How to Be a Professional Community Association Manager
A community association manager is an individual who makes sure that the community is fulfilling the needs of its members and that the housing property where everyone lives in is maintained properly. The main goal of a community association manager is to build an enriching community where residents like where they live and the communal property attracts other prospective residents. Managers can be hired by owners of residential properties, such as apartments, office buildings and condominiums, or they can be hired through a property management firm that specializes in maintaining the property.
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Instructions
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Take finance, negotiation and psychology classes. Community association managers need to handle financial operations since community association residents pay fees for services to maintain the neighborhood. They also need to know how to negotiate fees and contracts with janitorial, security, and landscaping firms. And they must know how to understand people, since they will be dealing with different kinds of homeowners and tenants.
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Get a degree in business administration, real estate, or other related fields. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics states that those who hold degrees in business or in fields related to property management are better suited for opportunities as community managers. Managing a residential property is similar to operating a business, and those with majors related to the field may have insights on how to correctly manage the property. Having a bachelor's degree is also more competitive than having an associate's degree.
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Obtain a professional designation with the National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers. Getting this certification not only shows your commitment to becoming a community association manager, but it will also establish your credibility among homeowners. This certification will also help community managers become more aware of the current trends in the industry and make their skills current. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics states that certification will allow community association managers to expand their knowledge in "operation and maintenance of mechanical systems in buildings, the improvement of property values, insurance and risk management, personnel management."
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Work in different settings to gain experience in a variety of environments. Those with experience in housing for older people and health care facilities may have more opportunities open to them. You may want to volunteer or gain an internship with home health care facilities to learn about property operations, or in other real estate or residential property firms. You can also develop leadership skills to become more competitive by taking on officer roles in community organizations.
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Apply for work through a property management firm or directly with a residential property. Property management firms post a dedicated manager to each residential property they are managing, and he or she serves as the community association manager for that property. Many individuals who aspire to become community association managers work first as assistants or in an entry-level role before they advance and manage larger properties with more complex operations.
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- Photo Credit condo building image by Betty Oesterling from Fotolia.com
