Apple Valley is a great city to own an investment property in. The owners who reach out to us tend to fall into one of two situations. Either they bought investment property during the market downturn between 2009 and 2015 when prices in the High Desert were historically low, or they are longtime owners who have been living in the home themselves for years and have decided it is time to turn it into a rental. Both are great places to be, but it also means you are running a rental business in a town where the housing stock, the infrastructure, and the lot sizes create management challenges you will not find in a typical suburban market.
Apple Valley is a little bit different from Victorville and the neighboring city of Hesperia. The Town of Apple Valley, as it prefers to be called, was built around half-acre minimum lots, rural zoning, and a deliberate decision to keep density low. That is part of what makes it attractive to tenants and owners alike. It is also what makes it different to manage. Roughly 70 percent of Apple Valley's developed residential areas are on septic systems rather than municipal sewer. If you own a rental home here, you need to know when the tank was last pumped, whether the seepage pit is functioning, and what happens if a tenant flushes something they should not have. A septic failure on a rental property is not a minor repair. It is a multi-thousand-dollar excavation job that can leave the home uninhabitable until it is resolved. Most property managers who cover the entire Victor Valley from a single office do not think about septic maintenance proactively. We make it a top priority.
The housing stock in Apple Valley ranges from 1950s ranch homes on large parcels near South Apple Valley to custom-built homes in Desert Knolls with valley views and three-car garages. We manage homes across many of the town's established residential neighborhoods, from the areas around Bear Valley Road and the commercial corridor, to the homes above Providence St. Mary Medical Center. We go into Desert Knolls, and we manage properties out toward Sycamore Rocks. We also manage a small number of homes in Jess Ranch, the 55-plus community off Apple Valley Road, where the rental dynamics are different because of the age-restricted buyer and renter pool. We are not active in every part of Apple Valley. We are selective about which areas we take on, and we focus on the neighborhoods where we can deliver strong results for owners and attract quality tenants. The one consistent thread across our Apple Valley portfolio is that lots are big, the homes tend to sit on a half acre or more, and that means more exterior maintenance, more fencing, more landscape management, and more to inspect between tenants.
Mesa Properties has been managing rental homes in Apple Valley since March 2011. Our High Desert office is in Victorville, about 15 minutes from most Apple Valley neighborhoods. We currently manage 87 homes in Apple Valley, making it one of the larger city portfolios in our High Desert operation. Mesa Properties is a family-owned company, licensed under DRE 01884617, with over 1,000 Google reviews across our Upland and Victorville offices. We have been managing property for ourselves and others since 2009.
The homes we currently manage in Apple Valley rent at an average of $1,670 per month, with a range from $900 for units to $2,860 for higher end homes. The rent price all depends on size, location, and condition. Across our portfolio, homes lease in approximately 18 days on average. The majority of our Apple Valley portfolio is single-family homes, with a small number of multi-family properties. If you are trying to decide whether renting your Apple Valley home makes sense, or you are already renting it out and want a property manager who actually understands the town, call us at 760.713.6690 or request a free rental analysis at MesaProperties.net and we can walk through the numbers with you.
Owner or Renter?
You can maximize your rental income with our complimentary rental analysis. Our expert insights help you understand market trends, set competitive rates, and position your property for long term success.
Apple Valley rental homes come with different management challenges than properties in more suburban parts of Southern California. Half-acre lots, septic systems, evaporative coolers, equestrian zoning, and older desert housing stock require a property manager who understands the local infrastructure and tenant expectations. Before hiring a property manager, it helps to understand what good management actually looks like in Apple Valley specifically.
When we take on a home in Apple Valley, we already know the town. We know that a home on a half-acre lot near Desert Knolls has different maintenance needs than a home in a newer subdivision off Bear Valley Road. We know which areas are on septic and which have municipal sewer. We know that the bigger lots mean more fencing to maintain, more exterior space to inspect, and more potential for deferred maintenance to hide in places an out-of-area manager would miss. We know what tenants in this market are looking for and what rent prices are actually working right now. That local context matters. A property manager who handles two or three Apple Valley homes as part of a portfolio spread across six cities is going to learn your market on your time and your dollar.
Apple Valley homes require a maintenance approach that accounts for the desert environment and the infrastructure realities of the town. Septic systems need to be monitored, and we track pump schedules and flag potential seepage pit issues before they become emergencies. Desert landscaping still requires upkeep, and the large lot sizes mean more ground to cover during inspections. Evaporative coolers (swamp coolers) are common in the High Desert and need seasonal startup and winterization that a property manager unfamiliar with the area might overlook. Many properties also use Liberty Utilities well-sourced water rather than a traditional municipal water system, which means water billing and service setup work differently here than in cities with municipal water.
When a tenant submits a maintenance request, we troubleshoot directly with them over phone or chat support, and a significant number of issues get resolved without dispatching a vendor at all. When a repair is needed, we send a vetted local vendor and charge you exactly what the vendor charges. No markup after the first 90 days. If the damage was caused by the tenant, they get billed, not you. Repairs under $500 are handled without contacting you. Over $500, we get your approval first.
We back everything with guarantees most property managers in the High Desert do not offer. If you are not satisfied in the first 90 days, we tear up the contract and refund every management fee you have paid. If the tenant we place leaves within 12 months, we re-place at no charge. We guarantee your home will lease within 21 days or your first month of management is free. There is no long-term contract and no cancellation penalty. And if we placed the tenant and an eviction becomes necessary, we handle it at no additional cost to you.
Mesa offers two transparent plans. Our Full Service plan charges 6 to 8 percent of collected rent with a $120 per month minimum. Our Premium Service plan is a flat $285 per month. Both include a $975 tenant placement fee. There are no hidden marketing fees, no nickel-and-dime charges for serving notices, and no junk fees. We publish our full fee schedule on our website because we believe owners deserve to know exactly what they are paying before they sign anything.
This model is a good fit for some owners and not the right fit for others. If you have any questions about how we work, give us a call and we would be more than happy to talk through whether or not we are a good fit based on your needs.
Managing in Apple Valley Since
Average Days to Lease
Rent Range
Where are you located?
If you're looking for a personal rental, please call our office: 909.360.2660
Managing in Apple Valley since 2011. 87 homes across the town's established neighborhoods, from Desert Knolls to Bear Valley Road to Sycamore Rocks. We know the septic systems, the big lots, and the desert housing stock.
We handle tenant screening, leasing, rent collection, maintenance coordination, inspections, and accounting. You get a monthly statement and a rent deposit. That is how it should work.
90-day money-back guarantee. 12-month tenant placement guarantee. 21-day leasing guarantee. No long-term contract. No cancellation penalty. If we placed the tenant and an eviction is needed, we handle it at no extra cost.
Apple Valley's half-acre lots, septic systems, evaporative coolers, and equestrian properties require a property manager who understands the infrastructure. We track septic schedules, coordinate seasonal cooler maintenance, and inspect large lots thoroughly.
