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Using Networking To Plan Your Property Management Career Part I

By: Michael Monteiro
Submitted: 10:20AM on Thursday 07 May 2009

One thing is for certain about property management: it’s not a 9 to 5 paper-pushing kind of job. It’s also unlikely that one workday will ever duplicate the next. As a property manager, you’ll need a diverse skill set and knowledge base that includes basic accounting, real estate, and legal principals. If you thrive on thinking on your toes and enjoy constantly switching gears, this may well be the career for you. This two part post examines the characteristics of property managers to help determine if you have what it takes to manage property.property-networking

Before diving in head first, you would be wise to educate yourself about what a career in property management entails, including your short- and long-term career outlook. Because property management requires such a diverse skill set, if the job is likely not a good fit for you it’s best to figure that out before investing time, effort—and perhaps even money—into creating a property management career for yourself. And if a career in property management is for you, the more research you do, the easier it will be for you to use that knowledge to prepare yourself for and identify the perfect job.

Begin by being honest with yourself. Do you enjoy working with numbers? Do you have a mind for legal matters and, if not, do you enjoy researching such topics and do so quickly and accurately? Do you enjoy working closely with people and does the idea of working with a diverse set of people excite you? How are you at problem solving? Are you efficient and decisive enough that you will be able to deal with maintenance issues on a timely basis? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” you may want to consider stopping before passing go.

But if all of this leaves you even more intrigued, your next step should be talking to the people who can really fill you in on the nitty-gritty details of what it means to be a property manger—property managers. Begin by seeing if any of your friends or family members know anyone in the field. If not, put a query in with a local realtor association or, even better yet, call a local property management company. If there’s a particular company you’re interested in working for, requesting an informational interview with them is the perfect place to start. A potential employer will be impressed by your drive and dedication and you can get a feel for the office’s environment to see if it might be a good fit for you. Local real estate schools or certification classes might have some ideas. And, if all else fails, try putting a posting up at on a local property management group’s website or the always-useful Craigslist.

Part II examines the questions you should ask your new contacts to determine if property management is right for you.