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Light Bulb Feature Article
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Mary Girsch-Bock in Resident Retention
Consider this scenario: One of your best tenants comes into the
office frantic. Her ceiling is leaking and has damaged her expensive
stereo system. Your maintenance person writes up the requisition, but
somehow it gets lost on her fairly unorganized desk. Meanwhile, several
other tenants have called in with problems that she is jotting down on
pieces of paper. A few of those jobs actually get done; the majority are
left on her desk. Of course eventually everything does get taken care
of, but come renewal time, the majority of those tenants whose problems
didn’t get fixed for days are gone…and they’re not holding back when
telling you why.
Of all of the reasons why tenants leave, (other than relocating in
another area or buying a house) inadequate maintenance is right at the
top. There aren’t many people that would put up with a ceiling leaking
for days, or a toilet that won’t work, or a faucet that constantly
drips. Realistic or not, tenants believe that their problem is the most
important, and by not having the problem taken care of in a reasonable
amount of time, the message that you’re conveying is that they are not important. And tenants who do not feel important, leave.
So how do you go about organizing your maintenance department so that
repairs and other requests don’t get buried on someone’s desk?
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Why We Do What We Do
By Robert Collins
Property Manager
Cal West Asset Management\
October 18, 2012
Have you ever had a conversation with someone and during the course of that conversation discover what he or she does for a living? This is the standard man question when forced to converse at an 8 year-olds birthday party with your family. The first man, trying desperately to avoid making eye contact, will untangle his tongue, and gruffly ask, “So what do you do for a living?” Wow that does open up the floodgates! Some jobs sound really interesting, while other jobs make you walk away and say “I wouldn't do that job if you paid me a million dollars”. Plumbers have one of those jobs I just wouldn't do if you paid me.
The funny thing about perspective is that yours seems to carry the most weight when making these decisions.
Property management is one of those jobs that people often refer to as "you couldn’t pay me enough" kind of career choices. Interestingly, a recent article by Forbes entitled The Happiest Jobs in America, ranks property managers the second happiest job in America, a virtual tie with the Executive Chef. Also, important to note that number eight on that list is an accountant. That might blow the credibility of the study if you ask me. Of course, I am a property manager, and I think they have a great point there, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. One of the major factors in making it a happy job, as the article points out, is the opportunity to work with people. Property managers do that every day. More importantly, we provide a much-needed product to the community. Housing is one of life's major necessities right next to food, I believe. It is also a retirement vehicle for many of my clients, making it doubly vital to our economy. Now, I don’t define myself by the job that I do, but I do want to be proud of my work. I want to be a leader in my industry.
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