Mountain Haven Property Management
Mountain Haven Property Management LLC is a relatively new business, but owner Kimberly Burns and her partner, Sandra Paden bring a wealth of experience and know-how to managing rental properties, as well as a strong, longtime connection to the community.
“Our focus is on the property owners and our obligation is to them,” Kimberly explained. Of course, in order to fulfill that obligation, they make sure that the tenants are happy with the property throughout their lease. “I am proud to say that during the eviction moratorium, none of our owners were impacted with loss of rental income. We worked hard to assure any tenants who were in need of assistance were able to connect with our resources to get their rent paid and honor their lease.”
According to Kimberly, the recent high demand for homes in the mountain area extends to all types of rentals, from small quirky two bedroom cabins to large family homes to high-end executive rentals. Mountain Haven works with potential tenants directly, but also works closely with realtors who have buyers looking for homes in the area who want to rent first. “Having extensive experience in the insurance industry, I was in the mix with the realtors. They know they can call us and we will take good care of their clients.”
Kimberly acknowledged that there is a lot of desire to live in the mountains, especially after COVID. “Rentals are going quickly, some within hours of listing. We’ve had even the larger properties sometimes gone within 24 hours. People who come here looking for homes to purchase are renting larger furnished homes until they decide where they want to buy. With so many tenants looking, sometimes we don’t even put our listings on our website.”
She explained that owners who are considering putting their home up for sale have options. “They can hold onto their property and get top dollar on rent while they decide what they want to do long term. They then still have the option to continue leasing indefinitely, put it on the market for sale, or move back in.”
With COVID restrictions easing, people are traveling again. This gives owners the opportunity to earn income while away and know that their home is being well taken care of. Kimberly and Sandra pride themselves on placing tenants who are a good match to each particular property. They are incredibly careful with who they rent to and how the home is managed while the owners are traveling or living elsewhere. Tenants go through an extensive application process, which includes an interview, background check, credit check, financial verification, positive rental/mortgage reference, along with any additional required documentation or research.
“Sandra and I walk through each property with the owners prior to any lease being signed. We are super detailed and take notes on everything from owner landscape requests down to the mechanics of a heating system. Owners feel comfortable that we both know our properties inside and out,” said Kimberly. “We have handled all types of strange and interesting issues including antiquated electrical, replacing septic systems, and improving foundations. Not all property management companies are willing to take those types of issues on. I’ve been in crawl spaces and standing water. I can intelligently talk to contractors. I know what work is necessary and what is not. This job has a lot of facets, which makes it fun and keeps us on our toes. People have joked that we could have a reality show!”
Kimberly has lived in Evergreen since 1990 and Sandra is a Colorado native. They are both quite familiar with the area and have deep ties to the community, both with boys at EMS and EHS. Before getting into property management, Kimberly managed a local insurance agency for over 20 years and still carries her insurance licenses. This is where Kimberly and Sandra first worked together over 15 years ago. Kimberly bought her first rental property when she was in her mid-20s, and after managing her own properties for years, she decided to do this full time. She worked with another property management company, gaining additional experience before transitioning to Mountain Haven.
Another facet of the business is working with property investors. Mountain Haven assists buyers to determine potential rental income and costs to enable them to make an appropriate offer on a property. Their analysis considers many factors that can impact rental income such as the time of year, accessibility in winter, lease length, whether a property should be left furnished, and other details an owner might not consider.
Although Kimberly holds an independent real estate broker license, she does not handle any property sales. Mountain Haven focuses on long-term rental properties only, specializing in mountain properties, but also managing all along the Front Range.
“Our business comes from multiple sources within the community, but we also have recently seen a large influx from the internet due to our positive reviews. It is very important to us that our owners and tenants are happy with us and I think that really shows,” said Kimberly.
To learn more, contact Kimberly at Mountain Haven Property Management: kim@mountainhavenco.com or visit their website, mountainhavenco.com