Property Management

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

I recently read somewhere that property managers are slowly spiraling down the trust ladder towards the likes of lawyers and used car salesmen. I know this is a strong statement and no disrespect to lawyers and used car salesman, both honorable and needed professions, but once the public brands a group in that fashion it’s hard to shake the stereotype. So, has it really gotten that bad for us property managers?

May is the perfect time to start thinking about container gardening at your apartment community, so I asked my friends at Gethsemane Garden Center for some advice.  Check out these five tips for keeping your property blooming this season.

Summer will be on its way in no time!  Before you head to your local gardening center, here are a few criteria you should consider to help you select the perfect flowers, edibles and containers for your space; and achieve success in your gardening endeavors.

1. What type of sun exposure do you have?

To all you property mangers, regional mangers, COO’s and property owners – here’s a secret - the success of your property lies within the brand and managing it accordingly. Just as Coke and Apple create brand awareness for their products and devote an entire team just to branding and each one of us is our own personal brand that needs to be managed on a daily basis, so too does your property.  If your property doesn’t have a distinguishable brand that your staff live and breathe every day then how will your property stand out from its competitors?  You will be no different than the property down the street or the next town over.  

For example, if your property’s brand is to be “social” then your managers, leasing agents and maintenance staff need to manage it accordingly.  They need to have the brand in mind as they perform their respective roles. In other words, your property manager needs to be planning resident events and updating the property Facebook page and Twitter account, your maintenance team needs to know everyone’s name and have a constant smile on their face and your leasing agent needs to be vocalizing the brand to every prospective resident. It’s truly amazing when you change someone’s mindset to manage from a brand’s perspective, not just from a “this is my job and this is where I work perspective,” how you can enhance and distinguish the property.  

For the bulk of my childhood (from 1980-2001, in fact), the slogan of the United States Army was, “Be All You Can Be!” It was a tremendously successful marketing campaign created by E. N. J. Carter while at the advertising firm N. W. Ayer & Son. I remember seeing posters in malls and on college campuses. There were television commercials—tons of them— radio spots, t-shirts, and even action figures of unnaturally endowed men proudly sporting the sexy slogan. What contributed to its success was that the phrase mirrored a greater societal trend emerging in the late 80s: one that affected every child born in that era and still continues to resonate today. It’s what I like to call “The American Idol Syndrome,” or basically the idea that for whatever reason, our society has gotten it in its head that simply by trying, you too can “be all you can be:” get famous, find happiness, and die rich…just because you want to.

            But something happened in 2001 that challenged this idea that had shaped an entire generation; the Towers fell, and people changed. For a while, people were colder, darker, and more nervous about what the future had in store for them.

            Suddenly “being all you can be” wasn’t good enough. After all, what if all I can be falls drastically short of ending the war on terror or bringing the nation out of a recession, let alone running two consecutive miles or doing fifty push-ups? And so the slogan changed to “An Army of One,” and the catchy but cliché jingles of the Cosby Show era banished into the obscurities of YouTube, along with the theme song to Thundercats and “Crossfire.”

Entertaining toddlers isn't easy.  They are everywhere all at once and mine is very sensitive so you never know if a laugh will instantanously turn into a cry or outburst.  So we try and prepare and enjoy every minute because this is so much work we will surely not have another (I digress).  So this lesson actually comes from both my 15th month old and her father.  Daddy was responsible for watching the little one.. for TWO WHOLE DAYS.. as mommy was in conference.  He said, "oh we'll just hang out in the room or go to the pool", I said "trust me when I tell you that if you actually go do something the day will go much quicker".  Day 1 - he didn't listen, I show up after my conference, the hotel room has toilet paper hanging from the lamp shades, my suitcase is unpacked (skillfully by Rilynn of course as my pants are wet from being plunged in the toilet) and daddy looks like a train hit him and is ready for a night cape and his pj's.  

Day 2 -- ZOO DAY!  Good decision dad!  The day went great and I received texted photos of giraffes and monkeys and it put my mind at ease - that they were doing something together and that there were other people at the zoo to help him out if it got desperate.. (just kidding daddy - you did a great job as always!)  So as they return from the zoo I of course ask how everything went and he said great and she said yes and bye bye and made monkey sounds - sounds like a success to me!  And then daddy says, "you know she just kept stopping and picking up rocks and looking at flowers and at first I was like, 'come on Rilynn that is so much to see' and then I realized I am here to entertain her - to be with her - why do I care if she wants to look at rocks and take forever to get from one exhibit to the next.. she is loving it".   WOW... Lesson #7 - sometimes it is OKAY to slow down and just enjoy the surroundings.. take time with your residents and your team - you don't have to rush from one renewal to the next or one tour to the next.  Sometimes the joy is in the doing and not the rushing from task to task or tour to tour! 

Enjoy the ride!

Traveling with a toddler is always risky!  My little one is very mobile - in fact she has just started jogging and is currently training for her first 5K for the 2013 Houston Apartment Association Fun Run I'm sure!!  (I digress!)  So we just got back from our 5th flight with little Ri (smilin' Rilynn as we call her).  Because for her other trips she was not walking and now she is a jogger, I was a bit nervous this time around.  Her four other flights were pretty eventless and we made out looking like we had the perfect child.  You see traveling with a little one is all about research, preparation and flexibility. 

