This is the age of convenience. Phone calls, text, email, video conferencing, Facebook, Snapchat, and the list continues. Getting in touch with people is easy. If they don’t answer your email, call them. They don’t answer the call, leave a voicemail. If that doesn’t work, a text normally follows. Sooner or later even those that do not want to speak with you will respond, if only to make you stop.
That is the general rule. However, there is one line of work that seems, for the most part, to be immune to this method of stimulating a response.
Property Management
On a whole, property management companies are difficult to get a hold of. There are exceptions to this rule, but the majority of property management fits into the category of “Difficult to Contact.” The reason behind this stereotype, which unfortunately applies all too often, is simple.
The normal layout for a property management company is more or less that of a pyramid.
The Property Manager is on top with the range of responsibilities filtering down the ranks of leasing, maintenance, and reception. Reception is the front door where all must enter, owners, tenants, and applicants alike. Once through, you must climb the ladder and hope you can reach the top before being transferred back down.
Here at Empire, we decided early on that we did not want to fall into the typical Property Management stereotype. The first step in the prevention was understanding how that type of management company came about.
All property management companies begin the same.
One man. That one man only has a small portfolio he is managing and so he is able to provide the best service possible to his owners. His portfolio inevitably begins to grow. He becomes too busy to manage everything and makes his first hire. A receptionist. Then a leasing agent. A maintenance manager. Another receptionist. Another leasing agent. Then a leasing manager. And each new hire is another layer that clients must penetrate before they can reach the top.
Empire also began with one man. He had only a small portfolio and so he was able to provide owners with the best of care. But he was building a business, and not just a portfolio. Eventually, he grew too busy to handle everything, and so he made his first hire. A receptionist. Then a Leasing Agent. And then a Property Manager.
To avoid the pitfall of stereotyped property management, Empire assigns each property to a Property Manager. The PM knows the property, the tenants, and the owner. They manage the rental from the beginning to end. The Owner is given their direct contact information, enabling them to reach them without being forced to go through reception. This one person becomes the owner’s Primary Contact within Empire.
Contact Empire to see how easy landlording can be.