CONCEIRGE SERVICES
If you own a second home in San Antonio, Texas or if you expect to be away from your San Antonio home for an extended period, you may have concerns regarding the maintenance, safety and upkeep of your San Antonio investment property while you’re away.
Common questions might include:
- What if there is a burglary?
- What if there is a water leak?
- What if there is weather damage?
- What if I have a rodent or insect problem?
- How will I get the mail?
Relax – we’ve got you covered! Pyramis Companies, Inc. provides professional, dependable, and personal care for your second home in San Antonio, Texas while you’re away.
Pyramis Companies, Inc. Companies, Inc., is one of San Antonio’s most experienced residential property management firms. With over twenty- six years of experience, we have an established network of resources to handle almost any home-related situation. Your total satisfaction is our only measure of success.
As we make our weekly careful inspection of your entire home, outer buildings, and grounds, we will:
- Check the operation of your security system, smoke detector system, electrical system, drip systems, telephone lines, HVAC and plumbing
- Specifically inspect for any water or wind damage or acts of vandalism
- Irrigate all drains, including commodes, to prevent drying out
- Water and fertilize indoor plants, if desired
- Collect and forward First Class mail
- Check the operation of your refrigerator
- Start, run, and move your vehicle to preserve engine seals and tires
- Notify you of any problems and suggest means to effect repairs, and, after your approval, arrange for such repairs to be completed
- Prior to your next visit, check all systems for proper operation, set temperatures for heating, cooling and hot water
- Maintain a log of all actions we take and whom we allowed to enter the premises and copy you at the end of each month
CONCIERGE SERVICES
- We’ll use your shopping list to prepare the home for your arrival with groceries and household items- all purchased, delivered, and put away
- Hiring and managing service vendors including pool cleaning, maid service, and landscaping
- Handling special repairs such as meeting a plumber or furniture delivery on the property and locking up afterwards
- Meet owner or friends to drop off keys
- House-Wrap: After your departure, we will change the sheets, empty the fridge, turn down the heat and close up the house
YARD MAINTENANCE
- Mow, weed and trim
- Additional planting and color added seasonally
- Irrigation supervision
- Manage landscapers and review the work
- Single point of payment through Pyramis Companies, Inc.
GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING
- Provide weekly or as requested cleaning services
- Laundry and bed making
- Provide house cleaners access to the house and inspect the quality of the work
- Single point of payment through Pyramis Companies, Inc.
SEASONAL AND SPECIALTY SERVICES
- Pool and Hot tub maintenance
- Gutter cleaning, chimney inspections
- Winterize house- irrigation systems, hoses, water tank, hot tub
- Home automation, security cameras
- Vehicle detailing, drop off or pick up
We will also serve as the local contact for your security company. In case of an emergency, we will personally respond on a 24 hour basis to assist law enforcement and we will notify you of every event in this regard.
We offer and provide additional special services unique to your specific needs. Examples of these additional services requested by our existing clients include:
- Provide access to your home for your guests, deliveries, or vendors
- Arrange for qualified cleaning services after you leave or before you arrive
- Oversee ground maintenance, including gardening, pool, spa, etc.
- Act as a project leader for needed repairs. With your approval, obtain bids, select contractor, be present when contact personnel are on the premises and ensure repairs are properly completed.
Thank you for considering our services! We will provide your home with the same conscientious care and attention to detail that you would provide were you there.
We would be pleased to arrange an interview with you at your convenience and provide a list of personal and business references.
COMMON QUESTIONS …
How long have you been in business?
We’re in our 26TH year of business.
Is this the primary focus of your business?
Yes, we are totally focused on taking care of residential properties for absentee home owners. We are not house cleaners, handymen or real estate agents looking for supplemental income.
What experience do you have?
Pyramis Companies, Inc. is filled with people who are passionate about homes and properties!
Is the company licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes, Pyramis Companies, Inc. is licensed in the state of Texas, and has been since its inception in 1985. Pyramis Companies, Inc. carries liability coverage and we are bonded.
Are you available 24/7?
Yes! And, we take all calls personally vs. relying on an answering service.
How often will you visit our house?
We will visit your house a minimum of once per week, and more often per a homeowner’s request and/or in the event of any unusual weather situations such as wind storm, extreme cold, etc.
What do your services entail?
Pyramis Companies, Inc. creates a custom checklist for each house that typically includes windows, furnace, ice maker, faucets, toilets, doors, windows, gutters, and much more. We view your house as an asset and therefore ensure that everything is in order. We also identify any maintenance items that will need attention, such as painting, deck refinishing and other items that will protect your asset for the long run.
How will you communicate with me?
Pyramis Companies, Inc. will provide you with a monthly Home Report that details what we observed during our visit, any actions we took and anything that might need attention. We will contact you via phone or email for urgent items, depending on the urgency and your preferred method of contact.
What happens when you find a problem?
If the problem is of an urgent nature such as a plumbing leak or other damage, we will immediately fix the problem. Our first call is to one of our trusted vendors (plumber or other contractor); our second call (or email) is to you, keeping you informed of the problem and communicating our solution.
Will I need to hire vendors to work on our house?
No, we will take care of hiring and managing all vendors. If you already have some vendors working at the house we are happy to serve as your local contact and to act as your eyes and ears to ensure they are performing the work to your specifications. Whether it is managing a kitchen remodel or ensuring that the spa is getting cleaned on schedule, you can relax knowing it will be managed by us just as well as it will be when we hire a vendor to work on your home.
