Hi, I’m thinking about starting a career in residential property...

Hi, I’m thinking about starting a career in residential property management in the next few months and had a few questions for you all:
1) is it normal to get a lot of training in the beginning as a new leasing agent, or is it more sink or swim?
2) what is the best time of year to get hired in the business?
TIA!!

Donna Blackman I think it depends on the company you work for. We have on line training the first 3 to 4 days as well as a very intense on boarding program. You are mentored for about 3 months depending on how quickly you pick things up. Training modules on our software program. It is one of the best "New Hire" programs I have been involved with.

Shady Morales Yes I’d advise lots of upfront training so you are prepared. You really need to know the basics such as Fair Housing, the community and general rules of the property.Get hired in early Spring so you are ready for the busy summer months with some knowledge.

Nichole Lipka From everything I’ve seen working for three different companies in the Seattle area…it’s sink or swim. You’re hired on with the job title, follow around your workers shadowing them for a week, then you’re learning as you are actually doing the job. There are online trainings, but none of them have been helpful imo compared to hands on training. The online trainings are mostly for the company’s insurance and legal protections anyway…

Nichole Lipka Also, I do not believe it should be this way. The industry needs an overhaul.

Jonathan Weatherford Nichole Lipka This unfortunately 100% accurate. You are also 100% correct that this industry is too big to still be doing stuff as if it’s the 1990’s.

Guest Insider Nichole Lipka Is there a lot of turnover with new agents?

Guest Insider Anonymous member yes. A lot. The “sink or swim” mentality is too much for a lot of them.

Nichole Lipka I agree. It’s labeled as an entry level job when the skills required to start are really not. People arrive hopeful and realize pretty quickly what it’s like. There is not enough actual training to support it being called “entry level”, and if companies want more experienced people then they’re going to have to start paying for it.

eric rivera I've heard the pay is NOT very competitive!!

Melinda Sharp I like starting the training process in the fall. It gives me time to work one-on-one with the new person and I can role play and answer questions in a less stressed atmosphere. It will give you time to learn how to do the tasks in the software system; you can Shop your comps and complete your own “Leasing Binder” and start the NALP course, take online training and go to a fall Conference. By the time February comes you are ready to complete all the renewal prep, learn the unit turn process and meet training goals. Otherwise it is a sink or swim world and there are plenty of sharks in the water.

Guest Insider When I started out as a leasing consultant, it was minimal training and then I was thrown to the wolves. It sucked and was incredibly stressful but I saw it with new LCs over and over again. Training a whole new team would be easier in the winter because leasing velocity is typically much lower. A quieter office allows for more training and a slower ramp up, but it also limits the amount of scenarios they may find themselves in one day. I don’t think there’s ever a perfect time for training.

Heather Blume Getting hired in the spring means it's the busy ish season moving into the crazy summer months. And it really depends on the company on how much training you get. A lot of this job IS learning on the job, but make sure you're hired by a manager who does not seem annoyed at having to train you. Look for someone who wants to help you grow your career, not just someone who says it. Ask a lot of good questions in the interview - remember, you are interviewing THEM. Fair Housing training is not optional and make sure you learn from someone who is passionate about teaching it because it's a facinating area of study. Most companies will give you the basics of it before they let you answer the phone. And yeah, it can be sink or swim, but that's all about the manager you have and the training department you've got supporting you, so always inquire about those things too.

Guest Insider Look at irem.org for training info - books and webinars

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Who's Up Front in You Office?I start most mornings at Starbucks…about 5:30 am. Love that time of day. And I love the way the staff at my home-Starbucks greets me."Hi Rick!Here's your coffee and venti ice water." This team is usually perky and wear a cheery, if not a bit sleepy, smile.Nice…keeps me returning despite the mediocre coffee.I have another "office" at an unnamed Panera Bread. Food and coffee are ok and I like the secluded seating and go ...

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Managing delinquency is critical to a multifamily community's ability to function. Let me let you in on a secret, there's no magic account with an infinite amount of cash stashed away to manage and maintain communities. Communities function on collecting rent, PERIOD. Rent payments cover salaries, utilities, vendors, repairs, and all other operating expenses. This is why effectively managing delinquency is critical to its success. Because of how ...

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Laurie Mann Expenses rise. Income doesn’t 🫠

Guest Insider Touché

Guest Insider You tell your boss that

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Renewal processes in the apartment industry are complex and time consuming. The manual work required by the onsite team to complete one renewal will make your head spin.Initial renewal pricing is derived from the revenue management system. It then moves through a review process in which the revenue management team will carefully evaluate the suggested rate and either approve it as is, or make modifications based on varying factors. This pricing i ...

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Looking for some good examples:
What are some annoying, repetitive tasks that on-site are always asked to do (either by corporate or by residents) that could easily be automated to save you the hassle?

Guest Insider Monday morning reports….

Carletta Richardson-Cheeseboro l remember those!

