How to Succeed as a Property Manager

Pacific Crest Real Estate • February 17, 2016

Tips and Resources to Help You Succeed as a Property Manager

Whether you’re changing careers and are new to property management or you’re looking to sharpen your skills, we thought you might appreciate a few tips and resources to help you succeed as a property manager.

BiggerPockets.com

This blog offers loads of helpful tips for property managers, landlords, and property owners and investors. Here are a couple of our favorite tips from their blog post “ How to Be A Landlord “:

  • Education is important. Seek a mentor, read books about property management and real estate, take continuing education courses, tune into online resources — like this one! — that will help you stay on top of industry news.
  • Once you create a policy, stick to it.

AppFolio.com

If you’re a Pacific Crest Real Estate property manager, you already know that we use AppFolio’s services for many tasks. But did you know that the company also offers tips on their blog along with webinars and more? If you missed it, you can review the “Secrets of Successful Property Management Companies” webinar here.

Tune into the News

In addition to staying on top of what’s happening in your community, you might pick up on success tips from time to time in the business section, too. Click here for The Houston Chronicle ‘s “Keys to Success in the Property Management Business” segment. The tips include primers on marketing and networking.

HappyInspector.com

This site compiled a list of career advice from successful property management companies around the country. Here’s one of our favorite tips:

My best advice for on-site staff is to just remember that residents are people too. Of course, you have to be careful in terms of fair housing and you can’t have favorites or best friends from among your residents, but you can be attentive, kind and understanding in your interactions with them. Encourage yourself and your staff to treat residents with respect and consideration. This goes a long way in terms of the reputation of your community both on-line and in person.

–Crystal Hadidan , Client Creative Director, Resident360

Social Media

Pay attention to the #PropertyManagement , #PropertyManagers , #multifamily and #ApartmentLife hashtags on Facebook and Twitter for tips, too. Even Pinterest has boards for property management tips.

Zillow.com

Zillow’s advice mirrors some that we’ve already covered, but the company is always offering more advice via their blog and social media accounts. Here are some important tips from their “ How to Succeed as a Property Manager ” blog post for managing tenant relationships:

  • Be responsive.
  • Get organized.
  • Don’t try to do everything yourself: Delegate.

Lightpath

This company’s blog offers a checklist that could help you succeed as a property manager. Here are a few of the tips:

  • Learn how to best market vacancies to local residents
  • Learn how to generate and use reports that indicate how well your property is, or isn’t, doing
  • Familiarize yourself with your lease agreements
  • Be an active part of the community

The Real Key to Success is You

There is no easy button that can ensure you succeed as a property manager, and we won’t lie to you: It’s going to take a lot of hard work on your part, but you can do it! Finding and using resources like those we’ve listed above will help.

A special note for Pacific Crest Real Estate property and resident managers: Be sure to contact your asset managers with any questions or concerns you may have. You’re also welcome to contact our main office anytime. Keep an eye on this blog for more success tips, too!

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