The first time I knew I was going to get on a plane with my little one she was just about 3 months old - it was my first time for a work trip and I couldn't bear to leave her so we packed her up and we were off.  But before we took off, I started scavenging the internet, went to the book store (yes I still do that - I actually LIKE the feel of books in my hand that I can highlight and fold the pages) sat in the corner and read all I could, checked out parenting blogs and asked my friends.  Then I took all the good advice and prepared.  I bought the necessary tools (footnote:  I have included a few tips on GREAT gear at the bottom on this blog).  I packed and repacked everything and had my perfect plan for the trip.  I even practiced repacking and changing her in what I measured out to be about the size of those awful, stinky lavatories.  NOW we were off!  To my surprise we proceeded through the ticket counter, security gate, boarding area and onto the plane with no events - not even an explosive diaper (sorry non-parents for the graphic details).  We were boarded and just about to take off when I shoved a bottle in her mouth (non-parents, this prevents ear popping from cabin pressure changes).  We hit our cruising altitude and she was asleep... FOR THE ENTIRE FLIGHT!!  We landed and just as we touched town she woke up smiling... yes I said smiling and besides a cramp in my side from holding her perfectly still the entire 2 1/2 hours things went perfect.  Although I have to say I was a bit disappointed I didn't get to try out all my toys and training during the flight :).

The second, third and fourth flights were much the same and she was just about the most perfect flyer I have seen!  Which brings us to 15 month old, attention seeking, only child, mobile Rilynn.  I was sure things had changed and the ante was up.  I was sure I would be tested to my full potential on this flight so I again hit the blogs, book stores and on line resources for some much needed toddler traveling advice.  And again we were off.  I'll spare you the boring details from this trip but let me say that my skills and preparation paid off - she was awake the ENTIRE two hours and twenty-two minutes (from gate to gate).  I had to pull out all the tricks and all the tools for this flight because she was chomping at the bit to get down and fly that plane while she handed out the cold beverages.  Needless to say it was a success and we had no outbursts, no crying and besides a slight kick to the chair in front of us people were saying, "I didn't know there was a baby on this plane" as they exited!

What can you do to show you appreciate someone, your residents, your family, your friends, or the person on the street you just passed?  As we learn and use the wonderful features of technology and social media, we tend to not interrelate like we once did.  We have all emailed the person in the next cubicle or office, and texted someone when we could have called them. What three things can you do on a daily basis that makes a difference in how people connect and react to you?

Everyone has three things they can do to let others know they matter.  I recently sent an email about this to my fellow teams. Incidentally, I received more replies than normal and I would like to share some of the unedited feedback.

1. Smile and compliment them.
2. Make them feel welcome; tell them they have been approved for their new home.
3. Ask them “How can we help”?
4. Tell them you appreciate them, maybe bring them a coffee and tell them one nice thing! Or just give them a big hug.
5.  Listen, people want to be heard and know that what they have to say matters, and it shows you value them, as well as what they have to say.
6.  Speak directly to them, look in their eyes, and be attentive.
7.  Use their name when you talk to them, it makes them feel important and gets their  attention.
8.  A simple acknowledgement, “Great Job”.
9.  To a stranger driving and trying to get in your lane, “Just wave and let them in”.
10.  Stand up and greet them when someone walks into your office. Tell them how special they are every time you see them. 

This is timeless and relevant in this exciting and incredibly busy life we share.  Our lives are increasingly demanding, and the technology creates more texting, emailing, posting, tweeting, and less opportunities for those random meetings.

In the early days of my leasing career, I was fortunate enough to work for a company that realized the benefits of offering a ‘hefty’ reward for perfect leasing of the property. The goal – 100% leased.  The reward – dinner.  Not just any dinner, but dinner for the entire leasing team, anywhere in St. Louis we selected and we could order anything we wanted.  Shazaam!!  This was a big deal.  Such a big deal that we pushed daily to achieve this goal.  Often the 100% leased status only last a day or two, due to applicants being denied or the inevitable cancellation, but we were still maintaining incredible leasing percentages and occupancy; all on a property with harvest gold appliances and chocolate brown carpet!  The entire team would be talking about where we would go, what we would wear and what we would order and cheering each other on to reach that goal on a daily basis. 

The cost to the owners of this extravaganza?  For a staff of 5-6 team members, at most $1,000.00 and that’s probably on the high end.  Heck, we were dining at places without prices on the menus!

The payoff for owners?  Thousands and thousands of dollars, for years to come.  At an average rent of $500.00 per month on a 400 unit property maintaining an average of 97% occupancy, tip to 100% leased, that’s a lot of revenue. But just for old times’ sake, let’s do the math.  400 units leased/390 units occupied x $500 rent per month x 12 months lease term = $2,340,000.00 annually.  More when they renewed.

Hola! Aquí estamos. Are you ready, or not?

By Linda Day Harrison, theBrokerList, Chicago, IL

As managers and owners of property, are we not supposed to deliver the best service, and keep our properties as safe and clean as possible? Is our staff learning and keeping on top of the current trends in technology and techniques? Do we empower our teams to deliver the best they can to maintain or lease our property? If not, why? What is your excuse?

Are there not enough hours in the day? Are funds tight? Is an emergency, like bad weather or governmental changes stopping you, giving you an excuse for not training, or teaching your team how to be the best?