Niche Properties

What Niche Properties does

Niche Properties LLC is a privately held, full-service residential real estate and property management company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company serves property owners, buyers, sellers, and tenants across three North Carolina counties: Mecklenburg (Charlotte, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville), Union (Indian Trail, Stallings, Waxhaw, Weddington), and Gaston (Mount Holly, Belmont). Its three core service lines are Property Management (advertising, tenant screening, lease preparation, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and move-in/move-out walkthroughs for residential homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, and small multi-unit apartment complexes), Real Estate Sales (buyer and seller representation for first-time purchases, investment properties, foreclosures, and short sales), and Tenant Placement/Procurement (a lighter-touch service for owners who want help finding tenants but prefer to manage themselves).

The company is founder-owned by Steven Howell, who serves as Owner and Broker-In-Charge, supported by a small team that includes Showing Agent Richie Sparrow and Property Manager Chris Folse. The technology stack is built on standard industry tools rather than proprietary systems: Showing Time for appointment scheduling, ManageBuilding.com for owner and resident portal access, ACH bank draft and credit card processing for online rent collection, and distribution across MLS, Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Trulia.com, Hotpads.com, Homes.com, and Streeteasy.com for property listings. No mobile app, no API, and no AI capabilities are evident.

Revenue is generated through a recurring monthly management fee of 10% of rental amount, a one-time advertising/leasing fee equal to 50% of one month's rent, lease renewal fees of 10% of one month's rent, additional walkthrough fees at $65 each beyond three free annual walkthroughs, and real estate sales commissions on buyer and seller transactions. The company has no venture capital or institutional investment and operates on a bootstrapped, direct-to-consumer basis serving a single metropolitan market.

Name

Niche Properties

Legal name

Niche Properties LLC

Website

https://nicheproperties.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Niche Properties is a privately held, full-service residential real estate and property management company founded in 2012 in Charlotte, NC, serving property owners, buyers, sellers, and tenants across three NC counties via property management, real estate sales, and tenant placement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Property Management

NAICS

Rental and Leasing Services (532)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation (BPAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Property management services
• Residential real estate
• Tenant placement
• Real estate sales
• Rental management

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Management Services: Ongoing property management services for residential properties including single-family homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, and small multi-unit apartment complexes. Revenue generated through monthly management fees and one-time leasing fees.
2. Advertising/Leasing Fee: One-time fee charged when a property is rented. Calculated as 50% of one full month's rent. No fee charged until the property is successfully rented.
3. Monthly Management Fee: Ongoing monthly fee for property management services. Charged at 10% per month of the rental amount. Includes rent collection, maintenance coordination, and monthly statements.
4. Lease Renewal Fee: One-time fee of 10% of one month's rent charged when a tenant's lease is renewed. Not charged if tenant goes month-to-month or moves out.
5. Real Estate Sales Commission: Assists buyers and sellers with residential real estate transactions. Charges competitive listing rates for sellers. Buyers' services typically at no cost as compensation is sought from sellers.
6. Tenant Placement/Procurement Services: Marketing properties, showing to prospective tenants, screening applicants, and preparing lease documents for property owners who manage their own properties. Owner handles ongoing management after lease execution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Niche Properties provides residential property management, real estate sales (buyer and seller representation), and tenant placement/procurement services for single-family homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, and small multi-unit apartment complexes in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area. The company handles the full residential lifecycle — listing, advertising, tenant screening, lease preparation, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and move-in/move-out — and also maintains an online Available Rentals listings page.

Product overview

Niche Properties operates as a full-service real estate and property management company offering three core services: Property Management, Real Estate Sales, and Tenant Placement/Procurement. These services work together to serve clients across the residential property lifecycle - from buying and selling homes to managing rental properties and finding tenants. The company also maintains an Available Rentals listings platform for prospective tenants to browse current vacancies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Management Full-service property management for residential homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, and small multi-unit apartment complexes in and around Charlotte, NC. Covers advertising, showing properties, screening applications, lease preparation, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and the move-in/move-out process. Charged at 10% per month of the rental amount.
• Real Estate Sales Buyer and seller representation for residential real estate transactions in the Charlotte market, including first-time home purchases, investment properties, foreclosures, and short sales. Services include property listing, marketing, photography, video walkthrough, negotiation, and closing coordination. Sellers pay a competitive listing commission; buyer services are typically at no direct cost to the buyer.
• Tenant Placement/Procurement One-time placement service for property owners who want to manage their property themselves but need help finding and vetting tenants. Includes marketing the property, showing it to prospective tenants, screening applicants, and preparing lease documents. The owner takes over ongoing management once the lease is executed.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of renters primarily search online for rental properties
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Mynd: Tech-enabled residential property management company that uses proprietary software to manage single-family rentals at scale. Comparable to Niche Properties in service but competes by offering a more digitized owner and tenant experience.
• Belong: Tech-enabled residential property management platform providing full-service leasing and management for single-family homes. Overlaps with Niche Properties' service set while substituting proprietary technology for a traditional local manager.
• Doorstead: Tech-enabled property management company offering guaranteed-rent and full-service management for individual landlords. Compares to Niche Properties in serving small-scale residential landlords with a different pricing and risk model.

Broad incumbents

• Redfin: National real estate brokerage with a tech-driven platform that competes for residential buy/sell representation in the Charlotte market, overlapping with Niche Properties' real estate sales offering.
• Compass: National luxury-leaning real estate brokerage with a Charlotte presence, competing for buyer and seller representation in the same residential segments Niche Properties serves with its sales team.
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices: National real estate brokerage franchise with strong Carolinas presence, comparable to Niche Properties' residential sales offering and competing for the same Charlotte-area buyer and seller relationships.
• Coldwell Banker: Large national real estate franchise with regional affiliates in Charlotte, competing for the same residential buyers, sellers, and investors targeted by Niche Properties' brokerage services.

Direct peers

• Real Property Management: National franchise property management company with local franchise owners managing residential single-family and small multifamily rentals, directly competing with Niche Properties for landlord clients in suburban MSAs.
• HomeRiver Group: National residential property management company operating locally in major MSAs, offering full-service leasing and management for single-family rentals, directly comparable to Niche Properties' core service offering.
• Allen Tate Realtors: Carolinas-based real estate brokerage with strong Charlotte presence, combining residential sales and adjacent management services. Directly comparable regional peer competing for the same buyers, sellers, and investors in the Charlotte market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nicheproperties
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/niche-properties

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Niche Properties