Seeking to ENTER Property Mangement...employers already want experience!!

Hello everyone,

Just looking for some advice/feedback on this situation. I recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz with my BA in Sociology. While attending school I worked in Residential Life and Student Housing and fell in love. I have four years of experience in that realm, as well as years of customer service experience (office and retail). I believe my skills learned in those positions will transfer well to a professional career in Residential/Multifamily Property Management and I'm coming across, even for the entry level (leasing) positions that employers want someone with experience! I am wondering how one could go about getting a foot in the door to secure that entry level job! Any thoughts are GREATLY appreciated! Thank you!

Christina,

Don't be discouraged - some of the best leasing associates I have ever hired/worked with did not have prior property management experience. Try to highlight all of your skills which are relatable to property management. Heavily emphasize your customer service and resident event experience along with any examples you may have regarding resolving resident conflicts. It may also help to look at smaller management companies. You may be able to get your foot in the door and move upward from there. If you currently live at an apartment community, see if they would allow you to volunteer with some of their events or contribute to their resident newsletter. You could then include that in your resume and list them as a reference. Congratulations on your decision to join our industry, I'm sure you will love it and be successful...good luck!

I am a real estate broker and work for myself. I have some SFR's under management. I want to bid on Multi-family management opportunities. I need advice on how (and how much to bid. Should I try a flat rate or percentage? Any tips on start-up of this facet of business is welcome!

Good luck!!!!

I got into Property Management because a friend of mine talked his boss into bringing me in for a interview. Some people will tell you that in this industry it is about who you know if you do not have to experience to prove what you know. I personally know a number of managers that like to hire employees with no experience but are trainable because they do not bring bad habits from other companies. I know it is not easy but hang in there and make sure that you are applying for entry level positions like Leasing agent/consultant. It may also help if you have customer service and/or sales experience.

Not too much experience, reminds me of replacing waitresses with enthusiastic busboys.

Carlee-Thanks for the comment! I am starting to think now that I will have to get to know some people to get in there-but I won't give up! Thanks again and all the best!

If I were you, I would shop the comps and create a Market Survey, including what leasing consultants (lifestyle coordinators!) did that impressed you. Include something like that when you send in your resume or get an imterview. I would definitely consider hiring someone who took that kind of initiative. You might also talk to the admins in your local Apartment Association. And go in person! I would also look closely at the properties you visit and start comparing them to one another. The property that has the best overall curb appeal may not have the friendliest leasing team ... you never know. I'm just saying ....

I have actually been in the business since 1995. I prefer to bring new leasing people in that do not have experience. Make sure that you are being realistic in your pay expectations. You may feel you are asking for what you feel you are worth, but often the hiring manager sees someone they are going to have to invest a lot of time into training, not only in the basics of the job but also in fair housing compliance. Also make sure that when you are dropping off resumes you are taking the time to be polite and respectful to the leasing person accepting it. I have turned many people away because they have been dismissive to my team member. Good luck!

Thanks a lot Mindy and Boonie for your comments! I have been looking at entry level jobs and have no problem at all starting from the bottom. It assures me that some employers will hire with no experience-the trick is to actually finding those employers and connecting! I am going to emphasize that fact as well-I never thought of using lack of experience as somewhat of an advantage! Thanks again:-)

What I will add is I spent nearly 15 years in retail before I left for a lot of reasons; including being passed over for promotions I was better qualified for than the people I was asked to train for the very positions I was interested in.

What I did is find a temporary services agency that would take me on and send me on assignments so I can learn while working. The only wrinkle was that many of these agencies have contractural agreements that may require large buyout fees; but if you take the opportunity to learn from each assignment and can get a long term assignment; it can lead to a company willing to abide by the contract and bring you on board. I also suggest using this as an opportunity to build relationships with site managers willing to either take you on full time, or willing to be a professional reference for you. It also allows you to learn what works and what doesn't from a variety of perspectives.

Doing this gave me the ability to say: "I can do that" or "I have done that", as opposed to "I think I can do this, let me give it a try." Plus it gave me several examples to back it up with. I should add that I am now the resident manager for a 66 unit tax credit property and I am now just past a year on site (someone had to win the pool on me and how long I would last before I left). I have mostly resolved all the problems I inherited. These problems included recovery from a bedbug infestation and property wide treatment, significant vacancy problems (I have done 42 move ins since October last year), HUGE delinquency problems (whittled more than $18000 down to less than $200; AND referred $25000 in files to collections to see if we can collect on some aged files) just to name a few of my biggest problems.

