When you are planning your next Arizona vacation is it best to use a property management company to secure your Arizona rental home? We think the answer is yes and it’s not just because we are in the business. Once you weigh the pros and cons the decision is easy to make.

The Pros.

1. Licensing: Arizona requires that a Property Managers be a Licensed Real Estate Entity with a Licensed Real Estate Broker to oversee the day to day operations of the business. You will come across companies offering homes for rent without proper Real Estate Licensing and without a Broker. These companies will tell you “We are not Property Managers, We are simply advertising the property for By Owner Vacation Properties.”  The Arizona Department of Real Estate Law Book defines that  a “Finger Pointer/Advertiser” must put the consumer in direct contact with the Owner/Landlord and or a Management Company and not act as a intermediary in the discussion or negotiations in price the procuring of a rental home on behalf of the owner. These companies are in violation of Arizona State Law.
2. Trust Account. Licensed Management Companies are required by the Arizona Department of Real Estate to maintain a Trust Account to hold the rental proceeds and security deposits. I would sleep better at night knowing my hard earned money is being held in the Trust Account of a licensed Broker rather then a company operating in the grey or a for Rent By Owner’s personal checking account.
3. Transparency. A Property manager will give you the physical address of the property you have rented and that address should be on your rental agreement. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be given this information up front. If anyone ever tells you a story why they don’t give out the address in advance you should be suspicious and proceed with caution. One excuse I’ve heard for not giving out the address is “This policy has become necessary because we have had guests arrive days or weeks before their scheduled arrival date disturbing the privacy and peaceful enjoyment of the current guests.” I’ve been in this business for over 10 years and I’ve never had that happen to me. I seriously doubt that this is such a out of control problem that a policy had to be implemented to cure the problem. The real reason behind this policy is bait and switch. Pay for one home and get another when you arrive.  This way you have no legal recourse for a refund should you not be happy with your “Bait and Switch” Rental.
4. Brand Name:A professionally licensed Property Management company will have spent a lot of time and effort into their Trade Name and the Broker for the company will be tied to that name.  These companies have a reputation to uphold and any official complaint of illegal activity that is found to have any merit will stay with that Broker for the rest of his life.
5. Staff: A Property Manager will have regular office hours with a team of qualified Rental Agents, Managing Broker, On Call Maintenance Staff, Professional Cleaning Staff and an Accounting department to oversee the Trust Account and the Operations Account. A Property Manager will always have an after hours emergency contact number that you can call for assistance.

The Cons:

1. Money: You just gave a large sum of money, months in advance of your reservation to a private owner or unlicensed company offering homes for rent. In this economy with the number of foreclosures on the market, businesses closing their doors every day and not to mention online schemers posing as For Rent By Owners. Who is watching out for you and protecting your best interest? I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night thinking about it.
2. Reputation: It would be very difficult to research a private owner online to see if they have a lot of complaints against them. Good luck trying to find anything about them if their name happens to be a really common name like John Smith. If you are unhappy with your rental what possible reason would a private owner have for trying to come to a favorable conclusion to the problem? They don’t have a trade name to protect, a manager to answer to or any official government licensing division that protects consumers. How could you escalate this to the next level if need be?
3. After Hours Maintenance and Emergencies. Who you gonna call when a pipe breaks at 2:00 am? Is the homeowner/landlord your only means of communication during a maintenance emergency? What if the owner/landlord is traveling or out of the country? Chances are if someone owns a vacation home they are also a busy professional dealing with the day to day demands from their own life’s and families. How fast are they going to respond to your maintenance emergency? Do they have back up accommodations for you should something happen to your rental home? Are you going to spend the day trying to find another property or spend the day trying to find a decent hotel/resort with vacancy?

I hope my Pros and Cons list didn’t come across as to Biased. I welcome any discussion you wish to have on the matter. My qualifications are over 10 years in the Vacation Rental Property Management Business. Chances are if it can happen I’ve been through it already. My email is info @ arizona lodging experts . com (take out all the spaces)

In the interest of full transperancy here are some useful links that you can use to do research on the company or owner of the vacation rental you are planning on renting.

ADRE: http://www.re.state.az.us/ Here you can look up Licensed Realtors, Brokers and Real Estate Entities. If there are any complaints against the Licensee you can find it here.

Arizona Corporation Commission: http://www.cc.state.az.us/ Here you can look up a Corporation or LLC and see if they are currently licensed and in good standing.

Maricopa County Assessor: http://mcassessor.maricopa.gov/assessor// Here you can look up Deeds, Tax Records, and other official Documents pertaining to Residential Real Estate.

Arizona Lodging Experts has the best and largest selection of homes, condos, and apartments throughout the valley. We have rentals in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, and other locations. It is quick and easy for us to find exactly what you are looking for so you can enjoy your next rental in Arizona. We have an inventory from 1 bedroom condos to 6 bedroom estates and everything in between. You can find amenities like heated pools, hot tubs, golf course and mountain views, and much more. It really is easy to find a rental by calling Arizona Lodging Experts.

Arizona Lodging Experts is the premier Phoenix Rental Property Management company in Arizona. We value ourselves in having the best customer service and finest inventory of Arizona Vacation Rentals in the valley. We can update you on all the great activities and current events for you to enjoy in Arizona during your stay. Our staff is knowledgeable about the homes and we make it very easy for you to find the ideal rental vacation spot for you.

Arizona is an amazing place. When most people think of Arizona, they think of the desert.

