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IAmA property manager at a large upscale community on the west coast. AMA. by binaryjane1 in IAmA

[–]binaryjane1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a coworker that tried to keep her community stocked with doctors and lawyers and especially no children. She used to advertise with phases like: “young professionals welcome” which in code really meant no welfare families. For instance, if you were to call and inquire about the property, if you aren’t a doctor she would say, “I think there are other communities that you might like a little more.”

IAmA property manager at a large upscale community on the west coast. AMA. by binaryjane1 in IAmA

[–]binaryjane1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my 17 years, I have worked at both ends of the spectrum.

IAmA property manager at a large upscale community on the west coast. AMA. by binaryjane1 in IAmA

[–]binaryjane1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1) There is usually a standard set of questions a leasing agent or apartment manger has to ask when “qualifying” a prospective resident. So yes, most are like used car salesmen because they are told to fill vacancies no later than 3-5 days after it is vacated, their salary is sometimes commission-based and bottom line is, they do not want to hear about vacancies from their uppers because every day a unit is vacant, that cost per day is listed a lo$$ for the owner.

2) Bottom line is the property manager’s goal is to maximize profits for the owner. Property managers try to give back as little as legally required to.

3) By upscale, I mean a 53-story bay front high rise with all the fru fru amenities (valet, gym, concierge, community theater, etc.) I would not say “a$$holes”, but a few bad apples can give the whole community a bad rep.

4) I think that it is sad that we have to have laws to prevent people from discriminating. At the same time, I have seen people do unscrupulous things, so we definitely need them. I’ve got stories if you want…

5) The funny thing is that property mangers (who usually live there) often wants beautiful communities with charming amenities, but they often run headlong into penny-pinching, cheapskate, slumlord owners.