questions about both present and past conditions. When in doubt about a specific situation, sellers should seek appropriate real estate or legal guidance. Should I disclose an old roof leak if it hasn't leaked since? Don't assume that the previous leak is irrelevant simply because it was repaired. A seller should answer the applicable SPDS questions truthfully based on their knowledge. As a real estate broker, I may ask a seller to expand on an answer, but I don't tell the seller what to write. Do I have to disclose scorpions in Arizona? The Arizona REALTORS® SPDS specifically asks whether the seller is aware of or has observed listed pests, including scorpions. Providing additional context can help a buyer understand what a checked box actually represents. Should I disclose improvements that weren't repairs? I encourage sellers to think about significant improvements and updates while completing their disclosures. Information about flooring, windows, remodeling, pool equipment and other improvements can give buyers a better understanding of the property's history. What if there isn't a specific SPDS category for an improvement or repair? The SPDS includes space for additional information, and additional information or documentation can be attached when appropriate. Sellers should complete their own disclosures based on their knowledge and seek guidance if they're unsure how a particular issue should be handled. What if I don't know exactly when something happened? Don't guess. Sellers should answer based on what they actually know. If you have supporting invoices, warranties or other records, those can sometimes provide helpful additional information. What if something happens after I've already completed my SPDS? Tell your REALTOR® promptly. New information or a change in the property during the transaction may create additional disclosure obligations. Can I sell my Arizona home “as is” and avoid disclosures? Selling a home “as is” does not automatically eliminate a seller's disclosure obligations. The condition in which a buyer agrees to purchase a property and a seller's obligation to disclose known material information are separate issues. Selling a Home in Mesa or the East Valley? Preparing a home for the market isn't only about staging, professional photos, video and pricing. It's also about helping sellers get through the transaction with fewer surprises. At Rover Realty, we review the disclosure process with our sellers and ask questions when an answer may need additional context. But the information comes from the seller. It's their property history. It's their disclosure. And it's their story to tell. Sometimes one checked box looks scary. A little more context can tell a completely different story. Important: This article provides general real estate information and is not legal advice. Disclosure obligations depend on the specific facts and circumstances. Contract terms can also vary or be negotiated. Sellers should rely on their signed agreements and consult their REALTOR® and a qualified Arizona real estate attorney when they have questions about their specific disclosure obligations.