patandkrislarkin
Married 42 years, and believe very strongly that God did not put us on this earth just for our own happiness and fulfillment . . . in the words of Pastor Rick Warren: "It's not about you!" We have been blessed in many areas: business; property management, business management, a fabulous marriage, the gift of hospitality . . .entertaining, cooking and making people feel comfortable. We have also been blesssed with creativity; photography, writing and teaching. We Love "Sharing our Stuff" which is sharing our life lessons in the areas of our giftedness with others to help them better navigate life! We owned and Operated lone of the largest Residential Property Management Companies in Orange County, California and love "Sharing our Property Management Stuff" through Books, e-books, Seminars, Webinars and our blogs!
Homepage: https://patandkrislarkin.wordpress.com
MANAGING PROPERTY FOR OTHERS – DELIVERING STATEMENTS AND PAYMENTS TO OWNERS
Posted in Property Management on February 20, 2012
Delivery of Statements – Mail Hard Copy vs. e-mail
When our company started all of these processes and procedures . . . it seems bizzare to say it but . . . there was no internet or e-mail. All of the monthly statements along with all of the backup copies of invoices were packaged, posted and mailed out to each of our Owners. With the advent of e-mail and good quality scanners, we were able to move toward e-mailing our monthly statements to our Owners. The only thing that held us back was our Owners; many of whom were a bit technologically challenged and “didn’t do e-mail”.
As we moved forward though, we pushed to make the change. I am a big believer in processes and the more processes you have for the same outcome, the less efficient you are. I know that the time is quickly approaching when this will no longer be an issue and electronic delivery will be the standard for all property owners.
If you are just starting a property management firm, this is an awesome opportunity for you. You can start from the beginning sending your statements out electronically . . . and not be faced with converting to the new technology that will undoubtedly be here all too soon!
Payments to Owners
Assuming that our Owners’ property had a positive cash flow, we paid a disbursement out to each of our Owners at the time we issued the statements. Our software had a default setting that basically told it to send the Owner any remaining cash in the account after all expenses have been paid. This is not always a good thing; if you have a system like this, you want to be diligent to keep an eye on future anticipated expenses. Let me tell you it is not fun to have sent an Owner a bundle of money one month, then the next month you are trying to pay his real estate taxes and you don’t have enough money in the account. You then have the opportunity to ask the Owner to send the money back to you. This is not good for your credibility! We could also go into our system and set a cash minimum that we wanted to maintain in all of our accounts and it would automatically send the Owner anything in excess of that amount. It is all a matter of how you want to set it up.
Like mailing out hard copies of statements and technology marching on, making payments to our Owners has also undergone some changes. In the early days, we sent out live checks each month to our Owners. Now, with the advent of ACH or; Automated Clearing House, we can electronically transfer funds from our trust account to our Owners’ bank accounts, minimizing live checks, mail problems, etc. Again, we still had those Owners (probably the same ones that “don’t do e-mail”) “who don’t do electronic deposits”. We continued to work with them knowing that “someday . . . this too shall pass!”
Our hope and prayer is that this information has been helpful and sparked some thought processes for you. To discover more resources for managing rental properties for yourself or others, visit our website and check out our Books, Documents, Forms, Checklists, Videos . . . available in hard or immediately downloadable versions.
Thank you for reading!
Pat and Kris Larkin
MANAGING RENTAL PROPERTIES FOR OTHERS – Statements and Payments to Owners
Posted in Property Management on February 15, 2012
Monthly Statements
One of the purposes of property management we was to provide accurate accounting for our Owners, and part of that is to provide them with monthly statements. As we mentioned previously, a property management firm must set up and maintain a “Fiduciary Trust” bank account for all of the monies for the properties it manages to flow through. In our company, we had the rent revenues as well as mortgage, HOA dues, maintenance and a multitude of other expense payments for over 320 properties flowing through this account. Keeping it all straight is paramount!
Regardless whether you manage one property for an Owner or five, you will need to provide all of your Owners with a monthly statement. This statement spells out all of the income, expenses, disbursements to or from the Owner, operating profit or loss, and the beginning and ending cash position for each individual property for each month. You will send out each statement, along with copies of all invoices paid for the period and the Owner’s check (assuming they have positive cash flow) or advice of deposit in their account.
