Property Management is NOT for the faint-hearted!

I have heard people say that the job of a property manager is so easy. All they do is just sit in the office and collect rent, correct? If only it were that easy! Well, that is only the smallest portion of the position. There are so many jobs that fall within a property manager's responsibilities. Here is a small and VERY incomplete list; time management professional, animal control, mediator, accountant, security officer, liaison between owners, tenant, maintenance staff, neighbors, contractors; at times - therapist. It is a fine balancing act to be sure!

Of all of the positions I have held over the years, being a property manager has been the most challenging, yet at the same time, the most rewarding one I have ever had. It requires a high level of organization (which I must say I am incredibly OCD - my niece used to call me Monk - in case any of you remember that TV show). In addition to being very organized, people skills are so essential. Being able to calm down a tenant who just had their apartment flooded to the tenant whose spouse just died from cancer and they are struggling to pay the rent, takes finesse, kindness and perseverance. There is a balancing act that needs to be done on a daily basis. Sometimes, the needs of the owner and the tenants is not in sync. What happens then? The responsibility of the property manager is to find some middle ground and mediate. Many days, a property manager will go home feeling defeated like he/she is the bad guy no matter what happens. Then there are the days that you get a thank you message from a tenant whose life you have affected in a positive way.

During 2020 in the height of COVID, when people were on lock-down and losing their jobs and their homes, I felt the weight of my tenant's stress on my shoulders, along with the owner's nervousness about collecting rents to pay the mortgage and other monthly expenses. I started researching places where people could go to get financial help. I would send weekly emails with updates on resources not only to my multifamily tenants but also my commercial tenants. During the entire COVID crises, I did not lose one tenant due to their inability to pay rent. That is the part of the job that is rewarding. At the end of the day, being able to say that I did my best to make someone's life a little brighter and lessening someone's stress level is the best part of being a property manager.