Working as a commercial property manager

Hi everyone,

I am wondering if anyone who is currently working or has worked as a commercial property manager in the past can shed some light on the best way to enter this profession, any decent companies to contact (I am currently in Adelaide), and what it is like to work in this field.

At present I am working in an unrelated career but I am studying a Masters in business and property, which will hopefully assist me in entering the field of commercial property management. In the past I have managed my own (residential) properties but property management companies obviously wouldn't count this as experience!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Tarah
 
Hi Tarah, wish you all strength in your chosen career.
I think there is a screaming demand for good commercial property managers, not only in the specialised commerical agencies but also in the suburban real estate agencies that also manage commercial tenancies.
Two examples.
1.) GST & allocating outgoings, most agents can't wrap their heads around it, dump it on the most junior and inexperienced staff, who then stuff it all up.(How many of them would know, there may be no gst on water and rates from the supplier, but, you need to add gst, when you pass this cost on to your tenant).
2.) In NSW, changes to the NSW Retail Leases Act, with disclosure as the key objective, now require the shifting of an extra 20 pages of info & disclosure into any negotiations, prior to any lease being drawn up (we call it the Frank the guru and Westfield clauses). Not sure of SA laws, but you can be sure they exist.
Show some expertise, in GST, Outgoings, legal/lease process, plus your existing resi-experience and i believe you will walk into a property managers/officers job just about anywhere.
Go for it!
 
Get you REISA qualification (if its compulsary)

As you do it, sit with all the major Commercial firms (the ones with one central city office only servicing the whole state)

They will probaly tell you to just enter the fielkd in residential proposerty management.

Staff always move on - keep in touch with them. Most use professional recruitment firms, you may save them the expense of one.
 
interesting word - persistance - i update a hand written 'must do' list every week, and the word of this year is "persistance", not much will happen without it, and sure, nothing is ever as easy as you hope.
 
Great thread, it seems to me that commercial property management is a good move up from residential property management. Better hours, better money and better career advancement.
 
Get the REISA qualification, but hit up some of the main agents like Jones Lang, Colliers Knight Frank etc. who also do commercial management.

Otherwise some big developers who do inhouse property management may look at you in a more junior role.
 
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