4 Mistakes Crestview Landlords Make Without Professional Property Management
Self managing your Crestview rental property can be attractive vs hiring a property management company due cost savings and keeping control of your property. However, it can come with some costly mistakes that can ruin your rental management experience. In this article we’re going to cover the common mistakes that self managing landlords make and how we help Crestview landlords with our professional property management services here at Kuntz Property Group.
1. Overestimating Rental Income and Underestimating Expenses
Picture this, you’ve worked hard to get your home ready for rent. It’s been repaired, cleaned, and looks great! Now it’s ready to be put on the market and you think well if my mortgage is $2000.00 per month, then the rent should be $2300.00 so that I can cover expenses and make a profit. You then decide to list it for $2300.00 and are getting no inquiries or applications.
Why is this?
This happens because you set the rental rate to what you thought it was worth, not what the market deems it is worth. The harsh reality is that the rental market and prospective tenants don't care what your mortgage is, they care about getting a good home at a fair market rental rate. A home that is priced above market value, will sit for a significant amount of time causing you to lose money every single day and can even cost more in the long run vs doing weekly price drops. Click here to read our article about how to find the right market rate for your Crestview rental property.
Now, another common mistake is underestimating expenses and forgetting hidden costs such as repairs and legal fees. With today’s inflation, maintenance costs are 2x-3x higher than they were a few years ago and you will receive sticker shock once your first maintenance bill comes through. There are also hidden costs such as legal fees from your Attorney, it’s going to cost you to draft a lease agreement, file a legal notice, and file an eviction. We highly recommend being prepared and anticipating these costs and have 3x revenue (3 months worth of rent) saved up in a separate ank account as a reserve.
2. Inconsistent or Ineffective Tenant Screening
Tenant screening is one of the most important tasks you will complete as a landlord. The tenant that you place will determine how your rental property experience will be. Skipping background checks or not verifying employment can be extremely risky and cause placement of a bad tenant. If a tenant is not properly screened, it can lead to lack of care to the home and unpaid/ late rent. When screening tenants, you should be looking and verifying the following:
Credit Score
Income Verification
Employment Verification
Rental History Verification
Background Check
DO NOT skip screening your prospective tenants and ensure they meet the guidelines that you have in place. Do yourself a favor and place a qualifying tenant that is more likely to pay their rent on time and take care of the home, reducing your stress and sleepless nights.
3. Poor Marketing and Long Vacancy Periods
Crestview is a competitive rental market with almost 200 homes for rent as of August 2025, according to Zillow. This means that your rental listing must stand out or it will be left behind and skipped over. Poor property marketing can lead to 30 or 45+ days with no tenant, in return losing you thousands of dollars. Here’s what you need to ensure that your Crestview rental property listing is attractive:
Professional & attractive photos (Wide angle lens and bright photos)
Highlight every bedroom and feature of the home
Attractive description that highlights area and features (Ex: Near Eglin Air Force Base, Fenced-in Backyard)
Quicker leasing times isn’t magic or luck, it’s a powerful duo of an attractive listing paired with a proper pricing plan. A pricing plan should consist of weekly price adjustments ($50-$100) based on lead count and number of showings. Here’s the formula we use at Kuntz Property Group:
Week 1: $1995.00
Week 2: $1945.00
Week 3: $1895.00
Additionally, you should expect 1 application for every 4 showings. If you do not receive any applications after a few showings then something’s wrong. Either the home is dirty, needs repairs, or is overpriced.
Your lead inquiry count should be around 1-3 leads per day. If you are receiving less than 1 per week, then you need to be more aggressive with your price drops such as $100.00 per week vs $50.00.
4. Reactive Instead of Proactive Maintenance
Reactive vs proactive maintenance, what’s the difference and why does it matter? Reactive maintenance is not completing any repairs unless you absolutely have to.
Now, I understand that you’re looking to save money and you only want to fix things when absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, this comes with hidden consequences such as tenants being frustrated, deferred maintenance increases, and can cause your property value to go down. It’s always good to imagine yourself in your tenants shoes and living in the home, would you want to have things constantly breaking and not being fixed, then also having to always contact your landlord with no repairs being done. If it were me, I’d non-renew my lease and find somewhere else to live, which can cost you as the Crestview landlord thousands of dollars.
It’s the obvious choice to spend a few hundred dollars upfront to keep your tenants happy then have to find new ones every 12 months.
Now, what does proactive maintenance look like? This means having the home in near perfect condition when the tenant moves in and fixing issues before they become bigger issues. Some examples are leaky faucets, old carpet that needs replaced, light fixtures that don't work. Get these items fixed before the tenant has to ask and keep your home in pristine condition.
Click here to view our rent-ready standards list that we use (Yes, we have very high standards).
Conclusion
Self managing your rental property can provide cost savings but also has a downside. You’re more likely to have a home sit vacant for longer, higher maintenance costs, deferred maintenance, and place poor tenants. However, implementing the above strategies and tips will help you and you will learn as you go with managing your rental property.
What’s the easiest way to avoid these mistakes and not have to handle any of it? Working with a professional Crestview property management company like Kuntz Property Group. We have years of experience and have been through it all with making tons of mistakes on the way. When you decide to partner with us you get a complete hand’s-off management experience and access to all of our exclusive strategies and experience that we’ve gotten over the years.
Ready for a property management partnership like no other? Click here to schedule a free consultation or receive a free rental analysis!
