How to Find Great Property Managers
We previously posted our Case Study: Rockstar Manager Saves Park & as it turns out, many readers have experienced similar management difficulties. No surprise here. The onsite manager is the most variable component of any park and it’s frustrating when that person’s not a good fit.
So how do you find rock star mobile home park managers?
Lower Expectations
Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth - just about all the applicants from your Craigslist/Indeed ads will be terrible.
Brace yourself for a sea of mediocrity.
Out of dozens of resumes received for a single management position (sometimes over 100) we usually only interview 1 or 2. Why so low? We’ve been hurt so many times before and started noticing common traits (aka red flags).
Applicant Red Flags
High job turnover - we’ve fallen for this trap a few times. It’s a common red flag for all jobs but can be especially brutal in property management (poor collections, theft, etc.).
Too young - Maybe call it reverse agism but we have a hard time believing 20 year olds are prepared to knock on doors and handle irate tenants. Plus, they are typically transitionary until they find a job with slightly better comp or end up going to school.
Overly ambitious - a LOT of people think they can work a full time job & manage an average sized ‘value add’ park at the same time. While we applaud the hustle, this rarely worked for us. You’re typically better off finding someone who can devote the proper time & energy to the property.
The long distance manager - Commonly we’ll see applicants who live 40+ minutes away from the property. If we aren’t requiring the manager to live onsite (which isn’t an absolute requirement), we’d prefer someone close in case of emergencies. It has to be easy to visit the park otherwise things will get missed and problems take too long to resolve.
Applicant Green Flags
After you’ve filtered out the young bucks, the high turn over applicants, & over achieving hustlers here’s what we like to see.
5+ years at the same job - if they’re able to hold a job for several years they’re at least getting something done.
Prior property management experience - not a deal breaker (we’ve had great managers with no property management experience) but it’s nice if they know the drill already. It’s usually better to throw someone in the water who already knows how to swim (shamelessly linking John Wayne’s ‘Learning to Swim’ for your enjoyment).
Clean communication - usually candidates who take the time to write thoughtful emails and polish their resume will put that same effort into other aspects of their work. Not to say a typo here & there is a dis-qualifier but something that’s polished vs something thrown together is clear signal.
Former police work - anybody that has worked for the police (in any capacity) has heard and seen it all. They know how to enforce rules and don’t take nonsense from problem tenants.
After finding 3 - 5 resumes that look promising you schedule phone interviews (ideally via zoom - as then you can get a sense of how they present and if they can use basic technology, which they’ll need to succeed in the role). Things to look for on the first call:
I like interviewees that ask detailed questions. Usually someone who’s vetting their employer as I’m vetting them is at least conscious of being a good fit.
Avoid the ‘Yes Man’ - someone desperate for a job will always say they’re happy to jump on emergency calls at 2 in the morning. I want someone who can push back if need be.
‘Fiery’ - we’re not kidding, our rockstar managers have all been type A women. If someone’s really timid on the phone how will they react to upset tenants - We prefer the feisty ones…
Good workers will always want comparable compensation, we’ve had success with a combination of fixed & variable pay - with large fixed payment bumps after certain goals are hit. As mentioned in our case study, our rockstar manager hit her goals quickly & we were more than happy to shower her with money & praise.
We also believe a good manager needs a responsive & understanding owner. Our A+ employees made mistakes, but knew they could count on corporate to help work through solutions. 99% of mistakes were quickly alleviated.
Don’t hire someone great & play absentee owner. Eventually even the best managers will feel abandoned & neglected. In addition to weekly updates we would frequently call / text to check in and see how corporate could help. Great managers like having a solid support system on standby.
Conclusion
Yes you could still find someone that looks great on paper, aces your phone interview & ends up being a terrible manager. But hey, that’s Vegas baby; nobody said this was going to be easy.
So keep sifting, eventually the stars align & you’ll find someone great (at the very least decent). Then treat your managers well & they’ll treat you well.
Happy Trails,
MHP Weekly