What many people don’t know is that in less than an hour from the Sonoran desert you can be in the mountains. Four Peaks can often times be seen from the Phoenix area with snow on its peaks since it stands over 8,000 feet above sea level.

Arizona is a diverse landscape with many lakes and streams.  It is partial home to one of the largest deserts in the world, but it also is home to one of the largest single stands of Ponderosa pine trees in North America.

Arizona is the home of the largest Indian reservation in the world, a lake with more coastline than California,

and a desert that sits below sea level. Arizona has 14 different tribes of Indians on 26 different reservations and 27 percent of its land is Native American reservation land. Arizona is the only state in the US where the tall Saguaro cactus grow.

Arizona has a forest of trees that were turned to stone.

When I go to Arizona I stay with Arizona Lodging Experts. With Arizona Lodging Experts, I can stay in a private, single family home that I select personally to fit my specific needs. They represent properties throughout the Valley of the Sun or within most of the 17 cities that make up the Phoenix metropolitan area. There just aren’t enough Phoenix Property Management Companies with the diversity of properties like Arizona Lodging Experts.

The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

One of North America’s largest ancient structures ever built is known as the The Casa Grande Ruins or “Great House”.  The purpose of this structure is historically unknown.  Many have guessed but there is no written document or story stating its purpose or history.

There is evidence that Casa Grande was built by the Sonoran Desert people to create the ability to trade and provide irrigation farming which was in effect for over one thousand years and lasted till 1450.  The Sonoran Desert people left behind no history or written language documenting their existence at Casa Grande.  However in 1694 when Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived he started making journal entries to document his activities and the naming of Casa Grande or “Great House” as it has been known.  As time went by and others arrived in Casa Grande, documentation started to emerge reflecting back on what was seen and what was done. Articles were written by  Lt. Col. Juan Bautista de Anza in 1775 and Brig. General Stephen Watts Kearny in 1846.  These and subsequent written articles started to spur interest in Casa Grande and during the 1860’s the area became so popular and well known that a twenty mile railroad line and and stage coach line ran through casa Grande.  This brought in more and more people and the area grew.  Consequently, as the town grew,  more damages and vandalism was done to the town, which is not uncommon as a town grows.

Archeologists suggest that the Sonoran Desert people are part of an earlier hunting culture.  As the climate became hotter and drier, the wildlife became far more sparse resulting in a difficult place for the people to survive without meat.  The introduction of corn turned them around from hunters to farmers.  Even though the climate was dry and hot they made due by creating irrigation with rivers and mountain run offs to keep the ground productive and the corn growing.  The Desert people, over time created a form  of pottery known as “red-on-buff”.  Much of this is displayed in the museum. Sunday, February 12 and 13, 2011 is the American Indian Music Festival at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.  This is thr third annual festival and it is a celebration of the prehistoric connection and continuity with today’s modern American Indian cultures.  The similarities are demonstrated through dance and music.  Arts and crafts made by the local artisans are available for purchase and this includes authentic American Indian food delicacies. 

1100 W. Ruins Drive

Coolidge, AZ  85228, 

Take Interstate 10 to the Coolidge exit, follow the signs to the park entrance.

Hours:   9am to 5pm every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day (closed) – Managed by the National Park Services

Admission: $5.00 – Adults (16yrs and up); Children under 15 yrs of age – Free; School Groups call ahead to apply for “Educational Fee” waiver; Commercial Tours Groups – $5.00/person unless visitor has a valid “American the Beautiful” pass

Phone:520-723-3172

Website:  www.nps.gov

I’m totally stoked to be announcing Arizona Lodging Experts has four new vacation homes in our inventory.

 The first home I want to talk about we call “The Saguaro House”

so named because of the huge 40+foot Saguaro Cactus on the property. This vacation home is located in Cave Creek AZ, just a short 5 minute Drive from Scottsdale. The home has a light and bright open floor plan with tile floors throughout the house, a billiard room, a fenced in pool with a grab bar at the steps of the pool and grab bar for the hot tub. This home features four bedrooms plus an office and it’s located on a 1-acre lot.

We also just signed on a gorgeous vacation condo in Eagle Mountain subdivision, which is located in Fountain Hills AZ.

The third property we just added is a nice upgraded vacation condo located in Grayhawk’s The Edge in North Scottsdale.

And the last but not least is our new DC Ranch Vacation Home Villa located in North Scottsdale. This one is complete with a private pool.

Remember, since we do Property Management in Scottsdale, Arizona Lodging Experts has a wide variety of homes, townhomes and condos throughout the greater Phoenix area. You can perform a live availability search right from our web page. Our booking calendars are always up to date to the minute!

And as always if you have any specific questions about the home we’re always happy to take your calls.We can be reached toll free 877-976-1234

I am really looking forward to all the action at the 2010 Barrett Jackson Auction in Scottsdale Arizona. Every year I find time to escape the office and get away from my Vacation Home management duties long enough to catch all the action. Being an avid flyer and collector of airplanes, this year there is one lot in particular that I am looking forward to more then any other, Lot #1307, an ultra rare 1929 Hamilton Metalplane.

If you are flying in to Arizona for the 2010 Barrett Jackson Auction in Scottsdale Arizona you should check out some of the great Vacation Homes that we still have available. You can find them by going to our home page Arizona Lodging Experts or you can go directl to our Scottsdale Search Page, input your arrival and departure dates and see only the properties that are available for your dates.

If you see any Scottsdale vacation homes or Townhomes that you like make sure you mention the code BJARS when you call to get extra savings and discounts of the published rates.