Cutoff times and statement dates
This has been an issue that was a difficult one for us to get our arms around. We all have different needs, and while we were building the company, like any other fledgling small business, we attempted to accommodate everyone’s needs. Some Owners needed their disbursements by the 10th of each month and others were OK so long as they received it before the first of the month. Consequently, we set up two statement dates for our Owners; one on the 10th and the other on the 25th. This became very labor-intensive as we found ourselves always dealing with statements and statement issues. We later learned that if people want your service, they will adapt to your processes and procedures, so we changed to one statement date of the 25th for all of our Owners. OK, we still had some of our oldest clients, (some had been with us for many years and others had been on this earth for many years and others . . . both!) who we maintained a 10th of the month statement date for their convenience. Though that number continued to decrease!
We set up our statement date of the 25th of the month so that we could manage our clients’ expectations as well as exceed them. You remember I mentioned that most of our Owners needed their funds before the 1st of each month? Well, that is why we set up the 25th as the date we specify in our contract. We promised that they will always have their money by then. Now, to exceed their expectations; internally, we worked with a 20th statement date. Due to the calendar and the tricks it plays on us from time to time, we may miss that and go to the 22nd or so, but with few extenuating circumstances did we ever miss the 25th and nearly all of the time we exceeded it! Which of course kept our Owners happy!
It is all well and good that we talk about a statement date of the 25th. So what? What that really means is that behind the scenes we have to have a cutoff date for all transactions between the 15th and the 17th of the month, depending on where the dates fall on the calendar. That means all rents have to be in; all payments made including mortgages, taxes, HOA’s and even security deposit refunds. Otherwise, we will need to run a supplemental statement for that property for that month. If we don’t, there would be a gap in the information on the statements from month to month.
If this information has been helpful to you there is a lot more where it came from! Visit our website for more books, videos, downloadable e-books and live seminars near you.
Thank you for reading!
Pat & Kris
MANAGING RENTAL PROPERTIES – The Management Contract
Posted in Uncategorized on February 6, 2012
MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
A written management agreement is paramount if you are going to manage someone else’s property. This doesn’t have to be a thirty-page document; in fact, it can be very simple. The main thing is that you spell out what you agree to do for the Owner as his property manager, and what the Owner agrees to pay you for those services. That gives you the “bare bones” agreement and you can add to it from there.
I have included a copy of our management agreement for you to get an idea of what kind of a document you will consider using. Again, please be sure to have a competent attorney review all legal documents you are considering using and have them comment or recreate them into a document that works best for your needs.
Termination of Management Services
All good things must come to an end, as do management contracts. They end, either because they expire and are not renewed, the Owner sells the property, or the relationship between the Owner and ourselves simply was not a good fit.
Our management agreement allows for early termination by either party with 30 days written notice. If we have leased the property for the Owner and paid a commission, the only thing we asked of the Owner was to be paid for the unrealized portion of the leasing commission. In other words, if we paid out $1,200.00 to a real estate agent from an outside company to find a Tenant for this Owner’s property, and 3 months later the Owner decides to terminate the agreement for whatever reason, then the Owner would have to reimburse us for the 9 months of commission, or $900.00, before we would let them out of the agreement. Now, like everything, there are exceptions; we once had an Owner with whom the chemistry between us was so negative that we were glad to “eat” the remaining commission just to get out of the bad relationship!
When you know that you will soon not be managing a property any longer and you know the date, you need to send a letter to the Tenant advising them of the situation. Basically, we prepare a letter that says “as of this date, we will no longer be managing the property you are living in.” Tell them who will be managing it, where to send their rent payments as well as who has their security deposit. Send it to the Tenant via certified mail and send a copy to the Owner. Just prior to the effective date, cut a check for the security deposit and send it to the Owner. Be sure that all of these steps are well documented in writing. They don’t have to be fancy or eloquent, just documented.
The above is an excerpt from our new book: “Manage To make Money . . . with a Career i Property Management”. This book helps you to transition your career to one in the residential property management field. We also offer 3 hour workshops on transitioning your career. If you would like to view the management contract or other documents referenced you will need to see the book.
If this information has been helpful to you and you would like to explore more residential property management tools or resources, please visit our website.
Thank you for reading!
