Professional Property Management

What Professional Property Management does

Professional Property Management (PPM) is a privately held, family-owned real estate brokerage and property management firm founded in 1994 (per firmographic data; 1996 in company history) and headquartered in El Sobrante, California. Co-owned by brothers Gene Smith and Jimmy Smith, the company operates six physical offices across the Bay Area, serving West Contra Costa, Central Contra Costa, East Contra Costa, Alameda, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, and San Francisco counties. PPM manages hundreds of residential and commercial properties for individual investors, corporate relocation clients (Allstate, Kaiser Permanente, Chevron, PG&E), and institutional asset managers (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Capital One) requiring REO and bank-owned asset management services. Its core products include full-service Residential and Commercial Property Management, a Commercial Bookkeeping-Only tier starting at 3.5% of monthly rent, specialty Trust/Probate/REO services, the SureVestor Landlord Protection policy, and a Home Services Referral Network. All operations are delivered on the AppFolio property management platform, providing owner and tenant portals for online rent payment, maintenance requests, financial statements, and work order tracking.

The business model is built on multiple recurring revenue streams layered on top of property management fees: percentage-of-rent management fees for residential and commercial portfolios, a mandatory $41/month Go Green Residential Benefits Package and $30/month Go Green Commercial Benefits Package per tenant, $50 non-refundable application processing fees, optional SureVestor landlord protection insurance, and ancillary transaction fees from real estate sales (via sister company First Republic Real Estate) and referral commissions from a network of home services partners (First American Title, Chicago Title, Old Republic Exchange, Brinks Home Security, First American Home Warranty, Citizen Home Solutions). Lead generation combines direct agent outreach, referrals from real estate brokerages (Coldwell Banker, Mason-McDuffie, Prudential California), proactive marketing to banks, and broad listing syndication to Zillow, Realtor.com, Apartments.com, Trulia, and other portals. The stated employee count is 1-10, indicating a lean operation that scales through distributed local offices and standardized AppFolio-driven workflows rather than headcount growth.

Name

Professional Property Management

Legal name

Professional Property Management

Website

https://ppm4rent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Professional Property Management is a privately held, family-owned Bay Area real estate brokerage managing hundreds of residential and commercial properties for individual investors, corporate relocation clients, and institutional REO asset managers through six local offices and the AppFolio platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Property Management Services

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Nonresidential Property Managers (531312), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Family Rental (SFR) Property Management (BPAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Office Property Management (BPAJAGAA), Office Brokerage (BPAJABAA)

Keywords

• Property management services
• Residential property management
• Commercial property management
• Real estate brokerage
• Tenant placement services

Headquarters

HQ city

El Sobrante

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial Property Management Fees: Full service commercial property management with fees starting at 3.5% of monthly rent. Includes rent collection, accounting, NNN billing, and owner statements.
2. Residential Property Management: Property management fees charged as percentage of monthly rental income. Services include tenant placement, rent collection, maintenance, and compliance.
3. Application Processing Fees: Non-refundable $50 per adult applicant for application processing (credit/background check). Applications valid for 6 months.
4. Go Green Residential Benefits Package: $41/month per residential unit - mandatory package including portal access, maintenance hotline, renter's insurance, tenant liability insurance, and move-in concierge service
5. Go Green Commercial Benefits Package: $30/month per commercial tenant - includes portal access, maintenance hotline, and move-in concierge service
6. Landlord Protection Insurance: SureVestor Landlord Protection Coverage offered as optional add-on. Features rent guarantees, eviction expense coverage, and tenant damage protection.
7. Real Estate Sales/Referral: Buying, selling, 1031 exchanges, and relocation services through sister company First Republic Real Estate. Referral fees for agent referrals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Professional Property Management is a full-service real estate brokerage and property management firm that manages residential and commercial properties on behalf of property owners in the Bay Area. Services include tenant placement, rent collection, marketing, maintenance coordination, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and specialized handling of trust/probate/REO properties. The company also generates transaction-based revenue through affiliated real estate sales brokerage (First Republic Real Estate) and rental-related add-ons including a mandatory tenants benefits package and SureVestor landlord protection insurance.