Guest Insider As someone who worked at the corporate level - yes we can pull those reports too. But we can't individually pull 100 of them AND analyze them. Easier for the 100 to deliver them and we analyze - it's just as slow to pull each report but theres 1 of me and 100 of you. We also want you to look at the reports and see what you should be aware of or working on. Also, depending on the report type and metrics, data can change over time. Sometimes you have to pull the report to get data for that day - like current queue statistics. This is a generalization. May or May not apply to your specific situation. But that's some of why I have asked for reporting to be pulled. Automating report pulls and automating some of the analysis- like highlighting important metrics that are short of goal is extremely helpful to speedier decisions. Report customizing would also be great

Guest Insider Pulling reports from pm software that corporate is more than capable of doing themselves.

Cyndi Bedwell Printing pages and pages of reports to get information to put on a spreadsheet that is then emailed or uploaded to be viewed. All the info is already there and we kill another tree each month to do these reports

Aleisha Parongao 1000% - Monday morning reports and AME are time consuming and unnecessary.

Guest Insider Pulling reports that RMs can easily pull, and reports that the accountants can see as well.At month end I pull almost 20 reports, they are basic repetitive reports that anyone can pull and see what is going on. But for close out that goes to accountants I am having to include preventative Maintenace, work orders, etc… stuff that is of no concern to closing out financials. This goes with a pre close and other reports that are done monthly. Doing a report that is repetitive and that anyone who has access to my property can pull and see the answers for themselves. I understand fully how important numbers are however, there would be so much stress taken off plates and more time to tackle day today issues than laying out a report anyone can see. I understand as an RM or the accounting dept doesn’t know our properties and residents like we do BUT a streamlined easy way would be helpful to all

Guest Insider Honestly, I find any onsite team dealing with invoice processing is losing a tremendous amount of valuable time.

Guest Insider Monday morning reports and pretty much every report we pull for them.

Jonathan Weatherford Let’s see. I have to pull the conversion ratio report, the LRO pricing report, the UAD, the OPS budget variance, the projected occupancy, the charge summary, the delinquency summary, open work orders, LRO renewal report. Like it’s really too much.

Guest Insider Most platforms has report scheduler. You can set those reports to deliver automatically to their email in most cases

Guest Insider By corporate, reports when they can access the same information.When the club room is available when there’s an event calendar on the website.

Guest Insider Importing invoices into Yardi Payscan

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This price seems like a good deal, even with all the stipulations. However, I think he decided it wasn't worth the hassle. Anyone who is in this industry I'm sure feels different. What would you say to him to make him feel differently?

Felicia Norman, Andi Armstrong and 1 other

Felicia Norman I'm sure there are lots of Property Managers who have days where they feel like this guy!

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My client is building a 44 unit mid-rise 4 story building. The architect said he doesn’t need 2 elevators. I disagree. Who’s right? They are 150k each.

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Guest Insider This piqued my interest so I googled. Several articles recommend 1 elevator for every 50 to 60 units.

Guest Insider PS: if you trust the architect to design your property, I'd trust him on this decision as well.

Guest Insider Laura Renaldo I've managed several lease ups so I totally understand. The cost to purchase and maintain may not outweigh the benefit of scheduling move ins and move outs, though. I'm curious what the ADA requirements are when there's only one elevator and you're waiting on parts.

Laura Renaldo good question

Mike Powers How about a leak that disables and 9th floor heart attack has to wait for emt go carry gurney up down 9 flights stairs...ADA allows for temporary outages.

Tina Cavaco When the elevator breaks its a horror! I have a 7 story historical bldg with 1 elevator that was down weeks waiting for a part. Lawsuit due to a resident needed to move out...no elevator. 1 resident rented a RV due to not being able to get up and down. Nightmare!

Laura Renaldo Tina Cavaco my concern as well

Guest Insider Totally agree!!! The person thinking they only need one has no idea of the maintenance issues that come with each one of them!

Mike Powers It isn't about right or wrong other than building code minimums.It is about resident experience and convenience.Is this a young professionals community and commuting to work is common ? 3rd and 4th might wait for elevator. 10 or 15 people per floor 6am to 730am ? 4 people every 15 minutes ?2nd floor will take steps in morning if elevator is full each time.And, lastly, trust the architect. They actually know what they are doing for space and systems utilizations.

Maria Johnson Get TWO elevators! One breaks down, then one is still usable. Think about furniture movers and having to wait for the lift when it’s at the top floor and you need it on the ground floor.

Karen Mallinger I managed 102 units, 3 stories, 1 elevator. Traffic-wise that was plenty.

Amanda Gunn Karen I agree with this. We have a 92 unit 3 story building with one elevator and it's plenty for both move-in/out traffic and commuter use.

Denise Weems Financially I understand where he’s coming from however, when the single elevator breaks down (which it will at some point) and you can’t get the parts immediately or the elevator repair people can’t get there fast enough OR he has to pay the after hours price for them to come out at night or on a weekend, he’ll wish he had chosen two.

