Owner FAQs

• How soon can Century 21 Accent Homes Property Management start managing my property?

  We can start the process of managing your property immediately. Contact us so we can find out more about you and your property. We want to make sure it is a good match and we meet all your management expectations. All paperwork can be completed electronically and the process will begin rather quickly.

Marketing Your Property

• Setting a correct rental price

  Setting the price for a property will determine how quickly it gets rented. If a rental is overpriced, oftentimes it will not get rented. Therefore, we analyze the market to help price your home according to the current market.

  In order to understand the market we run a full analysis to determine the most economical and profitable rental rate that can be charged prior to placing a property on the market. If a property sits on the market for more than two weeks without it being rented, we look into the possibility that the rent may be too high. We then consider lowering the rent on the property so that it will not sit vacant.

• What do you do to get my property leased?

  In the Northern Virginia market - the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the most effective marketing tool by far. The neat thing about the website is once a property is added it will be then added and visible on 1000’s of other websites. This will help maximize your exposure and marketing. We will take pictures of the home using a wide angle on a high quality camera. We display the best four pictures first of the property from any space in the house. After the pictures are taken and the property is entered in the MLS, over 6,500 realtors will be able to browse the property. We pay a $300 leasing fee to any agent who brings us a qualified tenant. This agent also does not have to be from our company.

• We Show Your Property Personally

  We have motivated and highly qualified leasing agents, who are all licensed realtors.

• For Rent Signs

  The “For Rent” signs are normally placed on a rental property thirty (30) days prior to the property availability date. This will allow for potential tenants to see the property as they “drive by.” If we have a new property, the sign is placed on the date the unit first comes under or management. If the property needs updates or renovations the sign will be placed when it is ready for showing. (Signs may be restricted by the Neighborhood and unfortunately there is no way around this).

Finding Quality Renters

• Rental Application Process

  Once a prospective resident has been shown a property and expressed the desire to lease it, a retinal application must be submitted through our online applicant procedures. There will also be a nonrefundable application fee. Upon approval of the application, Century 21 Accent Homes Property Management will collect the Preferred Tenant Program fee for that property. Once the application is completed, approved, and the security deposit is in hand by certified funds we will then take the home off the market.

• Equal Housing Opportunity

  Century 21 Accent Homes is committed to the equal Housing Opportunity Laws, and we do not discirmente against anyone on the basis of Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Handicap, Familia Status, National Orgin or Age.

• What do you do to qualify a tenant after they have made an application to rent my property?

  One of the more important aspects of a successful rental property is finding the right tenant for a property. As applicants apply for a house we want to look at the full picture and every applicant as thoroughly as possible. We look at an applicant’s past behavior and hope that it will help us assume their future behavior. An applicant must have demonstrated in the past that they have a history of being a good, responsible tenant while also meeting financial criteria.

  We will also pull a credit check and review the results looking at various things from income, rental history, credit, employment, family sixe, pets, and any other stipulations that need to be reviewed in order to make a good and accurate decision on the BEST applicant for the rental. It is not always the first tenant that is the best one. Our goal is to ultimately pick a tenant with the best fit for the home.

  • Tenant Employment and Income Verifications An applicant must earn at least 3 to 4 times the monthly rent to qualify for a rental. Therefore, we verify job title, job status, salary and prospects for continued employment.
  • Eviction and Criminal Reports We will pull a background check that has access to public records. These records will be able to tell us whether or not an applicant has ever been evicted. We perform this level of scrutiny that most other property management companies do not perform.
  • Landlord Verifications If an applicant has had past landlords we will contact them to verify rental history and ask detailed questions concerning the past of the applicant. We gather the information and then enter it into the application for record. The owner will be allowed to view this information.

• Security Deposits

  Century 21 Accent Homes offers a “Preferred Tenant Program” to assist in marketing your home for rent by easing the burden up-front that tenants may incur while moving. This program allows for tenants to opt in to a monthly fee in lieu of paying a standard security deposit. If an applicant decides to sign up for the program and opt out of paying an all up front security deposit, Century 21 Accent Homes offers all owners the free double security deposit guarantee. This exclusive offer to owners.

