Life as a Prospect

Expectations. Professionalism. Client centered. All of these words are important to someone currently focusing on finding, securing, and starting employment with a new company. All words I want to attribute to a new company with whom I want to forge a new relationship, not unlike being single looking for love. Maybe there is no difference. Certainly there are many similarities.

The past two weeks have found me traveling all over the country for various interviewing opportunities. Each company has varied in its approach to interviewing, its level of professionalism, in the amount of attention given to me, the hopeful, though decidedly wary of the process prospect. It is so important that I do not make a mistake in this process. After all, I want this relationship to LAST. It has occurred to me, on more than one occasion, I am representative of the apartment hunter – surely they, too, are wary of the process of walking into our Leasing Offices, of meeting with a leasing agent, hopeful of locating the perfect home where they can set up a place to LIVE, not just exist.

I know one thing. The next time I stand up to greet someone who walks through the Leasing Office door, I truly will understand their trepidation, their fear of the unknown, their questioning of whether or not I care about them and their needs and wants. I am also looking for a new place to live, so by virtue of being in the same place they are, I do understand. I can commiserate. I can empathize! This will make me a better Manager. I think it will also make me a better person.

No longer will I settle. This is not the time in life to settle for “just enough.” It is the time to seek the challenge and to figure it out. It’s time to put into practice, again, the tried and true and also the unique approach to issues. Now that I have found The Company and will soon decide on a Home, I am ready for 2013: all the pieces will soon fall into place and my picture will be complete. I cannot wait to get started.

Everything Teaches Us Something We Need to Know

When I turn off the lights at 6:00 tonight, it will be the last time I do so under the name of Freestone, so today is a bittersweet day for me. It’s a great day for the Owner! Doesn’t matter how you get your profits, it only matters that you do. And I understand that. What is a little more difficult to understand is an Owner who does not come in person to say, “Good bye.” Maybe that is normal … to have no definitive closure, no formal way to bid someone a fond farewell. I have never experienced it this way, to be sure.

As I look out the window at this gray, windy day that is neither warm nor cold, I think the somber mood is reflected in the little puddles of rain collected in an indentation on the ground. But inside, I feel not sad, but hopeful. I am really more of an optimist than a pessimist. (When I was twelve I could be a Debbie Downer extraordinaire, but nowadays, I choose to look up, rather than down!) It’s much more fun to see the bright side of things (when you can) than to dwell on the negative.

I believe that every experience I have had is leading me somewhere. In just two short years, I have the opportunity to learn so many incredible things. Just think. If this happened (my company selling off all "our" properties) when I was just starting out (and to see "your" company come to an end) I would have given up, thrown in the towel, said I could not do that again. After all, it is not often you find a great mentor who teaches you the business as mine has, or one who allows you to run with your marketing ideas full force, one who says, “Make us a website! Hook us up on Facebook! Create brochures - do it. Do it all! Supervise this construction project! I don't need to handle that; you can do it." You can do it. Magical words! It is rare to find someone who criticizes in a kind and gentle way and lets you make a mistake or two and then allows you to fix it. I have the utmost respect for this person.

After eight plus years, this is the hardest part about moving on; it’s leaving behind people you care about and admire. I know this isn’t the end of my relationship with my boss (hey, I know he will be there if I want to bounce an idea around, even at eleven at night and there’s always email) but it is the end of our day-to-day working relationship (for now.) I wonder if he will feel the effects of his own “Empty Nest,” but perhaps this is good preparation for him for when his oldest leaves for college next year. It just goes to show you, for everyone, everything that happens prepares us for the next step, the next adventure, next job, the next radical, awful, wonderful or special event that will happen. Personally, I am looking forward to seeing what new is being planned for me in life!

Change

While death and taxes may be the only two Sure Things in life, there is another and most people do not look forward to it, not at all. And that Third Thing is called change. I know everyone says change is scary, and it can be, but it can also be a reason to try something new. Really, I think the reason why it takes people time to embrace change is simply due to fear and the fact that they may not have chosen to change in the first place.

Change is emotional. It stirs up longing. With reflection, it can also stir up courage.

