There’s no doubting that times have been tough for the real estate market, but there are positive signs that sentiment is now swinging away from doom and gloom to a more positive outlook. We asked agents for their views.
LYN KIMBALL
Director and Office Manager at Fitzpatricks Real Estate
Challenges: Higher expectations
The awareness of building safety issues has been growing in recent years and property managers are, more and more, being called upon to deal with issues that are not within their area of training and expertise. This has led to higher expectations, from both landlords and tenants, and has been a real challenge for property managers, often resulting in higher levels of stress.
Actions: Tenancy managers
We’ve been actively educating our clients about the role of property managers. In fact, we’re not really “property” managers at all. We’re tenancy managers. It’s our role to manage the relationship between the landlord and the tenant. We’re not experts when it comes to building and construction issues, and nor should we be expected to be.
Predictions: More demand
It’s certainly not all doom and gloom. With more investors now coming back into the market, there will be an increased need from property investors for professional tenancy management services. But expectations will continue to rise and we need to strive to exceed service standards. Part of this will be educating our clients about what our real role is.