As an investor, having the right property management partner makes all the difference -- and this…read moreteam is simply outstanding. My clients are always so relieved and thrilled to have a company that is reliable, quick to respond, and proactive in handling everything from tenant needs to property upkeep. Their communication is clear, their follow-through is consistent, and they truly treat each property as if it were their own. Having worked with many management companies over the years, I can honestly say this one sets the bar high. If you want peace of mind and professional service, look no further."

It's unfortunate that I feel compelled to write a negative review for Spear, and I'm at a loss as…read moreto why they have a five star Google rating so far given the experience that my partner and I have had with them. Although I do see that there are a handful of reviews by family members in the mix. From start to finish of the application process it has been one of the worst home rental experiences for myself to date, which is saying something as I have lived in several states in the US and a couple of countries abroad. Apparently, the company is relying heavily on AI to do the job of human employees, which is a disservice to the homeowners as well as potential renters. Our experience started with an AI bot setting up a fake tour during the middle of the week. I received a text and an email confirmation for the property tour after negotiating a time over the phone with the bot. My partner and I then showed up at the appointed time to find that nobody was there to meet us. I called Spear and left a message asking if there was someone coming to the property. While doing so, the homeowner came home to find us waiting for a tour that he had no knowledge of. After an incredibly awkward initial interaction, the owner very graciously offered to tour us himself. At this point, staff from Spear did call to apologize, stating that the AI system was new. That was the only instance we  had a real time interaction with Spear staff when needed, but the error was already made. We actually ended up having a positive interaction with the homeowner despite the mix up, and we let him know that we would be putting in an application. He said he would put in a good word, and we said our goodbyes. That was the only bright spot in the process. My partner and I then put in our applications, and began to receive a series of auto-generated emails prompting us to nudge anyone who we would be relying on for information and references, sometimes multiple emails a day. After a few days we were told via these auto-generated emails that we were accepted (we had to enter a portal to open the acceptance letter). This notification came to us at the end of a particular day. The next day when opening the email, we saw that a deposit was posted as due the day before, even though we hadn't been told yet that we were accepted or how payment would need to be made. I called several times asking clarifying questions, and never received a live person, leaving voicemails each time. Desperate to talk to a real person before having to hand over thousands of dollars and having time to read the lease and ask relevant questions, I drove an hour round-trip on my lunch break to their "office". I found that their office address is nothing more than a mailbox at a circulation desk within a building.  On my way back to work that day, I did receive a phone call from a staff member who said that Mackenzi Spear was out of town and when he returned, he would address our questions. My partner also had questions, as this particular property had additional HOA rules and regulations that we needed to review, but were not provided. The process to get answers was laborious, and days would go by intermittently as we gained partial information from Mackenzi only via email, and never a personable phone call where we could have a normal conversation. I asked both in email and via text messages with staff for instructions on next steps in the process, but received no answers. We then received an ultimatum from Mackenzi to sign the lease or lose the house, before we had been supplied with all the information requested and reasonable time to review it so that we could make an informed decision. Unfortunately, Spear's ultimatum fell on a day when I was on a scheduled trip out of state (which I had told his staff I was making prior), and I was literally airborne when his imposed deadline passed. But ultimately, my partner and I were feeling like we dodged a bullet with this company. If this was how the application process went, we couldn't imagine that dealing with them for the duration of the lease would be any better. We were quite disappointed because we loved the property and felt the owner and ourselves deserved better. I cannot recommend.