Pat & Kris Larkin
MANAGING RENTAL PROPERTIES – Owners and What Type of Properties to Manage
Posted in Property Management on January 24, 2012
While you will have your ways of doing business and many regulations that you cannot stray from, to be successful managing properties for others, you will need to know how to adapt and work with their personalities. That is not to say that you be totally co-dependent on your Owners, but learn how they like to do business and make your best efforts to conform your practices to their idiosyncrasies.
Our philosophy is that the Owner has hired us so that they don’t have to deal with the day-to day-issues of managing properties. We try to spare them the gory details of the everyday stuff, but then involve them in the bigger decisions. At what level your Owner wants to be involved in the details, you will have to just learn and figure that out. We suggest when you are having your initial conversations with your Owners that you ask them some qualifying questions on this subject before you enter into a management agreement.
Qualifying questions for potential Owners
1) While we will always attempt to contact you whenever we have to spend money for service, we normally will respond to a service request under $100.00 without having to speak directly to you. We may leave a voice mail or an e-mail to let you know what is going on. Does that work OK for you?
2) Do you have e-mail? Are you willing for us to use e-mail as our primary method of communication?
Their response will give you a better idea as to whether or not you should do business together. If they aren’t going to be happy with you, you certainly are not going to be happy with them!
Types of Owners
The Involved Owner: Some Owners are very detail oriented and want to be involved in many aspects of the management of their property. Others want to be involved to a fault and may attempt to micro-manage or second-guess your actions. You may find yourself asking the question “Why does this person want a property manager?” There are a couple of issues at play here;
1.) Some people are simply very involved until you have proven that you are trustworthy and they are convinced that you indeed have their best interests at heart.
2.) Others are simply control freaks and no matter what you do, will be in your business all the time. With this second type of Owner, you will have to do some soul searching as to whether or not this is a positive situation for you. If it works OK, then great. If not, then there may be another property manager out there who it works fine for. That may be the best solution for both of you; to end the relationship sooner rather than later.
The Uninvolved Owner: On the other end of the spectrum, we have Owners who don’t want to hear about their property. They just want a monthly statement and a deposit in their bank account. The less they hear from you the better. While this type of Owner has a lot of positive attributes, this is the Owner that you also want to be very proactive with. You don’t want to pester them with details . . . remember, they hired you so they wouldn’t have to deal with all that stuff. However, be proactive with your communication with them, and this is true for all of your Owners. Document your actions in writing either by sending them an e-mail or by leaving them a voice mail and documenting it in a communication log. How technologically savvy they are will determine which method of communication you use. The uninvolved Owner can be a bit disarming at times. Don’t think their seeming lack of involvement means a lack of interest. The truth is they are very interested in the outcome of your management of their property. Continue to keep good records and keep them informed, even if they appear uninterested.
Be Dialed In to the Type of Properties you are Willing to Manage:
While this is a personal decision, we want to share some pros and cons we have observed in this area. We are not making a character judgment about any of the groups listed below. These are simply our observations as a result of our experiences in working with all of the groups.
White Collar Properties:
Also defined as high-end properties, these can attract very good renters. These renters have typically owned expensive homes and as a rule will take very good care of your property. On the other hand, our experience is that the high-end renter can have a very entitled mentality and can be difficult to work with. Things like requesting and scheduling maintenance, seemingly pretty simple things can become very challenging with these tenants. Another aspect of the high-end tenant is that if you don’t meet their expectations, they do have the resources to come after you legally. White collar renters will typically have more financial resources and are executives or self employed. You will find them to be fairly well insulated from an economic downturn.
Gray Collar Properties:
These are properties in the middle of the economic spectrum rented by the gray collar worker. What is a gray collar worker? I’m glad you asked! It is typically a middle management person; the manager of the local electronics, or grocery store. This renter is generally conscientious and will take care of your property. They are typically regular people and most all adults in the home are working full time. They are generally easier to work with than the white-collar renter when it comes to requesting or scheduling maintenance work. They possess moderate financial resources and will be somewhat insulated from an economic downturn.
Blue Collar Properties:
This renter is at the lower end of the economic spectrum. They usually work in the trades, i.e., construction worker, car mechanic or truck driver. Generally, all adults living in the property work full time. They are also just regular people and are generally easier to work with than the white-collar renter when it comes to requesting or scheduling maintenance work. They possess more limited financial resources and will be the first tier to be affected from an economic downturn.
