An assistant property manager assists in the daily operations of property management and performs tasks including administrative support and customer service. Day-to-day operations may include handling contracts and documents such as leasesand bond applications. It will also include attending to customers via email or phone calls and resolving customer complaints. Additionally, you may supervise other property management activities such as property viewing and maintenance. Read on to learn to make an impressive resume to get the attention of a hiring manager:
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Job duties of an assistant property manager
As an assistant property manager you perform customer service, administrative tasks, correspondence and calls. Depending on duties assigned by the property manager, you may also oversee vendor negotiations and drafting of documents. We have listed the general responsibilities of an assistant property manager:
Handling communications such as phone calls, letters and emails. This will also include periodic communication to tenants for rent dues.
Handling inquiries and concerns raised by landlords or tenants and resolving them promptly.
Conducting property inspections and maintaining incident reports of maintenance activities.
Handling day-to-day bookkeeping entries, collecting rents, managing budget and tenant notices.
Scanning prospective tenants by processing their applications and doing credit checks. You may further assist the prospective tenants in understanding the terms of the contract.
Conducting tenant interviews and organizing property tours for prospective tenants.
Meet with vendors and negotiate on contracts. Prepare work orders and see through the completion of maintenance works such as plumbing, garbage disposal and security.
Maintaining documents and records such as resident files, leasing and tenancy contracts.
Initiating eviction proceedings in case of delinquency.
Handling marketing initiatives such as updating social media accounts and publishing blogs and listings to attract new tenants.
Assistant property manager median salaries
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the median pay for the property, real estate and community association managers as $58,760 annually as of May 2020. To advance to being a manager, one will start as assistant manager and will work closely with other property managers.
Top skills for assistant property managers
Being an assistant property manager requires a lot of learning and experience in the real estate market. While a good attitude and determination can lead to success, the following essential skills will help you achieve your milestones in the industry:
- Expertise and knowledge of properties: As an assistant manager, you will have to answer queries from customers regarding properties, so knowing your product is handy, especially when giving tours. If it is a first-time owner or a new tenant, they may not be familiar with the area, advising them on the nearest restaurant, church, school or nearest freeway access will win their trust and build rapport.
- Managing the vendors: Assistant property managers will be dealing with vendors and real estate agents on every stage of the housing process. You must lead these professionals through their daily goals and ensure that they manage to sell the properties in their inventory while also ensuring good service with clients. Familiarity with programs such as SAP Ariba, which can track their information, performance and risks, or Oracle Procurement Cloud, which can track requisitions and purchase orders, can lighten the load of supervising your team.
- A thorough leasing specialist: As an assistant property manager your primary responsibility will be drafting leasing agreements while also explaining the contract terms to new tenants. Sound understanding of state and federal Fair Housing Laws is required to ensure that this contract does not breach guidelines. It is imperative to comply with essential leasing agreements such as proper identification of the property and that of the landlord and tenants, the rental term (monthly or yearly), rent date and the due amount, security deposits, and tenant’s responsibilities. This information could vary by state so staying up to date on the latest housing legislations will help you succeed.
- Expert in the art of advertising: As an assistant manager, you will be responsible for managing the online presence of your listings at sites like Craigslist and Zillow. You must thoroughly describe and sell the property and also upload pictures that showcase its best assets. Through your advertisement, owners of the property will feel more at ease while prospective tenants will also be able to see your available properties.
- Cooperative spirit: As an assistant manager, you must learn to nurture a cooperative attitude among your clients. As the main point of contact for owners and tenants alike, you will constantly be trying to negotiate with either part in search of a beneficial middle ground for both sides.
- Accessibility during off-hours: As an assistant property manager, you might be pushed to answer calls from clients or tenants after you have clocked out. It is important that you nurture this relationship and be seen as reliable and trustworthy. If the tenant realizes that you can be depended on, it will help in the sale of your services and also as an added value to your professionalism.