Important Questions to Ask

If you are new to property management oftentimes, you may not know what to ask potential management companies. We went ahead and answered those tough questions for you. When considering a company not only should you compare services, prices, and reviews; but also these critical questions.

• How do you show my property to prospective tenants?

  A lot of agents will force potential clients to work around their schedules instead of trying to work with them. This unfortunately means that your property will not be shown as much as possible.

  What we do: We offer home showings on vacant, unaccompanied homes. As your home becomes vacant, we use our combo-box system to allow tenants to view the property. This combo-box system will also allow tenants to always view your home, which will then rent your home faster! Our system allows for homes to rent faster and is rented on average in 21 days!

• What happens if I need maintenance after hours?

  Some companies that offer no after-hours support. Others will put a couple of staff members on call for the weekend or after hours. Another group of companies will use 3rd party vendors, who may be very little help and only receive your message.

  What we do: Here at Century 21 Accent Homes, we use a service that is specially trained in handling maintenance calls. We want to handle an emergency immediately and our service can differentiate between a routine call and an emergency.

• Do you market my property? How do you do it?

  We market all of our properties using SEVERAL methods. We will start by using the Northern Virginia MLS. An MLS or Multiple Listing Service allows Real Estate agents in the area to browse and find the right property. The MLS also connects with other major national real estates websites such as Zillow, Trulia, RealEstate.com, and several others. 

  With our digital marketing strategy, we also take and utilize high-quality photos. Our high-quality photo marketing strategy ties into our SEO strategy as well (Search Engine Optimization). We have added code to our pages and highlighted keywords to help people find our website. 

  The last way we market is to pay out commissions to Realtors who bring us tenants. Half of our tenants use a realtor to help find their rental home and offering commissions to these agents will help entice them to work with us. We also have leasing agents onsite who are dedicated to renting our properties.

  What does this mean? Century 21 Accent Homes is renting homes faster than anyone in the market! Our 21-Day Guarantee makes sure your home is rented in these 21 days or we offer the first two months of management free! Learn more about our 21-Day Guarantee on our site 

• How do I get paid?

  A lot of managers will wait until the following month to pay their owners.

  What we do: Rent is processed on the 9th of every month that is collected. It will then depend on how quickly your bank will deposit the funds, typically it is around 1-3 business days.

• Are there any staff members that have an industry designation specific to residential property management?

  The National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) is a vital group to be a part of. Learning the best practices from industry leaders, and the ability to learn from others techniques that are benefiting their clients.

  Our broker, Tom Sklopan Sr, is not only a member of NARPM, but he also teaches a real estate class to help potential real estate agents get their licenses. His 50+ years of experience in the industry allows him to teach the class and know everything there is to know. If you are looking for a company with experience and expertise, look no further than Century 21 Accent Homes.

• What size is your company?

  When deciding on which company to work with, the size of the company can directly impact the services you are receiving. Larger companies, managing around 10,000+ homes across the country could be the wrong choice. Although they have a support system in place to help run the properties, there are not enough employees. These companies will try to convince you with the low rates that they are the best ones for the job when in fact, they are not. They may not even be aware of the area!

  Century 21 Accent Homes has been in the business for 50+ years and manages 250+ homes across Northern Virginia. As a company that has been in business for many years, we have heard it all and are happy to work with tenants and homeowners to solve problems. Century 21 Accent Homes has mastered the area of Northern Virginia and is the only choice for property management in the area.

• Do you specialize in a specific property?

  It is important to see what the company specializes in. Specifically, if a company specializes in apartment complexes, HOAs, or other Multifamily units, a single-family home may not be in their expertise. What is important to note here is that even though they may be a property management company, they may not be able to manage your property.

• How can tenants apply?

  Tenants can apply using our tenant application on our website!