Product overview

Professional Property Management is a property management company operating in the Bay Area with a multi-product service portfolio. The core offering consists of Residential Property Management (single-family homes, condos, apartments) and Commercial Property Management (office, retail, multi-family), both providing full-service leasing, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and financial reporting. These are supplemented by Commercial Bookkeeping Services (standalone accounting at 3.5% of rent), Trust/Probate/REO Specialty Services, SureVestor Landlord Protection coverage, a Home Services Referral Network, Property Listing Syndication across major platforms, and affiliated Real Estate Sales and Real Estate School programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Go Green Resident Benefits Package: Monthly residential benefits package including portal access, maintenance hotline, renter's insurance, tenant liability insurance, and move-in concierge service for $41.00/month
• SureVestor Landlord Protection Coverage

Products and services

• Residential Property Management Full-service residential property management for single-family homes, condos, townhouses, and apartments including tenant screening, marketing, rent collection, property maintenance, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance for individual and institutional property owners.
• Commercial Property Management Management of multi-family apartment communities, mixed-use retail centers, office buildings, and individual commercial units with specialized lease accounting, CAM billing, and tenant relations for commercial property owners.
• Commercial Bookkeeping Services Standalone bookkeeping service for commercial property owners starting at 3.5% of monthly rent, including rent collection, NNN billing, property accounting, and monthly owner statements.
• Trust, Probate, Bank-Owned, and REO Services Specialized property management services for trust and probate estates, bank-owned properties, REO asset management, and property preservation including monthly inspections, compliance coordination, and value analysis.
• SureVestor Landlord Protection Policy Landlord protection coverage featuring guaranteed malicious damage coverage (up to $35,000), lost rental income reimbursement, and eviction cost guarantees through the Rent with Confidence program, exclusively offered through Professional Property Management.
• Real Estate Sales Services Real estate sales and purchase assistance for investors through affiliated company First Republic Real Estate, including normal listings, short sales, and REO property transactions, plus 1031 exchanges and relocation services.
• Real Estate School Partner program with firsttuesday.us providing continuing education courses for agent license renewal and new agent licensing packages for California real estate professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Streamlined property management reducing vacancy periods through effective marketing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• First Republic Real EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company providing full-service real estate brokerage. Handles buying, selling, 1031 exchanges, and relocation services. PPM refers clients needing real estate sales services; First Republic refers clients needing property management.
• First American TitleminorOthersTitle and escrow services partnership. Referrals to First American Title for real estate transactions through Professional Property Management.
• Chicago TitleminorOthersTitle and escrow services partnership. Referrals to Chicago Title for real estate transactions.
• Brinks Home SecurityminorOthersHome security services partnership. Referrals to Brinks Home Security for alarm and security monitoring services.
• First American Home WarrantyminorOthersHome warranty services partnership. Referrals to First American Home Warranty for home warranty coverage.
• Old Republic ExchangeminorOthersQualified intermediary for 1031 tax-deferred property exchanges. Referrals to Old Republic Exchange for investors needing exchange services.
• M.A. Hays Co.minorOthersInsurance services partnership providing insurance coverage recommendations to property owners.
• Citizen Home SolutionsminorOthersConcierge utility connection service (part of of Resident Benefits Package). Contacts approved tenants to assist with setting up water, gas, electricity, phone service, cable/satellite TV, and security monitoring.
• Property ID East BayminorOthersHazard disclosure reporting and construction/preservation services for property improvements and repairs.
• SureVestorcoreOthersExclusive provider of Landlord Protection Coverage featuring rent guarantees, eviction expense coverage, and tenant damage protection. Product only available through Professional Property Management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Buildium: Property management SaaS for residential portfolios; alternative platform to AppFolio and a structural adjacent competitor as more owners self-manage via software.
• AppFolio: Property management software platform on which PPM runs its owner/tenant portals, payments, and maintenance workflows. Strategic technology partner and adjacent competitor for direct-to-owner SaaS models.

Broad incumbents

• Compass: National real estate brokerage with a Bay Area presence offering sales, leasing, and adjacent property services. Overlaps with PPM's brokerage arm and First Republic Real Estate sister-company offerings.
• HomeRiver Group: One of the largest U.S. residential property management operators, providing single-family and multifamily management across multiple states. Comparable to PPM on residential management services but operates at substantially greater geographic scale.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Largest U.S. multifamily and student housing operator and manager with a national portfolio. Relevant incumbent comparable on commercial and large-multifamily management that PPM addresses at much smaller scale.
• Lincoln Property Company: Diversified national real estate services firm with significant commercial and multifamily management operations. Comparable to PPM's commercial property management line at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• AvenueWest Managed Rentals: Corporate housing and managed rentals provider operating in multiple U.S. metros. Comparable to PPM's corporate housing/relocation line of business serving Kaiser, Chevron, and other Bay Area enterprises.
• Real Property Management: National franchise of residential property management firms with similar full-service rental management, tenant placement, and owner reporting offerings. Closest comparable to PPM in service mix and target customer (individual and small-portfolio investors).
• GreenTree Property Management: Bay Area-focused residential property management firm serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties with full-service rental management. Direct local competitor to PPM in overlapping Bay Area submarkets.

Emerging players

• Mynd Management: Tech-enabled residential property manager serving small and mid-size landlords with a software-led platform. Competes with PPM for individual investors and small-portfolio owners by emphasizing self-service and online portals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Professional Property Management