Purpose: Student Agencies Inc. Real Estate acts as a property management company on behalf of Student Agencies Properties. The SAI Real Estate Assistant Manager assists the Real Estate General Manager in managing all aspects of Student Agencies Properties’ real estate holdings, which include both commercial and residential properties totaling $36+ million in assets. The RE Assistant Manager works with the General Manager on the administration, marketing, maintenance, rental, and management of SAP’s 3 commercial tenants and 64 residential apartments. The RE Assistant Manager is also expected to meet weekly with the RE GM, SAI President, and CEO to discuss financial issues, organizational plans, and strategic initiatives. The RE Assistant Manager aids the RE General Manager when presenting operational updates at quarterly Board of Directors meetings, working with other SAI businesses and the SAP Board of Directors when managing properties, and working alongside the SAI CFO and President to determine a budget and strategic business plan to guide the rest of the Real Estate team’s term.
Hourly Requirement: This position requires the manager to work part-time (10-15 hours per week) during the academic year. A summer commitment is not required for Assistant Managers, but it is preferred.
Job Description
The following job description paints a more complete picture of the skills that we are looking for. The following section will show the broad tasks that the Assistant Manager is expected to perform. Though the job is comprehensive, many of the skills required to successfully execute these responsibilities are learned/perfected during training.
Main Responsibilities
Tenant Relations
- Support General Manager in managing the rental of commercial and residential properties, including scheduling and conducting apartment showings
- Take a proactive approach towards maintenance (check common areas, fix problems before they worsen, long-term maintenance plans, etc.)
- Proactively create contingency plans in the event of a tenant emergency; assist General Manager in case of an emergency
- Assist General Manager in facilitating productive relationships with tenants, sub-letters, and commercial tenants
- Respond to all tenant communications and requests in a timely, polite manner
Maintenance
- In the event of a tenant maintenance request, isolate the best value solution and manage the staff/contractors performing the required maintenance
- Help schedule apartment inspections during university breaks to ensure appropriate upkeep and safety
- Work with City of Ithaca officials to ensure all properties comply with code and required building certifications are up to date
- Planning/Record Keeping
- Build upon past managers’ records and efficiently use past maintenance, financial, and customer data to create a proactive maintenance schedule, especially for the turnover period
- Help General Manager plan for turnover to successfully facilitate past tenants move-out, perform all necessary repairs, and prepare apartments for new tenants within a 14-day period
- During the rental period, help plan for moving new tenants in, apartment showings, pricing, and marketing of residential properties
Financial
- Work with the RE General Manager, President, and CFO to create an operating budget for the next year
- Reconcile rent payments and bank account activity monthly
- Help General Manager calculate commercial rent adjustments, perform all rent reconciliation reports, compile expense information, prepare an analysis of competitors
- Support General Manager in conducting ROI analyses on capital investments, work with RE General Manager, President, CEO, and Facilities Director to propose and evaluate new CapEx projects, present findings to the Board of Directors
Communication
- Work with the General Manager to maintain a professional relationship with the Student Agencies Properties Board of Directors, as Board approval is required for CapEx projects
- Coordinate any building needs with Facilities Director and Director of Housekeeping daily to ensure all aspects of The Student Agencies Building are tended to
- Periodically send out a newsletter to tenants with any building updates and move-in/out information
Legal
- Assist General Manager in updating leases as needed to comply with Ithaca and Collegetown standards
- Work with the General Manager to keep all legal documents organized and create and distribute various lease agreements to tenants; a level of comfortability with legal documents is necessary
Marketing
- Pre-plan to identify target tenant base and market to specific groups; work with General Manager to develop a strategic marketing plan to reach these groups
- Facilitate outreach to as many contact channels as possible to rent out available spaces
- Work with Marketing Director to oversee all aspects of marketing such as website upkeep, social media content, email list-serve/past-customer communications, etc.
Day to Day/General Responsibilities
- Remain up to date on emails, voicemails, etc.
- See to any urgent tenant requests
- Walk through properties to ensure all common areas are in order
- Check progress on long-term maintenance plans, SAP Board of Directors projects, and marketing initiatives
- Contribute to the overall benefit of SAI by participating in meetings, office hours, team projects, corporate recruiting/orientation/training and aiding other businesses when necessary
- Honor all deadlines and action plans
- Aid in the transition of the next manager by keeping organized records and adding to the training manual
- Foster long-term business growth and development
Necessary Skills
- Excellent Communication Skills: In person, online, and over-the-phone communication with tenants, contractors, SAI members, and potential clients is frequent, so the ability to relay information clearly and concisely is key.
- Experience with Customer Service: The Assistant Manager helps respond to tenant requests, and must be able to swiftly, creatively, and efficiently address all client concerns.
- Comfortable with Showing Properties: The Assistant Manager, along with the rest of the Real Estate team, heads apartment showings and rents the residential apartments during leasing season.
- Adaptability: The Assistant Manager may receive calls from clients about problems or questions with the property and must be flexible and timely in their responses and solutions.
- Stress Management: Though pre-planning and organization can avoid stress, the Assistant Manager may experience time crunches when dealing with emergencies, the ending of sales season, project deadlines, etc. and must be able to work under pressure.
- Time Management: Since the Assistant Manager is a full-time Cornell student and may have other on-campus academic/extracurricular obligations, the AM must be able to balance their schedule to be available to tenants and complete all the responsibilities of the job. During rental and turnover season, the AM must be especially organized to effectively manage their schedule and the properties.
What We’re Looking For
We are looking for a dedicated, enthusiastic, and passionate student who will prioritize SAI in order to ensure its success. If you exhibit any of the necessary personal qualities of a Real Estate Assistant Manager and/or have relevant experience, apply today! The purpose of SAI is to provide students with an experiential learning opportunity, so don’t let a lack of experience deter you from applying. In many cases, we weigh a candidate’s motivation for joining SAI, ability to self-start, and resilience over past work experience.
Skills: real estate,property sales/showing,communication,customer service experience,digital,innovation,adaptability,comfortable with showing properties,execution,entrepreneurial mindset,collaboration,marketing knowledge,growth strategies,time management,analytical skills,business development,strategic thinking,excellent communication skills,leadership,stress management
