Curate Living in Chattanooga: A Real Estate Service Focused on Rental Property Investment
Curate Living is a property management and real estate investment service based in Chattanooga that specializes in single-family rental homes, targeting out-of-state and local investors seeking passive income from residential properties in the Tennessee market.
What Curate Living actually is
Curate Living operates as a full-service property management firm paired with investment acquisition support, meaning it handles both the sourcing and ongoing management of rental properties for investors who do not live in Chattanooga or prefer not to self-manage. The company positions itself in the middle of Chattanooga's real estate landscape, which includes large institutional property management firms (often tied to apartment complexes or commercial portfolios) and individual landlords managing one or two properties themselves. Curate Living targets the investor cohort that wants professional oversight without the scale or corporate feel of a regional management company.
Services and fee structure
Curate Living's core service is property management, which typically includes tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and lease enforcement. The company also assists clients in identifying investment properties, handling initial due diligence on properties before purchase. Management fees generally run between 8 and 12 percent of monthly rental income for full-service property management, though this range should be confirmed directly as fee structures can vary by property type or portfolio size. Some property management firms in Chattanooga charge flat fees instead; Curate Living's model appears to align with the percentage-of-rent standard.
The company may also offer ancillary services such as property inspections, eviction support, and coordination with local contractors. Investors should clarify whether maintenance markup (the percentage charged on top of contractor invoices) is included in the management fee or assessed separately, as this can meaningfully affect total cost.
How Curate Living compares to other Chattanooga property management options
Chattanooga's property management landscape includes large firms like Cummings Management and Churchill Property Management, which manage hundreds or thousands of units and often handle mixed portfolios of apartments, condos, and single-family homes. These firms offer stability and scale but less personalized investor relations. Curate Living's smaller footprint theoretically allows for more direct communication and customized attention to individual properties, though this claim should be validated through references.
On the other end of the spectrum, many Chattanooga investors self-manage or hire freelance leasing agents and contractors piecemeal. Self-management saves fees but requires the investor to manage tenant communication, legal compliance, and emergency repairs across time zones or via phone. Curate Living sits between these extremes: more hands-on than a mega-firm, more systematic than DIY.
Choose Curate Living if you want local expertise combined with ongoing oversight without managing day-to-day operations yourself. Choose a larger firm if you own multiple properties across different markets and want consolidated reporting. Self-manage only if you have local presence or significant real estate experience.
Who Curate Living suits and who it does not
Curate Living is built for out-of-state investors seeking entry or expansion into the Chattanooga rental market, particularly those buying single-family homes in neighborhoods where long-term residential rental demand is steady. It also suits local investors who own multiple properties and want to offload operational burden to focus on acquisition or other business.
Curate Living is not ideal for someone buying a single investment property and willing to manage it personally, nor for investors with specialized needs (such as short-term vacation rentals, which require different systems and licensing). It is not a fit for those seeking to buy a primary residence and manage an accessory dwelling unit themselves, or for commercial real estate investors.
What the first engagement involves
An investor typically begins with a consultation to discuss portfolio goals, property type preferences, and market expectations. Curate Living would then either source an available property matching those criteria or take on management of an investor's existing Chattanooga property. For a new acquisition, expect due diligence on the property's condition, market rent, tenant profile, and cash-flow projections. Once a property is under management, the investor receives monthly statements detailing rent collected, expenses paid, and net return.
Hours, location, and contact
Curate Living operates during standard business hours. The company is based in Chattanooga and serves the greater metro area. Verify current hours and request a consultation via the company's website or direct phone contact, as availability for investor calls may extend beyond posted office hours.
Curate Living fills a specific niche in Chattanooga's real estate market: the investor who wants professional management without megafirm bureaucracy. It works when the investor's needs align with the company's single-family focus and when local property management saves more than its cost in tenant turnover, legal risk, and missed rent.
