If you have a full or diverse portfolio or are simply too busy to manage your own lettings it can pay to let a real estate agent do it for you.  A quick internet search for ‘Port Royal homes for rent’ or ‘Naples luxury rentals’ should give you at least a couple of agencies that specialize in up market properties and who have the experience to cater for niche clients.  A real estate agent can also bridge the knowledge and experience gap for new landlords.

Finding an agent is the easy part, finding a good agent takes a little more work.  Research the ones you find and check out their reputation, past and experience.  While years in the trade doesn’t automatically mean they’re any good, it does mean they are successful at something.

Reputation is slightly more difficult to quantify, but there are plenty of forums and bulletin boards where dissatisfied clients like to vent their feelings.  Take them with a pinch of salt, but bear them in mind when selecting.  Researching any past claims is slightly more reliable than using hearsay.  A quick local court or background check could highlight any past issues that might affect your decision.

If you have a shortlist of agents, ask them for referrals.  Then take the time to check them out.  An experienced agent should have at least a few companies or landlords who are willing to offer feedback on them.

Don’t make a decision based purely on cost.  It very often isn’t a good indicator of the quality of anyone.  Cheap services aren’t always cut-price, and expensive ones aren’t always the best you can buy.  Use cost along with the other facts to choose an agent.

Part of the selection process should depend on how you get on with them.  Some people just don’t get along for whatever reason.  If you’re entrusting your luxury rentals to an agent you need to be confident in their abilities, and how they relate to people.  A good agent can build rapport with anyone.  If they are short with you, they might be just as curt with your prospective tenants.

When you have an agent, you are going to want regular updates on things.  New tenants, vacancies, progress reports and anything else that’s going on.  You also need to decide how much responsibility to give the agent.  Are they going to be wholly responsible for tenant selection and managing the properties or are they just going to do the marketing?  Ideally you should retain the final say in tenant selection, but if it isn’t practical ensure you’re protected from the agents mistakes.

Choosing an agent isn’t an exact science.  It’s much like making other personal and professional contacts.  It’s a combination of hard facts through research and gut feeling through personal contact.  Whichever agent you choose, ensure there is a get-out clause if the relationship doesn’t work out for either party.