Whom will the vendors work for?
We hire and pay the vendors so you won’t have to worry about it. We have found that local vendors are much more responsive to us because they want to earn business on all the homes we take care of and not just a small job on a single home.
How do you find your vendors?
We use local vendors that are licensed, insured and bonded, been found through our referral network and extensive reference checking. We will not hire anyone for your house that we wouldn’t want in our own home.
Who fixes and cleans things?
Pyramis Companies, Inc. works with several trusted local cleaning people and handymen to put your home in tip-top shape.
Will you act as the local contact for our security company?
Yes, we are the first phone call the security company makes when the alarm goes off in one of our clients’ homes. Because we know our owners’ schedules and we schedule any work that goes on in the home, we know if the alarm is valid. If it is clearly not a false alarm, we ask them to send someone to the house right away. Then, once the house has been cleared, we go in and make sure that art, valuables and everything else is in place. Our post-visit follow-up call to you will put you at ease, knowing we’ve been there for a first-hand look.
How many people work for you?
Pyramis Companies, Inc. is made up of 9 people and a large list of reliable, local vendors.
Do you have a payroll?
Yes, we have a payroll and are current on all business and employee taxes. If you are ever audited, all payments made to Pyramis Companies, Inc. will stand up to the rigors of an audit.
Are your workers legally permitted to work in the U.S.?
Yes, Pyramis Companies, Inc. employs only legally permitted individuals. All our vendors are required to provide proof of insurance and license to ensure they are complying with all US regulations.
How will I be billed?
Pyramis Companies, Inc. bills monthly in arrears. A detailed bill is provided along with our monthly Home Report giving our owners a comprehensive narrative on what happened during the month. Correspondence and bills are sent via email or US mail (whatever you prefer).
Do you accept credit cards?
Yes, for the ease of our owners we accept credit cards as well as checks or money orders.
Additional questions? Contact us!!
Buying A Second Home
What are the common reasons for buying a second home?
When buying a second home, there are a lot of good reasons for buying a second home, if you have the means, of course. It’s almost like a synergistic action where you are at the same time building equity, but in a different profit center. You are ending up with a wonderful place to vacation from time to time and with somebody paying your mortgage in terms of rental income coming in. So, buying second homes is a popular trend, depending on the region. For example, on the west coast, it will probably afford you more opportunity with some of the more retirement-oriented communities with all the demographic moving to warmer climates. Perhaps, maybe, in areas like the southeast, again, that would apply too. Several factors all work together in making a second home purchase worthwhile.
Are second homes a good investment?
When buying a second home, like any initial real estate purchase investment you have to know what you’re doing when going in for it. I think that the biggest fear and concern to most buyers of a second property investment is that they’re going outside of their domain. They know their area that they’re living in and the area that they grew up in. However, when it comes to this other hot area that they’ve heard about, they’re kind of working in a vacuum. So, I would recommend really diligently digging in, learning the ‘ins and outs’ of that community, the same way you would purchase a primary home. Treat it as a primary purchase investment but it just ends up being a second purchase.
What does the term “real estate bubble” mean?
When buying a second home, a real estate bubble is a hot topic in many cocktail parties that I attend; it basically refers to a market being over-inflated by an overzealous buying public who are artificially inflating home prices to the point that they will ultimately have to implode. Now, whether or not this is the reality of real estate, it remains to be determined. To answer the question, what is a real estate bubble, that answer would probably be a good description.
Do I need to consult a CPA or tax advisor on the purchase of a second home?
I would strongly recommend that you talk to a CPA or tax advisor when purchasing a second home because there’s a host of reasons. For example, you’re not getting the same loan that you would get on a primary. In other words you might be paying a slightly higher interest rate. Secondly, your write-offs on that secondary home may not be as significant as your primary. Those are two excellent reasons to know what you’re getting yourself into. In other words you don’t want any surprises after the fact and then have to sell off that second home because it didn’t turn out to be what you thought it was going to be.
If I am buying a second home as a rental, what factors should I consider?
If you are buying a second home as a rental, my recommendation would be to treat the purchase of a second home the same way that you would treat the purchase of a primary home. Meaning you want to dig in, learn about the neighborhood, the community, the location, the value, trends in the marketplace, and anything else that would factor into it becoming ultimately a wise purchase decision.
What does the term “positive cash flow” mean and how does it pertain to rental properties?
A “positive cash flow” means that the gross scheduled income–your money coming in–or the net gross scheduled income exceeds the operating expense, meaning it’s making money. You’re in the black, not the red. You do not have to contribute to it monthly to make the payment.
What is a “property management company”?
A property management company is an entity that would look over your income property for you. In other words, income properties are oftentimes out of the domain of where the buyer may live. In other words, you may have a property out of state. So, instead of having to hop on a flight every other weekend to go check on a property, you hire a management company who does that for you.
When is it a good idea to use a property management company?
When buying a second home, property management companies are probably best applied and used when you live beyond a close proximity to the property, and when it is a multi-unit complex. For example, managing two or three units from a distance away could be a whole different story than managing 12, or 24, or 75 units.
If I am buying a second home as a weekend getaway, what should I consider?
If you are buying a second home as a weekend getaway, obviously you may be retiring there, so it might be an area that you already have a working knowledge of, already aware of others, whether it be friends, neighbors, or associates who have purchased in that area and know if it has been a worthwhile purchase. Otherwise, you would want to look for the same sorts of things you look for in a primary residence. You want to make sure it’s a good area, good schools, good services, good market values and good trends of valuation.