Assistant property manager education and certifications
A high school diploma or equivalent GED is required to work as an assistant property manager; however, having a bachelor’s degree will prepare you even more for the position. Some companies also prefer their assistant manager to be either licensed or seeking a license.
Degree:
A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or Real Estate is preferred. Some institutions offering these courses are University of North Texas, El Camino College and Prince George’s Community College. Columbia College, in partnership with the National Association of Realtors, also hosts a number of degree & certificate offerings in real estate leadership, negotiation, digital marketing, associate degrees in business administration, real estate management and masters in business administration with an emphasis in real estate.Licensure & Certificate:
Many companies make it a prerequisite for their assistant manager to have a state-specific real estate license. However, they also accept employees actively seeking the license. Property management courses require you to clear pre-licensing classes, and once you pass the exam, you will be certified to work in the state where you took your examination.
Management Organizations: Some real estate entities and organizations will also offer certifications, which will assure employers of your knowledge in the field. If you are looking for growth in small-sized residential properties marketing, consider RMP by the National Association of Residential Property Managers. Another certification is the Certified Apartment Manager, which focuses on apartment buildings from the National Apartment Association. Available online and in-person, the certification covers many topics such as marketing, sales team management, property performance analysis, among others. The basic requirement for applying includes 12 months of onsite property management experience.
For-profit educational companies: You can also find real estate/property management courses by Coursera and Udemy. If you have no prior experience, focus on fundamental skill courses such as negotiation or mortgage calculation. These are great ways to get an introduction that will make up for lacking experience. Some course modules such as Fundamentals of residential property management that feature policies and principles of property operations, residents and maintenance, concepts of Fair Housing Laws, leasing process, among other chapters, are also available.
Industry-related certifications: Apart from essential fluency in MS Office, you can also obtain a diploma in property management software such as Yardi Voyager. This program won’t see much use as an assistant. Still, as you familiarize yourself with it, it can lead to better understanding as you continue scaling to become a property manager who will actively use it.
Assistant property manager resume-writing tips
An impressive resume requires that all the relevant skills and experience are presented in an orderly manner. We have listed a few tips to make it easier for you:
- A versatile career objective. Your professional summary or career objective should be multidimensional in terms of experience or skills. You must write as a successful, aspirational professional, having been exposed to multiple roles and functions such as office management, tenant relations, basic bookkeeping and budgeting.
- Balance it well. When it comes to producing a balanced resume, your interviewer will pay attention to the boxes you check against various criteria such as property management, lease agreement, tenant handling and financial operations. Ensure that you include at least one under each. Listing knowledge of Fair Housing Laws (Federal and state-wise) and housing regulation along with vacant unit monitoring or arranging for property tours can be featured under property management. Showing experience of the tenant cycle such as security deposits and refunds, mortgage assistance, along with maintenance activities such as vendor allocation/meeting, can give your resume a balanced look.
- Make it all about the customer. Essentially this role is more about being the primary contact for your tenants. Thus your role in handling customers will get you to notice. You can use customer handling skills in terms of position. For instance, answering calls and addressing contract-related questions, taking a tour with potential tenants, coordinating with other functions for resolving customer complaints, negotiating on behalf of clients are some roles that involve excellent customer service skills.
FAQ
What will be my career path once I become an assistant property manager?
Once you have earned a good amount of experience as an assistant property manager, you can branch out to other administrative roles. Reporting to a property manager, you may move as an administrative assistant at a higher pay scale. Considering how involved one becomes once into the real estate market, you may become a property manager or the office manager of large residential or commercial property. You can also branch out to the facilities manager. As you gain experience, you will see yourself ascend to a senior property manager or regional property manager.
How can I become an assistant property manager without any experience?
Assistant property managers can be an entry-level job. When looking through the various job postings, look for the ones where no previous experience is required or experience preferred but not required. Most entry-level jobs entail training upon joining. So look out for employment that says ‘on the job training’ or ‘training available.’ Your on-the-job training will mostly be shadowing property managers to learn the day-to-day operations. Additionally, you can still stand out as a desired candidate by including computer proficiency such as MS Office, Google and other software.