I got started much like the many stories I've read. I was in between deciding what I wanted to take in college (want to go back as of 2016), dealing with a family crisis, and just doing small task around the property for the manager. One day after a few months of cleaning the pool and locking up I was offered a job.

One thing I love about leasing is interacting with others. I've heard so much that made laugh, sad, angry, and happy that I can't imagine getting bored anytime soon.

I moved Florida on a divorce with two small children and got my first job as a Day Care Worker because one of my girls went for free being an employee...when I got my first apartment I became friends with the Assistant Manager there who was also a single mom and I asked her if she needed any help on the weekends. I told her if I could enroll people in a daycare, I could certainly enroll them in a community where I loved living...two weeks later, they called me and I began my career as a Leasing Consultant...I was thrilled beause an apartment discount came with the job and my biggest fear was becoming homeless with my children...three years later was referred by a friend for an Assistant Manager position and two years after that was promoted to Manager where I have remained for 21 years!!!!. Love my job and love everyday.
It never gets old because every day brings new challenges and stories...

Mine is a fairly simple story of being in the military family housing as a resident, starwell coordinator, building coordinator, area coordinator, and later as a Sergeant Major in a community housing for the Base Support Battalion.

Housing soldiers in family and single housing units. For those that are not familiar with it they are similar to the civilian housing communities, just set up a little different.

So from there I went into the civilian sector of managing the housing for the military as community all the way up to regional position.

When I left that sector and went into business for myself training Housing Service Office personnel worldwide for the military.

This is gonna be a long read. Yes, I *may* have dreamed of working in Property Management as a kid..

Let me start off by saying -
My dad has been the Maintenance Supervisor at the same community for 43(ish) years. It's a fairly large community and has seen a lot of changes over the years, but he is definitely a fixture.

My childhood home was an apartment at that community. We lived in a tiny 2 Bedroom until I was 15 when my parents finally bought a house! :)

As a kid, I had free reign of the community. It's sizable - just shy of 900 units, and has vast landscaping. The community also boasts 3 pools, and at that time a huge community party house and playground. (RIP Party House + Playground). I would go to the maintenance shop and write pretend Work Orders -- because these were the days before computers and the term 'Service Request' was even a thing. I knew the entire staff; Would hang out at the pool in the summer, would pop into the leasing office for candy. The property got golf carts sometime in the late 80's and I would take one for a spin every chance I got. I knew the property inside and out. I knew a lot of the residents, too.

I literally grew up in Property Management and knew more about it at the age of 10 than most people know as an adult. I remember someone getting evicted the day after Thanksgiving vividly and trying to process that as a kid. I also remember going on an emergency call with my dad one hot Saturday afternoon ... What started as a wellness check essentially turned into discovering that someone had moved out and left meat on a kitchen counter. (THAT SMELL, THO!) The bizarre and funny stories don't stop there, as anyone in the industry knows, but this isn't the place..

My parents both work in the industry; And provided a great foundation for both my sister and I. When I turned 18 and graduated high school - I did the thing that seemed the most natural. I took a job at the biggest competitor to my Dad's property. And I started in Maintenance. I was offered that job because I knew the product, I knew the clientele, and I knew the terminology. Plus, I really would take no s**t. Fresh faced and 18 among a bunch of older men was really character building, to say the least. And don't even get me started on going into some of the apartments.. I remember both of my parents asking if I was absolutely sure that this is what I wanted to do; Like it was a horrible, crazy trap (and it totally was a trap, only not so horrible..)

I would work at that property on the weekends in the leasing office for the OT and added experience. I ended up moving on from there after a property sale to another company and quickly earning a manager position. For the last 18 years, the industry has kept me busy and entertained. In 2009, I came to work for my current company. I started as a Property Manager. The community was the smallest I had ever worked, and as winter set it, I got bored QUICKLY. Senior Management saw this, and also saw a little light shining in me. I was promoted to the Social Media & Marketing Manager for the company, and it's what I do to this day. I LOVE MY JOB! It mixes a lot of things I am really passionate about, and it was my inspiration to return to school. I graduated last year.

So, a little girl chasing her dad has turned into a lifetime in the industry.. That's my tale. As we approach a holiday weekend, one rule applies at my parents house: NO SHOP TALK, no matter how crazy!

I was hired as a teen to pick up the grounds of a apartment community before I went to school.

Mine started when my command knew I was serious about retiring after 25 years of military service. I was told to go into community where I thought I could do the most good, but it had to be a job where there were civilians in it. I picked the Housing Office for the command, and went on to become a manager and regional manager after I retired from the military.