Do We Reduce Our Residents to Being A Unit Number?

Our lives revolve around numbers, especially those of us who are a part of the multifamily industry. We obsess over occupancy numbers, rental rates, market rates, competitive analysis of what our competition is charging and how they are faring in comparison to our properties. We worry over square footage, cash flow, budget adherence, maintenance costs, how much that recent snow fall will cost to remove and whether or not it will add excessively to our Overtime budget (if we even budgeted for any overtime!) We worry about the number of move outs each month, whether or not we can cover that number with an equal number of move ins and how much traffic we need to cover any other upcoming move outs. We obsess about everything.

Every January, someone usually gives us, or we buy a calendar, planner, or date book and update our Outlook calendars. We try to re-train ourselves to remember to write the correct current calendar year. However, until recently, I never realized how annoying numbers can be, especially when we are, as a person, reduced to being known only as a number.

Having the unfortunate experience of facing a somber medical crisis, I began the journey of visiting first, my family doctor, then a myriad of specialists, hospitals, outpatient clinics and so on. I never realized how much medicine has changed until then. It used to be I could call my physician’s office and the receptionist would say, “Yes, Mindy, sure, let me see when we can get you in today,” She would proceed to take my information as to my symptoms and simply tell me my appointment time. Those were the days when I might have had a strep throat, or bronchitis or simply a sinus infection. In fact, those were the days when they would often just call in an antibiotic, thus bypassing an office visit completely. It wasn’t that I called a lot for myself, but as a busy teacher raising two children, the people who worked in the office usually got to know the family pretty well since when your child gets sick, usually the whole family does.

After the first phone call to my doctor’s new office (he is now not a solo practitioner – Egads! I suppose no one is anymore!), I was greeted by a Call Center first responder whose first remark was, “Date of birth, please.”

Oh? Okay, well it’s 11/24/----.

“Address?”

I answer that I have moved from the previous address and provide the new information so she can update their system.

It is then that she asks my name. Really? That is the third question???? The kicker is that she tells me the name I provide is not the one she has in her system since they must now only use the Formal Given Name as Listed on one’s Birth Certificate. What???? But nobody knows me by that name and I refuse to even acknowledge my parents were stupid enough to name me that in the first place. Doesn’t matter. You must allow them to use that name, though you may prefer your middle, nick or whatever other name you always use. In the end, it turns out, that doesn’t even matter anyway, as the only thing they ask me each time I call (and it can be three times every week right now) is “What is your DOB?”

The pharmacy is exactly the same way, too. Nobody cares that you like your nickname and hate your “given legal first name” as they continue to ignore your requests to call you be your preferred name. Everyone in the medical profession, at every single stage of your treatment will ask you FIRST what your date of birth is.

I wonder, is this how Residents feel when they send you emails, call on the phone, or come into the office? Do we only know them by their apartment (or worse – UNIT NUMBER)? I usually recognize Residents by name; however, after experiencing the trauma of the medical profession, I will strive to never refer to anyone ever again by only his or her unit number. How impersonal can you be in one of the most PERSONAL BUSINESSES there is?

Going the Distance

Why don’t people flush the toilet? And if they don’t flush the toilet, does that mean they also don’t wash their hands before exiting the restroom?

Why don’t people put their unwanted mail into the trash receptacle sitting right beside the bank of mailboxes instead of discarding it casually on the ground?

Why don’t people bother to scrape more than a small hole in the ice on their frosted over windshields in the middle of winter BEFORE they pull out of the driveway?

Why don’t people pick up their dog’s poop?

After reading so many blog posts recently about relationship selling and customer service, I am intrigued by the concept of why people do what they do. I have always been fascinated by this and perhaps missed my calling (except that in property management we all know putting on your shrink hat is commonplace. :-)) Coaching our teams is the first step in helping our residents to stop their laziness. That's what it is - simple laziness - when people so obviously ignore the right thing to do.

Flashback to high school. I was always a fairly proficient runner and enjoyed the short distance race. I excelled and often finished, if not first, then in the top three. One day after the spring season had already started my Coach told me he was pulling me from the short races and entering me in the long distance races. I protested. I whined that I wasn’t good at the long distances, that I would let the team down, that I plain ol’ didn’t want to run the long distances.