Lori Segura My building has 32 units total with 4 floors and 1 elevator is more than enough

Miles Scruggs Outside of ADA requirements you don’t “need” any. Will you get better rents on your upper floors if you have one? Yes. Will you get better rents on your upper floors if you have 2? Little harder to find any objective data to support that purchase….

a Guest No 2 I have one used all the time but when it go's down helping resident up the third floor. Is hard for them

Guest Insider Trust me, with 11 units per floor and 4 floors, you want one for each end of the building for maximum living experience. I am speaking from experience on both sides. Now, what I'd really be concerned about though, is parking space ratio Are architects still using the outdated 1.5 spaces per apartment??

Ann Carey I have 103 unit 4 story building with 2 wings 1 elevator on each side and you can't cross over. I wish i had 2 elevators on each side. Elevator is down and you're out of luck.

Amanda Meyer I have a building of 50 units, 5 stories and we only have 1 elevator. Another building is 110 units, 7 stories and we have 2When it goes down it’s a nightmare but it’s very doable for 44 units

Michelle Wood Having lived in a building fully occupied with only two elevators for 250 units for the last 5 years - I wonder how often one elevator would break. We have had two occurrences in 5 years. I’m not sure adding a second elevator out of concern of one breaking down makes sense from an investment standpoint.

Michelle Wood I think it can depend. I live in a 7 story 250 unit side of a building with only 2 elevators. It’s fine.

Guest Insider I had a 45 unit 7 story building and 1 elevator was more than enough. No one had to wait more than 2-3 minutes and that was only during rush hour. The wait was 30 seconds 95% of the day. That being said, if your friend is willing to spend the money to provide a more “luxurious” feel then go for it.

Guest Insider It will break down and residents will complain they can’t get down the steps- disabled people won’t be able to get down steps when it breaks.. I’d suggest two just to be safe and avoid issues

John Ridgway 2 for the customer service experience and redundancy

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Felicia Norman is friends with Mya Estrada

The terms and conditions of a renting arrangement between a landlord and a tenant are set forth in a rental agreement or a lease, both of which are legal documents. Rental agreements should always be in writing, but short term agreements may be legal even if verbal. Despite having a comparable function and although both terms are often being used interchangeably, the two differ in a few ways:Duration: A rental agreement is normally a short- ...

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Look out your window right now.If you're in New England, Northeast and even some parts of the South, it might look like a post-apocalypse dystopia. It's oddly quiet, and everything is cast in a bleak sepia tone. If you date to crack that window, you might smell burnt toast.Turns out, this is all being caused by Canadian wildfires. The New York Times is reporting that there are health alerts in many areas of the country warning people of poor air ...

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Between labor shortages and centralization efforts, multifamily is placing more pressure on its maintenance teams than ever before. The pace and scope of the work are growing, as companies increasingly assign the upkeep of multiple communities or even entire market portfolios to a single service crew. Teams must work strategically and efficiently to accomplish more with less manpower. To make such maintenance models feasible, technicians can't b ...

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While I know we cannot limit the number of ESAs, I am wondering if there is any guideline as far as *humane* limits for ESAs per unit size. For example, 2 adults and 3 ESAs (let's say two dogs & a cat) in a small 1 bed unit seems inhumane and excessive for the unit size. Any insight or input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Guest Insider Please remember that you have the right to have proof of need when any disability is non-visible.
Also, my opinion is that it isn't inhumane or excessive if the two people have 2 disabilities each.
Perhaps one animal is emotional support for being able to go outside the apartment and the other is required for sleep,
and a health services provider will attest to that. The second resident might have the same or similar issues.

Autumn Knight Thank you for your response, Anne. I really appreciate your insight here. I moreso meant in general --- i.e. number of occupants + number of animals occupying a unit --- if there is a humane limit regardless of ESA status/number of disabilities. Additionally, let's say an applicant has 3 ESAs for different disabilities, but (in theory) would then require a 2 bed instead of a 1 bed unit to ensure all beings can occupy the unit size within reason. If someone has several ESAs, but wants to rent a studio, would it be humane to house that occupant and that many animals, etc. I hope that makes sense. Thanks again!

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Sewage back up bathtub art. 🤣

Jose Maciel That is some S***y 🎨!!! Lol

Dave Scruggs Nice!

Guest Insider Looks like the upside down 😂

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Guest Insider OSHA !!

Amanda Hill It looks questionable to me!

Andi Armstrong Wow, he must have some TRUST in his coworkers!

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Lease up pros & cons?!
Let’s hear it!

Jared S. Leese

Amy Harris The most fun ever!!

Megan Goodmundson Pros: can be great money (bonus incentives) Cons: lots of pressure. Construction is a beeotch. Be prepared for never ending delays changes, problems, mishaps, etcPro: exciting and change of pace from the regular. Great experience

carol adams Dealing with Construction is a nightmare. Dust/dirt everywhere, appliances not hooked up property etc.

Karen Kossow For people who love challenges, a fast pace, and can understand and work through construction delays and other things the come with new construction, Lease Ups are a lot of fun.I've done the marketing for many...many...many lease ups and from a property team standpoint, there's a certain mentality that's needed to enjoy and be successful on a lease up. It's why you'll often see people hop from lease up to lease. Yes, the money is good if you're leasing, but you also have to be able to work with the rest and not everyone can.

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