The real estate market offers many career opportunities, whether you're a broker, a realtor, or manage the properties yourself. You don't need to own properties to benefit from this industry, especially in a thriving market like Portland's. There is always a need for people who can effectively communicate between owners and renters while managing their day-to-day needs.
So, what kind of person enjoys property management as a career, and what can you do as a property manager if you choose to make it your long-term role? The answer may surprise you - it's a vibrant, flexible career with a low barrier to entry, allowing you to get started quickly.
Responsibilities of a Property Manager
A property manager has a working knowledge of how rental property functions in their area, meaning that they can help landlords with things like managing utilities, arranging repairs with trusted workers, and keeping a building up-to-date and appealing. They also help on the renter side, answering questions, collecting rent, and promoting a clear communication path if any disagreements or misunderstandings arise.
Property managers also keep residents in the building by either finding tenants by advertising the property effectively or building long-term relationships with current tenants that keep renters happy enough to renew the lease.
Oversee Various Tasks
A property manager's role involves a lot of different tasks per day, so people who love variety tend to thrive in this work. That is one of the benefits of being a property manager, as is the ability to work your property management duties around other life commitments and the ability to apply for a variety of property management jobs available in the Portland, OR area.
Resolve Issues Efficiently
You must be calm in a crisis and a good mediator since inevitably, some of the calls you get from renters will be about a need for sudden repairs or a conflict with other renters or community members. However, one of the satisfying parts of the job is that being an effective communicator who carefully explains the property's rules can help you. Similarly, using a thorough and careful advertising and screening process for the rental applicants can help you do your job effectively and keep renters long-term.
Take on More Responsibility as You Grow
Property management is the kind of job where, if you're doing the work well, you'll be able to take on more properties over time without reducing the quality of service you offer, essentially creating your room for growth.
While you can work for a property management company in entry-level roles with just a high school diploma, many places will look favorably on someone with real estate experience or a real estate license. Another way to become a property manager is to take a test prep course at Portland Community College toward the property manager license.
Courses and Licensure Lead To This Flexible, Fulfilling Career
With only the modest investment of 10 weeks of online coursework, you can study the critical information you'll need to work effectively as a property manager. Portland Community College offers its coursework through an experienced instructor who can help you understand why knowing all this information will be valuable and help you prepare for exactly what the Oregon examination covers. Oregon's Real Estate Agency has approved this course as a pre-license course, showing its quality and relevance.
In only a few months, you can be prepared for this exam and schedule to sit for the exam. Getting licensed as a property manager can help you manage rental real estate in Oregon and will help you prove to potential landlord clients that you are well suited to this work and knowledgeable in all the relevant details. Getting started in the field may take some time, but you can either work as an entry-level property management company or start your own business and add clients as you grow your reputation and resources.
Make PCC the Start of Your Real Estate Management Journey
Portland Community College prides itself on offering courses that allow people to make leaps or changes quickly and flexibly in their careers. Whether you're a young adult who is just starting and wants to make property management your first job, or you're working to transition from a different industry and need some training to get started, the PCC coursework takes only a few weeks. You can flexibly take the course online to avoid missing work or other schooling and fulfill your license requirement needs here in Oregon.
To get to know all the ways you can grow your abilities and make a career choice, read more about our programs today.