There are many staffing companies that are just for property management personnel or people trying to get into property management. I got into property management by contacting one. They gave me my leasing training which took two days and then sent me out on assignments. I got picked up in 2 mos. If you show good customeer service skills, and are reliable and can be a team player. Someone will surely pick you up. I have been in the business for 10 years now and whenever I need a job. I go to them and they have always placed me easily but now I have lots of experience. I live in Dallas. So the companies in your area are probably different, but they are out there. The best time to contact them is now. Our industry starts to get busy in Feb-Mar timeframe. In addition, it is easy to move up the latter to management if that is your goal. Hope this help!

Many Blessings
JJ

Hello Christina,

Take those past positions that you had in Customer Service and talk to it as it would relate to Leasing. Then the work that you did in the housing and how it relates to leasing. Then network in your local apartment association with others in the industry. You have the time do a little volunteer work that relates in the area, so you can see the different techniques used.

I am just brain storming here. Not cutting any advice that you have received thus far. Just throwing something else out there to consider. Face to face works and when they see what you can do, hey sky is the limit!

I can help you. Please feel free contact me at 619-218-6396. I run a property management staffing business. We provide training and opportunities through temp and temp to hire jobs in the apartment industry.

My recommendation is don't expect to start at the top. Most new employees where I work start as leasing agents and work their way up to assistant manager, then manager, then, if they have the right education and certifications, to regional manager or corporate position.

I came to the field of property management in 2006 with no prior experience. I sent resume's to 45 local management companies and had only one offer for an interview. (Fortunately that one interview went well!) Prior to working in property management I had a variety of clerical office and customer service jobs.

I was willing to start at the bottom and work for free (rent comp only). I studied property management and landlord/tenant law at the library. I worked hard to learn the business and within six months I was assisting at other communities for the company I work for. After a year I was promoted to a full time position.

Here in Oregon, there are plenty of opportunities for education in the field. There are free monthly landlord forums with different topics every month and a local attorney who answers legal questions. The the city, the fire department and the police departments also offer landlord training. My favorite are the manuals available from CDRI, a national training company. You can download them here: www.cdri.com/community-problem-solving/p...ther-free-stuff.html

Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions! I am willing to start at the bottom and work my way up, just hoping that someone will want to give me the opportunity!

Believe me when I say that good help is hard to find. Don't get discouraged. I struggled last year to find a great person for one of my properties. I interviewed several people with property management experience and not one of them knocked my socks off. I finally interviewed an individual with a background in nursing, and she wowed me. With her background in customer service and her ability to multitask she got the job. Yes, I have had to spend a little time mentoring her, but it has worked out to be an excellent fit. I also took advantage of any and all training that was available to her through online courses and our local apartment association.

I would start by contacting my location apartment association to find out what courses they offer that may help you get the basics under your belt. I would suggest first completing a Fair Housing Course and any classes association with the day to day operation and/or leasing.

Also attend meetings through your local apartment association for networking purposes. You never know when you will shake the hand of your next supervisor.

Best of luck.

I was in the same boat you are in back last summer. Everywhere I looked all they wanted was someone with experience and it was really discouraging but I didn't give up and neither should you. Around the end of July I found small apartment community that was hiring and in the ad it said nothing about already having experience, so I took it as they were willing to train. Remember to highlight all the great customer service experience you have and show them how beneficial you can be to their property. I made sure to let them know about how I can defuse a bad situation, my love for helping and working with people and that I am super enthusiastic about everything I do. To make a long story short I got the interview and the job. I started at the bottom as a temporary leasing agent; wasn’t even supposed to stay with the company very long but I worked hard, showed them that great enthusiasm, learned everything they taught fast and even did my own training during my own time. Now I’m the Assistant Property Manager and it only took me three months, they promoted me in October. So don’t give up a door will open then you will be hooked for life, every day I learn something new and don’t look back. BEST JOB I HAVE EVER HAD!!!

Of course it goes without saying that you should have or be doing the following:

1. Have a Linkedin Profile and be familiar with other Social Media sites

2. Make sure your online image is clean

3. Connect and network with other professionals in the field, maybe even see schedule a few apartment tours, so you can watch and learn and get some tips.

Other ideas....

1. Demonstrate fit, emphasize any "sales" or even "sales-type" experience you may have.

2. Talk with nearby properties about designing a flyer or even doing some contract work (designing flyers, social media, etc for the property). I am guessing most property managers can use the help.