Don’t Let Fear Deter You: If at anytime during your due-diligence/interviews with an owner you get that gut feeling that this guy just ain’t going to work out . . . heed the warning! This could be anything from not having a good connection with your communication or that he wants you to manage a type of property that you are not set up for. We are all different and there is nothing to be ashamed of in that. There are people that I am just too different from and will have difficulty doing business with in a way that will make them happy. Conversely, there are people out there that are just different enough from me that they would have a tough time keeping me happy either. Embrace your differences and rather than being fearful that you will lose face or be embarrassed, nip it in the bud! Do both of you a favor and save a lot of heartache and hard feelings; decline to do business with them. Perhaps you could refer them to another property management firm.
So, how do you do that? I learned a great technique from my pastor, of all people. I simply tell the prospective owner that based on our conversations, it is apparent to me that we may not be a great fit for one another. There are a lot of great property management companies out there and I am sure that one of them would be a better fit for their needs than I can be. I wish you the best of luck. And . . . don’t let them talk you into it . . . you know what your gut just told you! HEED THE WARNING!!
Thank you for reading!!
Pat and Kris Larkin
For more information and resources for profitably managing your rental property visit our Website
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT FEES UNDERSTOOD
Posted in Uncategorized on January 23, 2012
Now that we have explored the property management business and pursuing a career change there, it is time to look into the ownership/business side of managing properties for others. In this chapter we will explore what services you may want to offer your clients and what the prevailing fee structures are out there.
The scope of services that you may offer for your Owners may vary quite a lot. Below is a list of the services that we provided for our Owners. You may see what suits you and/or your marketplace the best and add or subtract from this list as you see necessary:
- Preparing the property for putting on the market for lease
- Marketing the property for lease
- Screening potential Tenants
- Preparing and executing all lease documents
- Maintaining the property – including 24 hour emergency response
- Dealing with Home Owners Associations
- Collecting Rents
- Evicting Tenants for non-compliance with Lease (either non-payment of rent or non-compliance with other terms and conditions of the Lease Agreement).
- Paying expenses for the Owner:
- Paying mortgage(s)
- Paying Home Owner Association Dues
- Paying maintenance and legal bills
- Paying property taxes
- Providing a monthly operating statement for the Owner
- Depositing any excess earnings into the Owners bank account
Fees
How do your know what to charge your Owners? What philosophy do you employ? When we did our research as part of our due diligence before we purchased our property management firm these were questions at the forefront of our minds. We called every property management company we could find and quizzed them about their fees so we could start to get a good idea as to what our competition was like. The exercise also gave us an idea of what our marketplace was comfortable with what it would pay as well as what it would not accept.
One thing that we found was that there were several questions that we needed to answer regarding our fee structure.
We were faced with two predominant pricing philosophies: should we start with a low base fee for minimal services and add on fees for services beyond the base, or have a set fee or percentage and include all services? These were tough questions that we had to figure out and they will require some market research on your part in your particular locale. In this chapter I am going to explore both fee structures we considered and compare them for you. I will also share with you what our research in Southern California showed us and what fee structure we ended up with.
Low Base Fee Structure:
Most property management fees are based on a percentage of rent collected each month. As an example: a 10 percent fee for a property that rents for $2,000.00 per month would be $200.00 per month.
The low base fee structure is just what the name implies; it offers a very minimal scope of standard services in return for a low percentage fee. Because the base scope of services is so minimal then the Owner can expect to pay extra as they add services they wish the property manager to perform for them.
This is a very good structure for Owners who want to be more involved in their property management activities and don’t mind paying their own mortgage or HOA dues or leasing their own property. As an example: the base fee in this case will typically be between 4 percent and 6 percent of the monthly rents collected.
