The Road to Property Managment

I have just started out in this industry as a leasing consultant. One of my best friends is a senior property manager in Washington, DC. She is the one that thought that this would be the perfect career for me based on my personality. So far I really like all the things I'm learning.

So my question is what are some things I can do to help advance my career in this industry to get into management?

Let's start with this:

What is your background and what training is available through your company?

My background is mostly in the resuraunt industry. I have been a server, a host, even was the magician for a kids night every week at one resturant I worked at. I have some collage. I went the the Art Institute of Washington for a brief period. I would say I'm great with people and I am pretty good at building a good repport (Johnny you would be proud. I looked up the correct speling of this word...LOL) with people quickly.

My company provides training through Grace Hill courses online and I have been going through those. They even pay us for taking them. Besides Grace Hill I'm not sure what other type of training the provide.

Ok, it sounds like you have a strong customer sevice base (I come from retail myself).

The fact that your company utilizes Grace Hill is a good indication of their willingness to support your growth. I would save the course materials onto my PC and type in the answers on their workbooks (you cannot do this with the Acrobat Reader required to review these materials; you could either purchase Adobe Acrobat, or there is a product called Nitro Pro that allows you the full features of Acrobat without the price tag). This gives you somewhat of a textbook to use and refer to.

If you are working at an affordable property, or wish to work with that niche (I think your original post indicated you were at an affordable property with no prior experience; been there, done that, and have the lousy t-shirt); you really MUST be trained so that your work product does not fall out of compliance with the program(s) your owner has agreed to for the property. Housing Credit College ( www.housingcreditcollege.com/ ) is a good place for this. Ask your company about this; either directly or through a tuition assistance program. I did this with a previous employer and since the training was delivered online, I found the quality of my work product improved as I developed a better understanding of why I was doing what I was doing. I went from creating a file for review riddled with errors, to files with minor typographical errors if any. This improved the time it took to get an applicant approved from 2 weeks to a land speed record of 3 days, with a holiday and a weekend involved.

I would also pick up a copy of 'Property Management for Dummies' ( www.amazon.com/Property-Management-Kit-D...nagement+for+dummies ) and really read it. It is an easy read and very funny.

For entertainment value; SPIKE has a new show called 'World's Worst Tenants' that, while hilarious in some cases still has situations you will encounter.

You need to realize that you are dealing with what is likely to be your prospective resident's single biggest item on their monthly budget. You need to strive to build relationships with them so they are willing to spend their money with you at your property.

Thanks Johnny for your advice and recomendations. I will certaintly look into all of those suggestions. I hope this is the beginning of a successful career for me!

I would encourage you to get your NALP designation. It can be earned as an on-line course and to take advantage of all leasing trainings offered through your local Apartment Association. I would also become a very helpful person to whatever manager you are working with, meaning, look for ways to take over something they may not want to do. A god example of this is talking to the Residents, especially greeting them pretty much at the door. It's an interception technique where you listen to the Resident, get them relaxed and try to take care of whatever they may need, such as taking their work order request. Listen to how others talk and try to pick up on the office routine of each property you are assigned to for the day. Become the best leasing professional you can! Smile! You seem to have a great attitude. This is very important. Once you are truly comfortable in your role, your confidence will come through. Once you are truly confident in your ability to handle onesite daily tasks, people will notice and then you can contribute your graphic designs skills, first by designing a great flyer to use in outreach marketing. Soon, you will be on your way.