Kami Kemp, originally from Texas, is a new resident of Playa del Carmen, Mexico with her husband. She and her business partner (Kami`s partner is a licensed realtor and broker from the United States who we will introduce and interview later in the year) are in the process of opening up a PLAYA DEL CARMEN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT BUSINESS for the Riviera Maya region called Prime PropertiesMs. Kemp brings many years of valuable real estate leasing and administration experience to this market as she has over 20 agents reporting to her and this team is responsible for administering over 2000 properties! Kami and I met when she started to read my blog, signed up,and started sending me in depth comments and questions

Today, I am very excited to have the opportunity to ask Kami Kemp her insights and experiences on moving and deciding to start up a company here in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

1) Hola Kami. First, why did you choose Playa del Carmen to set up your Property management company

First and foremost, it was because of my love for the Playa area. I ve been traveling here, at least once per year, for vacation since the early 1990 s. I ve never really been anywhere else and when askedwhy not my answer was always,why would I

On our annual trip to Playa, my husband finally said that he was tired of hearing me say, year after year, that I wanted to move to Playa. Surprisingly enough, he told me that if I wanted to be here bad enough then I d figure out how to make it happen. Well, I took that as a challenge. I researched for hours each day trying to figure out where we would live and how would we make an income. I finally determined that if I, an experienced Realtor, had a difficult time locating a long-term rental property for myself, then the average person must also have these difficulties. I soon realized that there was an abundance of vacation rental property management companies but very few long-term rental property management companies. I knew this is where I needed to be and I knew that focusing on long-term rentals was what I wanted to do.

2) What do you predict in regards to the housing market in Playa Del Carmen

Real estate markets experience transitions and those transitions are actually very healthy. Thisebb and flow is what allows markets to continue to grow decade after decade. The four cycles, or a variation thereof, typically found in real estate is:

Expansion: job growth and high demand for infrastructure. Cost of housing generally increases

Equilibrium: Prices reach their limits, real estate and job growth begins to slow slightly

Decline: The decline generally means that job growth and real estate sales slow, prices do not increase.

Absorption: Prices begin to fall below the National averages and businesses and investors realize the financial opportunities and they begin to build and buy again.

Where we are at as a market in Playa del Carmen The answer seems to be determined by the person that you ask. If I were to answer the question now, I d say we are stuck somewhere at the beginning of Expansion with significant opportunities headed our way for growth in not only real estate but also local population.

3) What do you predict in regards to the Playa del Carmen rental market

As with any other place around the world, there are different needs for different people. Regardless of which side of the economic spectrum someone is on, there will always be a desire from those that prefer to rent rather than own, those that just simply cannot qualify for a loan in addition to the other hundreds of reasons why people rent. I don t want to say long-term rentals are recession-proof but it is the one niche in the traditional real estate world that continues to remain fairly stable despite the economy or other impacting factors. People will always need a place to live.

4) What is your background, what can your company offer to the property owners here in the Playa del Carmen rental market

I started as an apartment leasing agent when I was 19 and over the years I worked my way National Director of Marketing, traveling all over the country. I ve had the opportunity to work with great acquisition and disposition teams for multi-million dollar assets and troubleshoot some of the most under-performing properties in the multi-family industry. In 2001, I decided that I needed a change from traveling. I wanted to be at home with my family and wanted to plant roots; that s when I decided to get my Real Estate license. I went to work for a local broker, who owned a property management company in Dallas. I began listing and leasing properties for our Client s, the Landlord. I loved it more than any other job I could have imagined. After much success, I was asked to join the team as Director of Leasing for the company in which I worked. After several years of managing agents, marketing properties, directing property managers and facilitating the processes that allowed a company to grow from 350 properties to 2300 properties within a very short period of time, I had decided to branch out on my own, in a place that I love.

Prime Properties is a company that holds our integrity, values and ethics to the highest of levels. We were taught that regardless of the outcome, we place our client s needs above our own and we follow this guideline. We have a vision and it s a vision of helping others. We see a need for a resource for the local people, regardless if they are a Mexican National or an Expat. We have the experience to know how to effectively market a property for lease, how to minimize risks for our Landlords by being proactive in our management philosophy, and how to deliver what we promise. We take the time to educate our owners on what to expect from us and their investment and this begins from the moment of first contact until the time that the Tenant vacates the property.

-We will continue with more questions and interview in another post later in the month.

Thomas Lloyd graduated from Purdue University Krannert School of Management with a degree in Management/Financial Option Investments. He has been living, investing, and working professionally in Mexico for over 15 years. Active broker and current president of TOPmexicorealestate, you can contact him at (512) 879-6546 or through the company`s web site www.TOPmexicorealestate.com

Related posts:

1. 2008 Playa del Carmen Real Estate Rental Market: Interview and Opinions-Part 2
2. Outlining Your Goals for Your Mexico Rental Property
3. The How To's of Long-Term Rental Properties in Mexico
4. Mexico Condominium for Sale: Full Time Living or Rental Property Investment
5. Mexico Real Estate Rental Security Deposits: How to Manage