A few weeks ago, we wrote a blog post on why communication is the key to great property management. Now we want to dig a little deeper into the other qualities that separate “okay” property managers from outstanding ones. We stand behind these attributes as pillars of our boutique commercial property management business.

1. Responsiveness

This one is so simple, but you’d be surprised at how many property managers fail to answer their phone or respond to emails from owners and tenants. A property manager can’t be good – much less great – at their job if they aren’t responding to problems, questions, and concerns (many of which are likely to be urgent).

A great property manager does their best to answer every phone call – and when they can’t, they respond to voicemails and texts as soon as they can. These little actions serve as reminders to clients and tenants that their property manager is always there for them, on call to help whenever they need them.

2. Honesty

Most real estate investors have a story about someone – often a property manager – not being completely honest with them. This could be a property manager who gets “kickbacks” when they send work to a certain vendor, or a property manager who doesn’t conduct the services they promise to conduct (such as adequately screening tenants before they sign a lease).

Honesty is the best policy, in property management and in life. A great property manager never lies or misleads a client or tenant, and always answers questions truthfully and without bias.

3. Great Listening Skills

Clients often have a vision for what they want to achieve with their investment property. This might have to do with lease duration, renovations, or anything else. In these cases, it’s important to listen to the owner and try your best to make their goals happen. You can chime in with your own opinions and expertise regarding the matter, but at the end of the day a great property manager respects an owner’s preferences and goals.

4. Organization Skills

Being a property manager means juggling a lot of different tasks at once. Imagine supervising a major plumbing repair at one location, showing a second property to prospective tenants, and coordinating a team of vendors for a remodel at a third location. Now imagine having to keep track of timelines and progress for all of those scenarios – all without being organized! It would be impossible and confusing for everyone involved. Organization is absolutely vital to making sure every job gets done properly and on time.

5. People Person

Property managers have to communicate bad news all the time, so being a “people person” is absolutely necessary. Imagine hearing that your investment property has been flooded and needs a new roof from someone who is insensitive and lacks empathy. That tough pill to swallow would become even tougher to swallow! But if you hear bad news from someone who delivers it in a sensitive way and can reassure you that they have successfully dealt with similar problems in the past, then the situation will seem a lot easier to handle.

6. Desire to Learn

Knowledge is everything for a property manager, from market knowledge to knowledge about local ordinances and zoning laws. Since these things are always changing and evolving, a great property manager needs to have a desire to keep learning and updating their knowledge. A great property manager strives to learn something new every day, so they can utilize that knowledge to do better and achieve more.

Do you own a commercial property in the San Diego area? Kronos would love to speak with you!

Kronos is a boutique property management company that provides a customized service to owners of commercial real estate in the San Diego area. We pride ourselves in our personalized approach, and we work hard to uphold our stellar reputation.

Give us a call today at 619-488-7870 or 858-956-5983 – and don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook!