SOTO Property Solutions makes investing easy with full-service property management

David Soto, president of SOTO Property Solutions and licensed real estate broker, says many people don’t realize the work that goes into managing rental properties, including his younger self.

“When I first bought a rental property, I thought I could handle it,” Soto said. “I had a full-time job and I worked in St Louis. My first apartment was here in Cape. I realized pretty quickly I had no idea what I was doing, or had the resources to collect rent and address issues that came up. So, I hired a property manager.”

Soto learned the importance of having an experienced property manager firsthand. This led him to pursue a career in the field and buy Wunderlich Property Management in 2008, which he renamed SOTO Property Solutions. His company offers full-service property management for real estate from St. Louis to Sikeston, Missouri, and the region in-between.

There is a lot to be aware of when managing properties, Soto said. For example, he said there are fair housing laws, in which violations could result in fines in excess of $10,000. There are also local regulations and laws that take time to understand and implement. With all the due diligence required to be successful, managing properties is not something easily done “on the side” by someone with no experience in real estate.

“It’s not a hobby. It’s not something you do on the side. It’s a business. You have to view it as a business,” Soto said.

As a full-service property management provider, SOTO will handle “everything” associated with an investors’ real estate portfolio, including: marketing, showings, tenant screenings, rent collection, maintenance calls, security deposits, property updates — and more.

Soto said the company takes pride in helping people remain “hands-off” with their real estate investments. Investors typically only hear from SOTO once a month when a deposit has been made into their account, unless specific issues arise, such as a tenant moving out.

The SOTO team has the man-power, expertise and software to streamline the entire property management process. All tenants make payments online, and all investors have access to an online portal to view deposits and any information they may need to know about their properties.

SOTO Property Solutions truly takes care of everything. If maintenance issues arise at an investor’s property, SOTO will promptly send a crew to fix it. They only notify investors of major maintenance issues, which is all part of their “hands off” approach to property management. Recently, Soto said they sent a crew to St. Louis and the crew finished renovations for multiple properties in only three days.

If investors want to add to their portfolios, SOTO can also help locate and perform rent analyses on new properties. If investors want to get rid of properties that are not performing well, they can help sell those.

“Investing in real estate or [with] any other investment, there’s risk. One way to mitigate the risk is to hire somebody that knows what they’re doing and how to manage it,” Soto said.

With SOTO, your portfolio is in good hands. David Soto is a member of the National Association of REALTORS, Missouri Association of REALTORS and the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). SOTO Property Solutions is also licensed by the real-estate commission, which helps protect both owners and tenants.

“We work very hard to keep up-to-date with how things are [in real estate], and how we can better service our tenants and better service our owners,” Soto said.

SOTO Property Solutions’ main goal is to help you be a real estate investor without dealing with the day-to-day operations and headaches. This way, you have more time for the places, things and people you love most.