His response? I need you in the long distances, so that is where you will run. I was mad and pouted but did it. I never won the mile or even finished in the top three. However, by placing in the top five or even ten – heck, just for having someone competing – brought enough overall points to our team’s total to qualify us for Sectionals. My meager point count contributed to our total success and our ability to keep competing.

Flash forward to real life. At some point in our lives, we have to ask someone on our team to do something he or she does not want to do. If our residents continue to ignore the obvious, we may have to do it for them until we can train them to do it for themselves. Educating residents to do the right thing means we have learned what it takes to go the distance and we are up to the challenge.

And, I doubt we will ever get people to scrape their whole windshields before pulling out of the driveway. But I won't give up trying to convince them to take that little extra time so they can actually see where they are going and get there a bit more safely.

Wrapping It Up

December 20, 2012 found me sitting in an office confirming the final reads for utilities, confirming that the static IP address was canceled and with no phone ringing, I wondered what will happen next. The office had been cleared of all marketing materials, cleaned for the new Owners due to take over the following day, and there were two people anxiously awaiting the end of an era. At one point, I looked at the Maintenance Tech and asked him to go do something, anything, because he was making me a nervous wreck with his pacing in and out and asking me every two seconds if the deal was closed yet.

“Yes, the deal is closed. What we will be waiting on tomorrow is the exchange of funds. Once the money hits our Owner’s account, he will call and tell us to give whoever is here from the other company, the keys,” I said.

“And that’s tomorrow, right?” he asked.

“Yes. That’s the way it will work.”

Wrapping up the deal, the final Hoorah, requires attention to detail, patience and the ability to swallow my pride, as well as hold back tears. Endings are sad and I am NOT good at saying good-bye to people I like, let alone passing the reins to a company who chose to handle the purchase of our community as nothing more important than the purchase of a pound of ground beef.

December 21, 2012 dawned with a major weather advisory. How is it that we didn’t even experience temperatures much below 45 degrees all last winter and this winter we get hit with sleet, freezing rain and snow on this important day? Technically, the property was not even mine now, though I opened the Office and readied it for … someone new. The computers were gone; there was no internet, no cable service, no good treats any more and Christmas was only four days away. I had planned to bring in cookies, but sometimes the best laid plans don’t always work out. So, now there was the two of us, one who was asked to remain on board and me, who was deemed expendable, sitting and waiting. I thought to bring in a magazine but Greg just sat there. Staring.

And the phone did not ring. At all. For hours. Finally, I called our boss and explained I had an appointment and with the weather raging unkindly outside, I needed to leave. So, I had no idea what took place until I arrived back around 8:30 PM to a little note stuffed in my door.

It was addressed to: Occupant

How classy is that? Why wouldn’t you address your new ownership letter to Resident?

“Dear Occupant” it began. My heart stilled. I read each word quietly reflecting on its simplicity (and one grammatical error.) I still feel strongly about the Residents and to know the new Owners look at them as Occupants made me particularly sad. I don’t care what great plans they may have for the buildings, when the Residents read “Dear Occupant” they will not be impressed, I thought to myself.

A Great Community Has Great People

You know I have written about some of the funny, odd, outrageous things my Residents have done or said but today I received a phone call that took me by complete surprise. Let me tell you about it.

First, a bit of background. Now, I know no one knows me from Adam but just from reading some of these posts you have probably figured out that I am a bit opinionated. Hopefully, too, you see I have a sense of humor. And sensitive! I hope you see I am a sensitive, caring person. But my Residents only see me as the “Manager,” not really as a person. It’s kind of like when I was teaching. If I was at the supermarket and one of the students saw me, they just couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Mrs. Sharp! Mrs. Sharp! Mommy, I see Mrs. Sharp! Mrs. Sharp is here, here at Martin’s (a local grocery store).” Kids are funny like that. They don’t think you actually cook and eat and go to the bathroom and do all the stuff they do. J

I sent out a Notice to all the Residents this week letting them know the Office would be closed until Thursday of next week because I would be on vacation. Usually, on larger properties there is someone who also works in the Office and everyone covers when someone is away. But here it is different for me, as I truly work six days a week with no breaks, sometimes not even for lunch. This is my choice. I have a lot of fires in other ovens, so to speak, so my Office here is my work home base. The Residents are used to seeing me here – literally all the time – though they know I travel for work and occasionally the office is closed on weekdays. But my absence in that respect practically never affects them. Even when I am on the road, I can take care of them because I have email access and phone access and they can text me, too. I have been known to lease apartments from my kitchen in Indiana, at another property in a different state and even from my car.

