You are the manager of property (x) and one of the tenants come up; as they have done time and again, and says they have a problem.  Each time it was nothing to get excited about. It is time to go home and: get something to eat, play with the kids, have that time to chat with that significant other, catch that favorite program,  and here comes  that tenant again and each time it can take from 10 minutes to an hour. What do you do?

Here is what one manager did. She asked the tenant does it involve the property. Is this something that has to be taken care of now or can it be done in the morning? Is this a life or death issue? If none of the above, then dear please talk to me in the morning as I have an emergency that requires my attention.

By Phoebe Chongchua, SD Real Estate Help, San Diego, CA

It’s the kind of job that requires a lot of patience, and today being a property manager also requires keeping up with technology. Property managers work with many different personalities, which requires them to have some important skills that help make the job of managing properties a success. But they also need to keep up with where their future tenants are spending their time–online.

Get Social.

I've had clients asking me  this very question for years. Are shops really valuable to a company? Is there a better way? Let me give you some reasons why  mystery shops just might not be the answer you're looking for at your company. For the sake of this discussion, we're limiting this to phone and in-person shops.

1. Shoppers have bad days. Just like Leasing Professionals, shoppers have 'off' days, too. And this is reflected in the shopping report  that describes the Leasing Professionals' behavior. I once worked for a company who so strongly believed in this that they made sure their employees were shopped TWICE on the same day. That way, if one shop was horrible and one was good, they could throw the bad shop out (chalking it up to a bad day for the shopper). 

2. Shoppers have to remember how you behaved on the tour. Having been shopped numerous times in my career, I can tell you that sometimes shoppers get their facts confused. I have had shopping reports that accused me of failing to show all of the amenities on the property to the shopper - and they listed the ones I left out. The  problem? The property didn't HAVE the amenities I supposedly overlooked. 

1. Give prospective residents an incentive to check-in at your community. Consider waiving or reducing their application fee if they check-in while in your office. What’s the big deal about checking in? Hello! When they check in, ALL their friends see YOUR community name. And the more other peeps see your name, the better the chance they’ll like your page. 

2. Hold a contest at your community to increase engagement on your page. Do you have great views? How about a “Hit us with your best shot” contest, or a pretty patio contest. Give people who are scoping out your page plenty of things to look at and they will continue to come back. 

3. And last, but not least ASK! Not many people can really read minds. If you want people to like your page, you need to ask them and make sure they know where to go. Add your Facebook URL to all your marketing pieces, t-shirts, stickers for packages at the office, everything! Make sure no one leaves your office without this information. 

Yesterday I was reading an update from a great blog posted on this site.  It was a lively discussion concerning the need for a college degree to advance your career.  The topic really got me thinking about my own journey and how I had achieved my career success without a college degree. 

First let me state; this message is not about skipping a higher education and taking your chances in life.  This is about the emotional side of career success, not the tangible skills you will receive from a formal education.  

We recognize that this time of year can be a naturally quieter time for traffic.  However, when we know that it is a “slow season” it becomes even more important for your leasing team to inject energy into their working week and be proactive in their activities so that their performance does not lag. Of course we set goals to achieve our business objectives. However, setting goals is sometimes the easy part.

We also need to ensure the right training is in place. This gives our employees the tools to do their jobs effectively and thus realize our business goals. A company that invests in an employee’s professional growth is really investing in its own business. Therefore it is essential to provide the leasing team with appropriate training and also to encourage the members to work on their professional development.

A young lady I had trained at a property called me as she would when she had questions on certain property issues; called to let me know that she was released from her position as manager.

She said that the owner’s son stayed at the property where she was employed and he was always asking her out on a date. She said she would smile and say she did not date her tenants as this would be a conflict of interest.

He moved out after about 12 months as he bought a house and asked her to come to the place and help him set up his house and she told him no. He told her that he was not a tenant and that there should not be a problem and she said well you are the son of the boss and I think it not right.

No matter what our role is within the multi-family industry, there is always one word which is used more than any other; “community.” Some of us own communities, some of us develop communities, some of us design communities and others of us lease or operate them. And chances are that many of us live in an apartment, condominium or townhome community as well. So then why is it that there is so little ‘community’ in our communities?

When it comes down to this failure’s root cause, it can really only be one of two choices;

a.       Either the management team does not expend their energies in a manner that creates a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere that encourages interaction, or

Hello all!

Does anyone have a resident/tenant bill of rights that outlines what they should expect as far their treatment and or service in your community? I have one, but I want to see if there are others out there which may have some items or areas that I may not have on mine.

There may even be some units that do not have it in writing, but I have found that through the years it solves a lot of issues right from the start. However, something that was done 15 years ago needs to be updated and made current with the times and while going through the review it is good to get ideas from other professionals. 

By Salvatore Friscia, San Diego Premier Property Management, San Diego, CA

For property management companies, the month of January signals a time to prepare and issue year end statements to their clients for tax preparation purposes. Consequently, each January the IRS requires that any taxpayers who have made payments in excess of $600 to workers that are not considered employees must prepare Form 1099 – Miscellaneous Income. Property management companies are also federally required to file Form 1099 for their clients regarding rental income received throughout the year. In addition, copies of this completed form must be provided to the IRS. The IRS compares the payments shown on the information returns with each recipient’s income tax return to determine whether the payments were reported as income and done so properly.