All-Inclusive Fee Structure
Again, just as the name implies, with the all-inclusive fee structure there are virtually no extra fees, and the scope of services is much more broad. This is an ideal structure for the Owner who has been transferred out of the country and/or doesn’t necessarily want to be involved with any aspect of managing the property or keeping track of the extra charges. Fees for the all-inclusive structure are, as you have probably already surmised, higher than the low base fee structure. You will find that the all-inclusive fees will range from 8 percent to 12 percent of the monthly rent collected. Following is a comparison of these two fee structures for your consideration:
Example based on $2,000.00 per month rent:
Low Base Fee All Inclusive Fee
| Basic Property Management Scope of services offered: |
Fee |
Owner’s Cost per Year |
Fee |
Owner’s Cost per Year |
Base Fee
|
5% |
$1,200.00 |
10% |
$2,400.00 |
| Additional Services | ||||
|
Cost + 10% |
Cost + 0% |
$0.00 |
|
|
6%/year |
$1,440.00 |
Incl. |
$0.00 |
|
$50.00/month | $600.00 | Incl. | $0.00 |
|
$50.00/month |
$600.00 |
Incl. |
$0.00 |
|
$50.00 | $100.00 | Incl. | $0.00 |
| Evicting Tenants for non-compliance with Lease (either non-payment of rent or non-compliance with other terms and conditions of the Lease Agreement). |
Hourly Rate |
Hourly Rate |
||
|
Total Yearly Cost to Owner for all Services |
$3,900.00 |
$2,400.00 |
As you can see from the above examples, each of these structures has its place, depending on your needs. If an Owner is going to be somewhat involved in the management of the property, such as leasing the property, or paying the mortgage or other expenses, then perhaps the Low-Base Fee structure is best for them. On the other hand, if they plan on being minimally involved or not at all involved in the management of their property and will need the full scope of property management services, then the All-Inclusive Fee structure may be the most economically feasible.
Click here to view a short video on Understanding Property Management Fees
Thank you for Reading!
Pat and Kris Larkin
If this information has been helpful to you, you may want to visit our website to see the other helpful property management resources we offer: www.ManageToMakeMoney.com
THE CURRICULUM VITAE AND MARKETING
Posted in Property Management on January 20, 2012
Curriculum Vitae:
The curriculum vitae. What the heck is that?! It is a form of a resume that is used in several industries especially, education. It is becoming more widely used in other industries. The reason I bring it up is that it was an invaluable tool for me as I made my own transition from property management and homebuilding to writer/presenter/educator.
The reason I like the curriculum vitae is that it still contains the billboard feature (although less prominent) and it affords itself to your work experience. However, it puts an equal or even greater focus on relevant experience and studies, which relate to the position you are seeking and less focus on past employment. This is a great tool for helping to bridge the gap between two different careers.
Take a look at our Curriculum Vitae sample in the appendix at the end of this chapter to get a better idea of what I am talking about.
In general, the same rules apply to the Education section as we discussed in the resume discussion. Just list the schools attended and degrees earned. If you didn’t finish college, as I did not, just list the schools you attended. I don’t call attention to the fact that I didn’t get my degree. The people looking at this are smart and will ask you about it if it is important to them. If it is a non-starter for them, then it is.
Work Experience – Just list the dates, company names and position held for each firm . . . no more and no less.
Special Certifications/Affiliations – This is a great place to show how all your trainings and so on help you to be an asset for this company. List everything here that you think will be relevant. You will see in our sample in the Appendix that I have listed specific trainings and general things that will also cross over to any industry.
Presentations and Teaching – I created this section for my own needs because it demonstrated that I had exposure to teaching, speaking and presenting. This section is basically a place for you to list accomplishments, which are relevant to the position you are seeking. This is the place where, again, you continue to tie your accomplishments and experience forward to the position you are seeking. Leave no stone unturned. Sit and write down everything you have done and see how you can present it positively. For example, my boss used to have me get up in front of our company at retreats and spend 2 minutes updating everyone on the progress of my project. I listed that in this section as “Periodic Presentations to Company at Large”. For a position in property management, you may want to head this section something like “Significant Projects Led and Completed” or “Significant Areas of Leadership”.
Publications – This is pretty self-explanatory. If you have created, or been a part of creating any publications, list them here, and if not, delete the section.
Skills and Qualifications – This is nothing more than a mini billboard at the end of your curriculum vitae. Use this to again sell the viewer on your incredible skills and qualifications, whether they are speaking, communication, or organizational skills. This is also a good section to list computer literacy and competence with certain software and social websites.
References – This is no different from the resume: I subscribe to the idea that in your first exposure to folks, your mission is to make that great first impression. It is not to overwhelm them with paper work. I don’t include references with my resume but I do tell them that I will provide excellent ones if they would like. Again, if this is an important issue for them, they will ask.