Okay World, hear me roar! (I always did like the Lion in The Wizard of Oz....)

A Note Of Thanks From a Resident

When I was going through my divorce and hard financial times, for two summers between the start and finish of the new school years, I took summer jobs working as a teacher in a childcare facilities. One year I worked with the Two-Year Olds (my favorite!!!) and one year with special needs Four-Year Olds (very challenging and rewarding.)

At nap time, I would write notes to each of the children’s parents telling them all about how their child’s day had been. I would write things like, “Micah enjoyed the story we read at Story Time so much! I suggest you take Micah to the library and check out these books.” Then I would list some books to be read together. Or, I might write a note about Elizabeth "seems very interested in learning to tie her shoes. We practiced this morning together – she was so interested in learning that she chose this activity instead of playing in the Housekeeping Corner! Her fine motor skills are well ahead of her age level.” Sometimes I would have to say that Benjamin had had some sadness that morning so I helped him work through his aggression by letting him play at the Water Table for an extended period because the water play seemed to lessen some of his stress. Pretty soon he was happy with his whole underwater sea adventure. Maybe he was a bit tired? He went to sleep right away!”

These notes apparently were much different from what other teachers wrote. Theirs usually consisted of “We played, had snack, lunch, no potty accidents.” My parents loved the notes and told me they kept them in their children’s Baby Books and oftentimes thanked me for writing so many details of their children’s days.

When I fell into property management, I continued to write little notes to Residents. Generally these were little notes of cheer if I knew someone wasn’t feeling well, or notes of condolence if someone’s loved one or pet died, or even thank you notes for planting flowers in the community’s empty container (admittedly it takes me a while to get to all the containers in the community!) Since the news has now broken through the veil of silence about the impending property sale, Residents have started to come in to ask me if I am staying or going. One wrote me a particularly touching note that in part, I will share:

 The note reads: “You’ve created a community of care and consideration, of respect for residents, a place (especially your longer-stay residents like me) are happy to call home. If the new owners or managers let you go, they’re crazy and losing one of the best things about living here.”

I know though that all the time spent writing those little notes do make a difference in our Residents’ lives. We touch lives every day. No one may tell you this, but it doesn’t make it any less true. My entire goal as a Manager and the one aspect of community management I hope to instill in others is training the teams I work with to think of each Resident as a vital part of the community. Sometimes all it takes is a smile or the special little note slipped into the door jamb to make our Residents feel appreciated. After all, we ALL need to feel appreciated every once in a while. And I am grateful of this little note I received!

The Final Days of the Property Sale

A little piece of my marketing soul died this week. Remember when you had your first real boyfriend (or girlfriend) and you broke up, well, because this was your first relationship and as relationships go, the first one usually doesn’t make it to your high school days. Anyway, here we are in the final days of the impending sale and the Owner calls me and says matter-of-factly, “Stop.” What he meant was, don't lease any more. And I was heartbroken - as if we had just broken up.

Do you know how difficult that directive is for me to follow? It goes totally against all the grains of my Pre-Leasing Strategy. The Business Manager side of me understands because I know at this stage of the game, there will be final prorates done, etc. and it all washes out for him at the end of rainbow. But for anyone who calls me needing to find a home, I am left in utter limbo. So, now I have become YOUR best leasing link as I am assisting people in finding homes with YOUR communities … and you don’t even know it. But I cannot in good conscience just ignore those who are trying to move before the holidays, and trust me, there are still quite a few that do.  

Working With the Senior Resident

My daughter told me the other day that I should manage a senior community. She said matter-of-factly that after all, I was the “Old People Whisperer.” I am not sure the elderly population would feel flattered by that attribute, but I laughed anyway. In fact, her assessment could possibly be quite accurate.

When did that happen? I can remember being bored by people over the age of thirty!

Looking back though, I can tell you it happened the day I became a Manager of a property that had been marketed as a Senior Community. It wasn’t legally classified as a Senior Property, but because the Manager and Leasing Consultants said it was, no one much under the age of fifty went there after they called since that was what they were told. Hello? Fair Housing?

When I came on board, and was moved into the role of manager there, I was forced into learning how to deal with the older population. It turns out I have a knack for it. I seem to have infinite patience with seniors and I always make time for them. It is such a pleasure to talk to someone who has experienced so much change in his lifetime! The older men flirt shamelessly and the older women sometimes just need a hug. Sometimes, they all just need to know someone cares – they are so lonely.

How much trouble is it to stop by to check in on someone who is lonely and would never confide that to you? Does it really take that much time to fix a cup of tea for someone and sit for a moment? I love to do this. But my daughter is right; I have noticed that many people in our Leasing Offices look with disdain on a slow-moving person who is coming in to report a work order request. They never stop to think that they come in because they want some human interaction. And if the older resident complains, it may be because they want some attention! Give it to them, please. They appreciate your kindness more than you can ever know. In fact, I guess just about everyone does.  

Here are some things to do for your Senior Residents:

1. Subscribe to the newspaper. Subscriptions are expensive these days and this may bring more of your Residents into your clubhouse.

2. Serve coffee or tea in your clubhouse.

3. Make sure your dumpsters have side openings. Many Seniors cannot open those large lids on dumpsters.

4. Allow pets! Pets help banish loneliness for all our Residents, let alone "shut-ins."

5. Print your brochures, flyers and party invitations in a BIG FONT - easier for seniors to read.

6. Hold Resident Events earlier in the evening. Many do not like walking home in the dark.

7. Hold card parties! Bridge games are still popular.

8. Allow gardening and patio containers so Residents can have flowers in their outdoor areas.

9. Make sure your Groundsperson salts by outdoor mailboxes! Getting the mail is an important activity for many senior residents. Mitigate the danger of them slipping on the ice.

10. Teach them how to access the internet if they don't know how. Have a continuing ed class just for them.

Are there other things our property managers can do? Please share your ideas!

Sales Tip When Your Property Is For Sale

When your property is for sale, every person who walks through your Leasing Office door is not a real Prospect. Though you know you should behave as if they are, it is sometimes a difficult task. I won’t say I always know a True Prospect when he enters, but … Generally what happens during the pre-contract stage, is every potential buyer – even before they come to tour your community – sends a Shopper or has someone call you to test the phone skills of whoever answers the telephone. For Leasing Team members, there is no additional stress in this. However, the telephone call could determine a potential job offer if the Shopper turns out to be the new Buyer and thus, Owner. Managers, on the other hand, generally do not answer these phone calls. I am a Manager, but I also answer the phone.

Have I told you lately that for me, answering the telephone is a learned skill? 

Last Friday I answered the phone and a gentleman began asking questions about accepting a short term lease proposal. At this time of the year, that is really all I want to accept! (But I did not say that.) I set up an appointment for him and his wife to come and tour one of the townhouses to see if that would meet their needs. Now, there wasn’t anything special about the conversation but I always have a nagging doubt these days if the person is “for real” or not.

Let me say this. There is nothing in the world more paranoia-producing than when your property is for sale. People will call all day long asking every market survey question you can imagine. They will ask you every Fair Housing question, including, “Do you take people of color there?” What????? People of color? The last time someone asked me that (three weeks ago), I said, “Sure, I will take blue people, green people, yellow people. What color are you referring to specifically?”

The couple arrived in the morning instead of our agreed upon afternoon appointment time, but that was fine with me. We sat and talked for a long while about their decision to move and downsize and all the other probing questions. Very well mannered, very nicely dressed, this retired couple was engaging and I began thinking I did not think they were game playing at all.

We toured the available townhouse and came back to Office to discuss the terms of a leasing contract. As they walked to the door to leave, the wife turned to her husband and told him to fill out all the paperwork and write a check because she was happy with everything and saw no reason to look anywhere else.

She was shaking her head, “Oh, this is going to be so nice! I am not interested in going anywhere else!” she said. Her husband held her elbow and he escorted her through the open door. He turned to say over his shoulder, “We want to move into our home before the holidays!”

I nodded and told him I would make it happen. It would be my pleasure. Sales tip: not every one is a Shopper and you cannot always know by talking to them over the phone.