Advice - Facilities Supervisor to Property Manager?

Hello to all.

I would like to hear some feedback from those currently in the industry on what they think is the BEST career pathway in order for me to make the conversion from a facilities management position to a multifamily property management position. Currently my title is "Facilities Supervisor" and I'm employed by the tenant. I am essentially the tenant's liaison between themselves and the landlord. This includes matters pertaining to lease review and amendments (in concert with the legal dept.), scheduling maintenance issues within our tenant area, project management for all build-outs and upgrades. I also manage the on-site IT infrastructure. While I'm not a traditional Facilities Manager working with chillers, boilers, fire/life systesm, etc., I am working on my final class to earn my FMA certification through BOMI. Furthermore, I'm doing both the FMA and RPA in tandem and will concentrate on the last three courses I need for the RPA once the FMA is completed later this year.

So with that said, what options do I have in making the move over to the residential side of the industry? What type of positions should I be realistically applying for? One of the issues I'm dealing with is that there seems to be many more job opportunities out there for residential property professionals vs. commercial facility professionals (no maintenance positions). Secondly, I can not afford to take a huge pay cut so that would also put limits on what positions I could realistically take. I'm certainly not against continuing my education and working towards additional certification (as mentioned in this thread: www.multifamilyinsiders.com/apartment-id...erewhich-is-the-best

. . . I would however like to starting looking at what my options are in terms on career change.

Thanks in advance for any responses. I'm enjoy many of the discussions and articles I've come across on the site.

MarkR

Hi Mark and welcome to MFI, you are starting off in the right place. Now I'm assuming you are looking to join the maintenance side of the industry so I'm basing my response on that...
I have recently been reviewing resumes for service techs and service managers. (Our company just changed the job titles from maintenance as we are here to serve not just maintain) Anyway several of the applicants I am interested in have some facilities management experience and I would think that experience would be similar to the basic maintenance of our community. As long as you have great interpersonal skills I think this could be an easy transition. I didn't check out your profile yet, you wouldn't happen to be in Va. would you?

Hello Stephani, thank you for the welcome and your reply. To answer your question, I'm really looking to move to the management side of the industry with the ultimate goal of becoming a property manager of a multifamily or larg(er) mixed use property. Although I deal with maintenance issues in my current position, it is much more a supervisory/project management role. I do a great deal vendor/contractor management, work review, and project planning for small to medium build outs. I'm typically not "hands on" maintenance unless it is something that the landlord's building personnel don't cover or does not require the services of an outside vendor. Currently, I'm also responsible for the on-site IT/telecom infrastructure and managing of the desktop support of all localized employees. There is no part of the organization, no individual that I do not work with week in and week out. Answering your other question, yes, I am located in Virginia.

Mark, I would encourage you to head over to the commercial side of property management. However, if you have your heart set on the multifamily side, I would try to go into an Assistant Manager role of a larger property (400+) if possible, or just try to start somewhere to get your foot in the door. Sometimes, you have to actually start as a Leasing Consultant, but if you did that I would make it clear to the hiring manager that your goal is to become a manager. Assistant Managers handle a lot of the accounting side and some leasing duties as assigned. That person is oftentimes the "Go To" person when dealing with the Maintenance Supervisor and Techs, too, on larger properties. You will learn a lot!

Hello Mindy,

I have an interest in both the commercial side and the multifamily side of property management and would jump at the chance to try either. You highlighted a "larger" property. One thing I failed to mentioned is that spent about 18 months working part time at a larger Kettler owned/managed property. It gave me the opportunity to work closely with the PM, APM, and leasing consultants and really get a solid picture of what each did. It was a great experience. I'd be extremely happy to be able to find a Assistant Manager position with a company but am concerned that my lack of experience would hinder my search. Secondly, I took a fairly hefty pay cut when starting my current position three years ago and really can't afford to do that again. I'd gladly opt for a pay cut if my family and I could afford it. It's gotten to the point where I don't even list my graduate degree on my resume for fear of pricing myself out of many desirable positions. Starting as leasing consultant poses similar issues as far as salary is concerned. Are there any organizations that hire part time/weekend leasing consultants? As much as do not want to have to work a second job on the weekends again, that maybe the only way to get the necessary experience to "qualify" for the management positions.

Again, thank you for your replies. Your comments, ideas, and advice are hugely appreciated.

Hi, Mark,
I definitely understand about not being able to accept a pay cut! I would "kill" to find a weekend Associate who is dependable and wants to learn the business!! In fact, I seek weekend Associates all the time. Typically it's an hourly rate with commissions. I will tell you that I was recruited into this business having no prior experience other than teaching. Don't let that stop you. So, it begs the question: who do you already know in your former company who can help you? And, why did you leave them?

I think the property management field has grown very competitive, too. Perhaps you should highlight all your skills regarding you management experience. I can tell you I certainly find a lot of Regional Managers who have no experience in property management but because they have business degrees and prior management experience they are hired. In Ohio, there is a large Management Company that ONLY hires people with no property management experience. You just haven't found the right company yet. You sound like a worthy candidate to me!

Well, if that is the avenue that I have to take, I hope to find some PM's like yourself who are also looking for weekend associates. I never missed a day that was not previously schedule in the 18 months I worked for Kettler. At any rate, I 'd like to think that my ever growing general experience in the industry will get me in the door somewhere. I have not applied to many APM positions up to this point as I wasn't really sure I "fit". However, I think I will start to look more and put in my resume if the position looks plausible.

Concerning my former property, I need to contact them for an update. To my best knowledge both the PM and APM that were there when I was have moved on. I will most likely stop by an introduce myself to the current staff and see what I can find out.