As many of you know I have been very involved in professional organizations for Property Management. By participating and being involved I learn more and grow not only professionally but personally.
April 12-15 in Concord at the Hilton, the California Chapter of NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers) had their annual state conference. There were classes the first 2 days for those who want to enhance business skills in marketing, office procedures, and owner-client relationships. The conference kicked off on Wednesday. Throughout the 2 day event there were serveral workshops covering such topics as how to use Social Media, Fair Housing, Risk Management (insurance), Starting the Difficult Conversation, Business Practices to help increase revenue, offer excellent customer service and so on. In place of a key note speaker the first day we had a session that reviewed the new FTB (franchise tax board) 7% out of state withholding tax that property managers must comply with as agents for the owner. We also had a networking session that produced some real laughs.
The networking session question was, “You thought you’d heard everything until….” 2 stories stand out.
1. Tenant calls property management office complaining that the heater doesn’t work, his wife has to wear a sweater to bed when they make love….property management company sent maintenance out and there was nothing wrong with heater…
2. Tenant calls property management office with plumbing back-up, plumber is sent out, and in the process of snaking the plumbing the next door neighbor comes running out of the house screaming that she knew the house was haunted…apparently the snake came up through her toilet and was whipping around and caught the shower curtain and was spinning it in the air!
Humor is what gets any of us through the bad days and it is fun to be able to share these crazy stories.
Our key note speaker the second day was a legend in our community. Mark Kreditor from Texas. He has a degrees in music and is able to put property mgmt lyrics to well known songs to keep us all in stitches. He shared with us his thoughts on the Stimulus of the Economy and how it relates to Property management.
As a current board member for the state I had the opportunity to attend the First Timers breakfast where I got to meet new members to NARPM and their first conference. It is really inspiring to me to meet other property managers and hear their experiences and find out how they decided to become part of our family.
I can only tell you that NARPM is the first and only professional organization I have ever been a member of that truly made me feel welcome from the first day and each time I see old friends. They gladly share their experiences, tips and tricks and are always available if you have a situation or question you just aren’t sure how to handle. The thought is there is more than enough business to go around so there isn’t the feeling of being competitors as much as being professionals who want to do what is right and help others in the field. A perfect example is the last day of the conference there is always a breakfast and at this breakfast we network and share forms. Attendees bring with them handouts of some of the forms they use in their office that have been especially helpful. Why recreate the wheel? I can’t tell you how many ideas for services, better ways of streamlining my office procedures or added text to my management contracts that I have gotten from fellow property managers.
I would like to encourage anyone that is a property manager or thinking of becoming a property manager to attend a local chapter meeting, or state or regional conference. I think once you meet some of the members you will be convinced of the importance of getting involved. Many members are former past presidents of local, state and national boards, are authors of property management books, teach and speak to professional organizations, and continue to run businesses in their local communities.
Our vendors are a large part of our success as well and this year for the first time we had them in the conference room with us instead of a separate vendor exhibitor room. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They were able to mingle with us in an informal setting and got to hear first hand the presentations and topics of interest to us as business owners.
For more info about NARPM or to find a local chapter go to: www.narpm.org
Please check out my website at www.PortolaRentals.com if you are interested in properties in Santa Cruz or have rentals in Santa Cruz, CA.
Kathleen Richards