For a sample of our Curriculum Vitae, please see the appendix at the end of this chapter.
Marketing:
In the ever-changing landscape of the Internet, possibilities for marketing yourself are endless. I won’t pretend to know all there is about Internet marketing and all the ins and outs. For that you need to consult with some real gurus who do know the ins and outs of job search and marketing yourself on the Internet.
What I will share with you is this; most jobs are gotten through networking. Once you have your resume or curriculum vitae all dialed in, it is time to get it out there. I would recommend that you network to find the best places to post your resume/cv. There are a lot of folks out there, not limited to friends and family, who have had experience with this and can steer you clear of the ones you don’t want to use. Of course, they can also steer you to the good ones who worked best for them.
The usual suspects come to mind: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Get on these sites as soon as you can and increase your exposure as much and as quickly as you can. Also, look for groups within the various web sites. For instance, LinkedIn has a property management group as well as a discussion group for just about anything you can think of. Use these groups to learn more about your field and start building a reputation for yourself as someone who knows what you are talking about.
Another avenue for building your reputation is writing. For some of you, this may not be something that is part of your gift set, but if you don’t do it, you are missing out on a great opportunity to get your name out there and continue to build your reputation.
One of the avenues for writing is your own blog. This is really easy with any of the zillion blog sites out there. Another place is Ezine.com. It is a website where you can write and publish articles on any subject and they have a built-in readership who will be exposed to your articles. You do have to agree to (among other things) allow their other subscribers to use your articles as long as they give you credit for them. One cautionary note here, if the purpose of your writing is to be a part of your marketing plan for yourself and your new career, limit the subject matter of your articles to the field to which you want to transition. If you want to write on other subjects, great . . . knock yourself out . . . but do it under a different name . . . add an initial or something. Keep your job marketing pure to your field.
Thank you for reading!
Pat & Kris
For more information about Kris and Pat Larkin or for more resources for residential Property Management, visit their web site.
RESUMES AND MARKETING YOURSELF IN TRANSITION
Posted in Property Management on January 19, 2012
Let’s assume that your construct confirmed your suspicion that you would be well suited for a career in property management, what are the next steps. How do you put together a resume which will convince the people hiring that you are a good bet in property management even though you may not have as much experience in the field as some of the other applicants for the same position?
Resumes and marketing yourself is a vast subject and to do yourself justice you will really want to take advantage of some of the information that is out there which will take you to a much higher level of detail than we will here.
We do, though, have a lot of experience in the hiring side of things . . . both from the perspective of the employer as well as the employee.
In today’s wide-open Internet world, the possibilities for you to market yourself to countless numbers of people are nearly endless. It is really just marketing. Experts tell us that you only have seven seconds to make your first impression and that is why a great format for communicating to the decision makers is so important . . . scratch that . . . it’s imperative.
In my travels I have finally come across a resume format that literally turns heads. I’ve even had interviewers at the end of an interview say to me, “This resume looks great, it really got my attention. Where did you get it?” So in the spirit of sharing my stuff, I am sharing it with you.
Resume:
First you start with what I call the “Billboard” section of the resume. Remember the 7 seconds to make a great first impression? That’s what the billboard is all about. Please refer to our sample resume in the appendix at the end of this chapter to see what I am talking about.
Billboard – This at the top of your resume and it is going to give a quick snapshot of who this great applicant is (you). It will contain the title of the general position you are seeking and then a short (perhaps two lines) summary of who you are and how wonderful you are. Next part is just words in bold type that describe your skills and talents. Below this section is a section describing even more incredible skills and talents you have. I say that a bit tongue in cheek, but it is true, you need to be selling yourself and this is the place to do it.
Selected Career Highlights – This is where you list the previous positions you have held at various companies. Be careful here. Remember, you are not going to write this, as you would have when you were looking for another job in your old industry. You are changing industries so you need to find similarities between your previous positions and the one you are seeking. If you were a purchasing manager for a medical supply company and you want to be a property manager, you will want to find the things like: Balanced multiple projects simultaneously or Relate quickly and easily with all diversities, personalities and business levels. Tell what you did, such as: Contracted with major pharmaceutical companies balancing multiple priorities continually.
Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t want to put words in your mouth and I don’t want you to be dishonest. Tell the truth or you won’t be able to own it. Be sure and tell the part of the truth that won’t distract them and will show them the part of you that they want.
Be sure to limit your information per company to four or five bullet points in your first listing and less for the subsequent listing. This is of course unless one of your subsequent listing has the most in common with the position you are seeking.
You will want to continue to list previous positions to show at least the last five years of employment and, ideally, your entire career. You will need to balance this with length of your resume. Perfect world length is one page; I think 2 is OK, but I recommend that you not go over that.
Other Relevant Experience, I use this section in my resume for a position I held many years before the last job listing on my resume because it showed particular relevance to the position I was seeking but, did not fall into comfortable chronological order with the others.
Education – Just list the schools attended and degrees earned. If you didn’t finish college, as I did not, just list the schools you attended. I don’t call attention to the fact that I didn’t get my degree. The people looking at this are smart and will ask you about it if it is important to them. If it is a non-starter for them, then it is.
Professional – List your licenses, any and all Trade Associations you belong to, or special training seminars you have attended, and computer skills along with particular software you are proficient with.
Personal – You don’t want to make this too long or too personal. Just list your marital status – any children and what you like to do on your time off. Sitting on the sofa sucking down beers while watching the game probably wouldn’t be a good idea!
References – I subscribe to the idea that in your first exposure to folks, your mission is to make that great first impression. It is not to overwhelm them with paper work. I don’t include references with my resume but I do tell them that I will provide excellent ones if they would like. Again, if this is an important issue for them, they will ask.
Hopefully, this has been helpful to you. For more information and resources about transitioning your career to Property Management go to our website.
See you next time!!
CAREER TRANSITION – SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Posted in Property Management on January 18, 2012
“BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND” I am not sure if Stephen Covey (of & Habits of Highly Effective People fame) first coined this phrase or not, but he is the first one I ever heard it from and it has stayed with me ever sense. Doesn’t it make sense?! We don’t (at least most of us don’t) strikeout on a vacation without having any idea where we are going. Similarly, you are looking at a major change in your life here and while you may not know specifically where that is leading, you need to at lease know it what direction to point yourself.
I have put together a couple of self-assessment tools for you to help you figure out if property management is right for you . . . or are you right for it! Take a few moments and work on these. I think you will find them well worth your investment of time!
Here you are:
GIFT AND TALENT CONSTRUCT
This is a self-examination exercise. We are not necessarily going to be interpreting your answers for you. This is a job for you in a quiet, reflective place. In our busy world, it is difficult for us to slow down and reflect. Well, this needs to be one of those times. Go to a quiet place where you will be comfortable and can hope not to be disturbed for an hour or so. This construct may or may not give you the answers and direction you want right away. What it will do, though, is open your mind to a different way of thinking about yourself and what you have to offer others. This is a process, not a simple fix.
Answer the following questions as honestly as you can and see what kind of possibilities turn up for you. Don’t limit your answers, just write the first things that come to your mind, don’t over-think this. If multiple answers come flooding in, write them all down and work through them later.
- What activity are you typically engaged in when you experience the quickening of time or lose track of time. This quickening of time is from losing yourself due to enjoyment or passion rather than from stress or being overwhelmed by too much to do.
- When you enjoy the quickening of time, are you typically by yourself, with your friends, colleagues or your spouse? Who is It?!
- If money were not an issue, what would you absolutely love to do with most of your time?
- What gifts and talents have you been blessed with, that you could use to be a blessing to others (musical talent, good ability to communicate, great marriage, an aptitude for math, a gift for hospitality, a gift for putting things into processes, etc.) ?
- In what ways do you think you could use these things to bless others either in the workplace or otherwise?
We define a “Life Transition” as an event in your life that changed your life, but did not change who you were. This is just a part of life; new job, a promotion, moving to a different residence, etc. We define a “Life Gate” as an event in your life that changed who you are and you can’t pass back through that life gate in the other direction and get back to who you were before. An example of this is a parent, child or spouse dying, having a child, breaking up with someone or changing careers or sub-careers.
Create a timeline for your own life and mark all of the “Life Transitions” and “Life Gates” in your life and how they changed you for the positive and the negative. Later, think about the positive aspects of each change.