However, since I would be gone longer than ever before, like a good mommy/manager, I notified the Residents to let them know. I did not expect to have Residents stopping in to say things like, “Have a great time!” and “Good for you! You deserve a vacation!” or posting comments on the facebook page telling me they hope I have a fun vacation. I certainly did not expect to have a Resident personally call me to say, “Hey, I just thought I would call and let you know that I'm hoping you have a great time on your vacation.” Then he asked me what my plans were and seemed to really be happy for me and then he said, “We’ll all be okay while you’re gone. And Greg (our Maintenance Tech) will take care of things! You have a great time!”

But that’s what I got. And it made me pretty humble. And … happy.

Prospects Say the Darnedest Things

The other day I received a phone call from a Prospect wanting to know about availability at our community. Since I had just gotten a cancelation (Boo Hiss!) on a two-bedroom unit, obviously I was happy for the opportunity to re-lease it quickly. Right off the bat, though, this person’s phone demeanor was … honestly, not pleasant. She made an appointment to come in, which she did yesterday.

She was early for the appointment, which is one hundred times better than being late! She brought an accordion file folder with her and placed everything on the table in the Leasing Office. With what I now know to be her typical “directness” she began interrogating me about policy and procedure. Immediately, it put me off – not necessarily making me defensive, but I thought, WT*? You aren’t even a Resident and you are questioning every possible scenario that could come up in a lease situation. I wondered if she’d had some terrible issues somewhere else, so I asked her, but she said she had not.

I asked for her ID and went to tour the community and the available apartment. (I admit, it was kind of hard not to think ugly thoughts about the person who was a perfectly wonderful elderly woman who had had to cancel her lease! Were it not for her, I would not have to be with this mean person.)

On the way to the unit, Ms. Prospect asks me, “Are there any children here?”

I asked, “Why do you ask that?”

“I don’t like kids. I don’t want to live anywhere near kids. They’re loud and where we live now, they have a kid and when they play, they make all kinds of noise. I think they let the kid ride his tricycle all over the place.”

“Well, there are some children here. I don’t control that,” I said. “I do understand your concern though.”

“Oh, I know you can’t answer this question because of Fair Housing, but I just want you to know I don’t want to live around kids,” she said.

“If you understand that my renting to families is a Fair Housing question, then you know there is nothing I can do – or want to do – about families living here. I do know there are people who don’t really enjoy children. I get that. I really do. ”

After that little exchange, I was ready to say something else entirely, but we continued to the apartment. She loved it and made another appointment to bring her husband back over the weekend. I hope her husband, as a police officer, will be more respectful or at least open minded.

All In a Day's Work For a Property Manager

A friend of mine posted the statement on her facebook page that she had been working for the past couple of days at the elementary school where she teaches setting up her classroom and making copies of these little booklets she uses with her kindergarteners. May I be honest with you? When she included the statement that most parents don’t realize that she has worked these two days – UNPAID – I took pause. It really irked me, I have to say.

Friend, I want to say, you use this same little booklet EVERY year. Why don’t you proactively make them before the end of the last school year so you don’t have to waste your time doing it prior to the first paid work day of the new school year? 

As a teacher, you have now obtained tenure, which means, basically you can screw up any number of ways and still keep your job, which pays you about $65K per year. Your work day, by contract, does not start a minute before 8:00 AM or last a minute past 3:30 PM. You never have recess or lunch coverage duty. Your contract makes it impossible for a parent to contact you outside of those hours except by email, but you are under no obligation to answer it. You have a huge number of sick days (because they accrue from one year to the next and can be banked.) You also have personal days. If you cannot be at work, there is a qualified substitute available at a moment’s notice. Your students are dropped off for art class, music class and PE class each week, which I know lessens your actual instructional time.

