Chances are you’ve probably seen Orca Realty’s company cars in and around Greater Vancouver.
The signature smart cars, painted black and white with a fin on top, are the full-service rental property management’s calling cards.
“When you see the whale car parked in front of a home, you know that property is in good hands,” Petr Vokoun, Orca Realty co-owner, says.
“The car has really made us stand out among the competition. We’re famous for the car.”
The fleet of dozens cars, with 10 more soon to be added, transport Orca Realty’s dedicated staff around the Lower Mainland as they provide personalized property management service.
Orca Realty was started eight years ago by longtime friends Vokoun and Michael Welsh, who saw an opportunity to offer rental management in a professional way.
“We decided to do property management the right way,” Vokoun says.
“Years ago, we developed a mission statement that we live by. We go beyond. We truly care. We deliver results. And we rent homes.”
The Orca Realty team works closely with its clients through all stages of property management, from locating and selecting the best and most reliable tenants, to a thorough screening analysis of potential tenants.
“Over the years, we’ve rented close to 4000 properties. We have a track record of finding great tenants and checking on the tenants that we place to minimize risk to the landlord,” Vokoun says.
On behalf of its clients, Orca Realty collects rent, assists with maintenance and repairs, provides 24/7 service and property status updates, does monthly property financial statements and deposits its clients’ monthly rental incomes.
Working closely with tenants and being responsive to their needs has been one of Orca Realty’s pillars of success.
“When a tenant calls, we are able to provide a service so the tenant is happy. Usually this means they’ll stay longer and that leads to less vacancy for clients,” Vokoun says.
“We’d prefer to find a great tenant that will stay for years. It’s a win on both sides. A happy tenant makes for a happy landlord.”
With local knowledge and experience in property management complemented by its systems management software, advertising and marketing capabilities, Orca Realty is able to bring its clients the finest in service and results.
The diversity of Orca Realty’s team allows them to provide top-tier service to its clients in their own language. Their staff includes Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi, French, Korean, and Czech speakers.
“We’re an established company that has a system in place, so whenever someone calls, that person receives incredible service,” Vokoun says.
Orca Realty has seen incredible growth in the past year fueled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What we found very quickly was that people needed places to shelter. We were there for people and had the busiest year ever. We feel very privileged and lucky to have done so well,” Vokoun says.
“Michael and I feel a sense of pride that not only have we been able to keep every single member of our Orca team working during this health crisis, but we have spent many long, hard months making sure we worked closely with our tenants during this stressful economic time on behalf of our valued owners.”
When COVID-19 broke out last March, Orca Realty quickly moved to establish health and safety protocols that would make remote property viewing as easy as possible. This included making video and virtual tours of properties, and providing personal protective equipment during limited tours of rental properties.
For Vokoun, helping its property owners and tenants have a seamless rental experience is a key part of their role.
“The main part of our business is making a very stressful process for people on both sides as easy as possible,” Vokoun says.
To learn more about Orca Realty’s outstanding service, visit orcarealty.ca.
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