When owning vacant or abandoned lots, property preservation companies are highly important. Sometimes, an owner’s ability to check on his property is limited, restricted, or nonexistent. Property preservation companies take the edge off of buying property remotely, and give owners a sense of security.

When looking for a property preservation company, the owner must find a company he trusts. Because an owner will be entrusting his property to the company, the owner must be very sure he feels comfortable with the company, including its practices, reports, and interest in preserving their client’s property. To find a trustworthy company, owners should check their local Better Business Bureau and speak to real estate agents from reputable companies. Owners should try to get a recommendation for at least 3 different companies and set up appointments with all three to meet a manager and a field agent in person.

Before the meeting, the owner should make a list of all the questions and concerns he has regarding the company and its practices, goals and routines. Some important questions to ask are: “How often do you check on the property?”, “How often and how will I receive a status report of my property?”, “How many properties does this company currently manage?”, “Will my property be assigned an agent or will the agents rotate depending on the day?”, and “What will happen if something suspicious appears to be occurring on or to my property?”

Additionally, it is important to know how long a property preservation company has been in business. Owners should ask the company for a referral to speak to current clients, and/or a list of properties, similar to the owner’s property, it currently “preserves” and go by and look at the condition of the property same day.

Also, while property preservation fees can be costly, the owner should not make his decision on cost alone. The owner needs to make a list of what he will be getting for the money. The owner especially needs to focus on what is important to him. For example, if the company offers HUD conveyance but does not offer a lock service or board broken windows, and the owner knows his property is abandoned and he has no intention of making it a HUD affordable home, that company is not the right company for his needs. The owner should never feel pressured to sign up with a company and should be wary if the company tells him it does not usually provide a certain service but will do so for an additional specified fee. More than likely, the company will not provide the additional service and, even if it does, will not do so correctly or effectively and the owner will be paying money for a non-service. The owner needs to stick with the company’s service sheet and ask detailed questions about each service he is interested in.

Lastly, the owner should go with his “gut” feeling. If the owner does not feel comfortable with the company or even one of its agents, the owner should keep looking. Entrusting a costly possession in the hands of someone not trusted can defeat the purpose of having a property preservation service. The owner needs to be able to leave the property in the company’s hands, walk away, and know the property will be duly taken care of.

The right property preservation company depends on the owner’s needs, expectations and old fashioned gut feeling. By using the above basic tools, an owner can find the perfect company to entrust his property to.