I understand this. I worked in the same school you teach in and I know the culture there is wonderful, welcoming, nurturing, very relaxed and friendly. You may have to submit lesson plans to your Principal but they are pretty much rubber-stamped with his approval. You are not obligated to attend PTA meetings, sponsor any extra curricular activities, or cheer on your Sixth Grade football or basketball teams. You do not have to attend the Spell Bowl meets or put together the Yearbook.

Let me tell what a property manager deals with whether she wants to or not. There is no choice to not participate. Property Managers are on call 24/7. That’s twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They have to handle irate Residents who show up unexpectedly, out of the blue, often for no really good reason. They have to deal with emails from Prospective Residents, Current Residents, other Managers requesting verifications on past and current tenants whom they had no idea were considering moving leaving the property with a potential vacancy to be filled. They deal with scheduling painting contractors, carpet cleaners, landscapers, carpet installers and other contractors for special projects or emergencies. They create newsletters, marketing materials, Goodie Baskets for Move-Ins, perform Outreach Marketing, usually weekly and they must update websites, ILS services with the new rents and other property info. They must be Team Leaders to all the Maintenance Techs, Assistant Managers and Leasing professionals. They have complete responsibility for the total financial health and outcome of the asset they manage, including preparing and submitting a detailed, line item budget every year. A large majority of these professionals have no health insurance, very few sick or personal days, and cannot schedule time off if it is “inconvenient for the property.” They have to mediate between all conflicting parties and if the parties want to, they can take their complaints over the Manager’s head, up the corporate ladder and usually “win” and eventually get their issue resolved, whether it should be in their favor or not. They must decorate mini models and Model Units, show apartments and sell the property so that occupancy does not drop. They must submit daily, weekly and monthly property reports even though no one usually reads them and then calls to ask about the information directly because they “don’t have time to go through all that.” They walk the property whether the thermometer reads 105 degrees or -5 degrees below zero.

I know I haven’t listed all that a teacher does in the course of a day. Nor, have I listed everything a Property Manager does either. Both professions require continuing education, dedication, a passion and desire to educate and help others become and create. Teachers may be more concerned with developing an individual and a Property Manager may be more interested in helping others create homes, but come on, putting two “free” days in is really nothing to complain about in the long scheme of life. 

Learn Some Life Skills, Why Don'tcha?

When I was teaching kindergarten, there was a small portion of the curriculum devoted to teaching our youngest students emotional intelligence. It was based on Christian concepts and centered on introducing actual skills children will need as they grow up in this big, complicated world. Later, when I “graduated” to grades K-6, the overall concept in the public schools labeled these skills Life Skills. There were several of these, including Responsibility, Integrity, Honesty, Trust, Flexibility, Cooperation, Perseverance, Sense of Humor, Empathy, and about five others. I always thought trying to instill these values in children was a worthwhile cause as, sadly, many do not learn these values in their homes. 

It is safe to say these Life Skills are also very important in property management. Clearly, I was thinking as I headed off to Court the other day, it would have been nice had a couple of my new Residents learned them before they came to my property. This couple rented an apartment and moved in as recent as May 19, 2012. And here I was heading to Court to testify at their REQUESTED Eviction Trial. Apparently during the initial Hearing they objected to the charges of non-payment of rent and sought a trial.

As the trial progressed and the Resident was called to testify, it became very apparent to me that he was just plain old lying. I mean, he was telling bald, right to your face, lies, even though he had been sworn to tell the truth. I sat there incredulous, although a bit fascinated, at his boldness and stupidity. For me, when a Resident comes to me with a problem, I try to resolve it any way possible. However, right then and there I began thinking, I don’t want anything more to do with you and I can’t wait to get you off the property. Apparently, I have to wait to officially do this, as here in Ohio, the Judge does not make an immediate ruling. In the meantime, I will discreetly place some moving boxes at their door. Hint, hint!