Click here to review a sample of a construct on my own life: Career Life Gate Construct
You may also want to refer to the posting previous to this for the discussion on this construct.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TEMPERAMENT ASSESSMENT
This assessment deals with your temperament. Do you have the temperament that is conducive to being successful and fulfilled as a property manager?
For each question below, place a number from 0 to 5 in the right margin to indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the statement.
0 = STRONGLY DISAGREE and 5 = STRONGLY AGREE.
- If I have planned my day and several things come up that prevent me from accomplishing my plan, I’m OK with that and just go with the flow.
- I don’t mind taking time after I leave the office for the day to deal with issues from work.
- I am wary of people’s motives. I am reluctant to take them at face value at first.
- I have worked in either real estate or home-building before in my career and have a strong aptitude in those areas.
- I am very much “customer oriented” and do everything in my power to exceed my customers’ or clients’ expectations.
- I like a high-energy job where the scope of what I do varies from day to day.
- I like to be challenged each day by new experiences and situations to resolve.
- I understand basic remodeling and redecorating of homes and what is required to get the work done.
- I understand financial statements and know how to figure out if they show a profit or a loss.
- I have or would like to have my real estate license.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TEMPERMENT ASSESSMENT
Scoring yourself:
If your score is between 40 and 50, then you are most-likely well suited for a career in property management. You will still have a learning curve but Go-for It!!
If your score is between 25 and 40, you are in the gray area here. Getting into the mindset for property management will take some work and adjustment on your part. We can all make changes in our lives, but getting your head wrapped around the temperament requirements will probably prove to be somewhat stressful and challenging for you. You can do it if you want it badly enough.
If your score is below 25, property management may prove to be a pretty tough challenge for you. Feel free to test the waters by working as an intern with a property management firm. I would challenge you to look at the questions you answered with less than a 3 and do some soul searching in those areas. Are you willing to change in those areas or is that just who you are, and would you be happier doing something besides property management?
If you are finding this blog interesting, you will want to visit our website and discover the other helpful property managment tools and assessments that are available to you.
Thank you for reading!
TRANSITION YOUR CAREER TO PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Posted in Property Management on January 16, 2012
Once you answer that nagging impulse in your heart telling you that you need a change, then there are some action steps you can take to get you headed in the right direction. This exceprt from our book; “Mange To Make Money . . . with a Career in Property Management” should prove to be helpful. I hope you enjoy it!
So you’ve decided that a change in career path is for you. You are not alone in that thought. From time to time, our economy will help us to see that our career path may be leading to a brick wall . . . or a dead end . . . QUICK . . . turn or make a change before you crash!
Making that determination is an important step, but, now what?! Moving into a different area of discipline can be challenging. What is the next step in pursuing a new career . . . a career in property management?
Let’s roll up our sleeves and see.
The first step is to explore what other careers you might be interested in. Our opinion is that we can all do OK in a career that is not necessarily in our gift set. What does that mean? Well, I believe that we were all created with gifts and natural talents that are unique to each of us.
For instance, I am well equipped for managing processes, I am creative, I am a good speaker and enjoy teaching people things that I know. Now, if I decide that I want to be a doctor, beside the obvious void in my education, do I have the God-given gift to be a doctor? Do I have the aptitude to understand the stuff I would need to learn in order to be a doctor? The answer in my case is a resounding NO.
Think with me for a minute about people who are in the wrong career paths. We’ve all run into them; they don’t really like their job and we are an imposition to them for expecting them to do their job. You know the cranky store clerk, the non-helpful customer service person. I’m not talking about someone having a bad day, I am talking about someone who is terminally unhappy in their job or in the wrong career. That would probably be me if I chose to pursue being a doctor!
The first step in this direction is to identify what it is you were gifted to do. OK well, that is like asking someone “how long is a string?”
We have created a short little construct to help you identify what it is you like to do. Now, it is impossible to learn all of our gifting from one little construct. Our gifts are like a treasure hunt; we have gifts that we may not discover for years. For instance, Kris and I only learned that we love teaching just a few years ago. But I have to say this; it was after a great deal of self-discovery coupled with chance.
You can only find this construct and other self-evaluation tools in the appendix of chapter 3 of our book. You may purchase the book as well as many other helpful property management tools at our web site: www.ManageToMakeMoney.com
Thank you for reading!
PatandKrisLarkin.com 