With July just around the corner, and the end of the school year finally making its way through Ontario, many will be looking to pack their bags and go for a change of scenery. 

Whether it be a town over for a quick weekend getaway, or a plane ride to a whole new time zone, there’s much to consider when leaving your condominium for any length of time. 

It is murphy’s law that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. So, why not do everything you can to make sure it doesn’t? As a unit owner, and as a member of your condominium community, there are a few extra steps to take to ensure that while you’re enjoying some well-earned R&R, your unit stays safe, secure, and in tip-top condition. 

Notify your condominium manager.

The first thing you’ll want to do once you’ve settled your departure details, is to inform your condo manager and administrator that you will be away from your unit. This type of notice will allow your condominium management company to be aware of the people trying to access your unit while you’re away. Will you be arranging to have a cleaning crew come in? Someone to water your plants? What about a pet that will need someone to come take care of them? Help keep your community and unit secure by alerting the appropriate channels. Leave your contact information with your manager in case there comes a situation where you need to be contacted. 

Lock all doors and windows. 

In the event that you won’t be using a cleaning crew, or pet/plant sitter, you’ll want to make sure your unit is locked and secure. Check all your windows and close your blinds. Make sure to check any point of entry is secured and locked. Consider taking photos around your unit to compare against your return. Not only will this help protect your unit from unwanted visitors, but also ensure there won’t be unnecessary damage from rain coming through the windows.

Unplug your appliances.

Go around your unit and unplug all appliances that don’t need to be running (like your refrigerator). This will help protect your unit from sudden power surges or from complications of any storm that may happen during your absence. 

Check all your faucets. 

Make sure all your sinks and washrooms are in good working condition. Check your taps to ensure there are no drips that could turn into anything disastrous. Have you been noticing any odd noises coming from your toilet? Get that checked before you leave. No one wants to come home to a flooded toilet, and a downstairs neighbour with a wet ceiling. 

Communicate your parking needs.

Will you be leaving your car behind? Double-check that your car is locked and secured. Will you be taking your car with you? Communicate with management that your spot will be empty during your vacation, so that they can be on the lookout for any opportunist that may take advantage of your parking space during your absence. 

For any planned, or unplanned absences, your condominium manager will be your best friend. Communicating with them ahead of time will help alleviate the stress of leaving your unit. Remember, contacting your condominium manager goes both ways. If while you’re away you feel that you may have left the oven on, or your straightener plugged in, contact your manager and give permission to make sure your home is still in the condition you left it in, and will be in the same condition when you come back home. 

After all, you deserve this vacation. Your condominium community can help ensure that your vacation ends on a high. 

And not a repair invoice. 

Maggie Matian
Marketing Manager for CCI Grand River

“What do you do for a living?” – the hardest question ever asked to a condominium manager.

When I first started to write this, I thought about what it is to be a condominium manager, and how hard the job is to explain to people at dinner parties. Remember dinner parties?

Most little boys and girls don’t answer “property manager” when asked what they hope to be when they grow up; it seems to be a profession that just finds us, often as a second or third career.  Condominiums are unique communities (sometimes a bit too unique) that require managers to wear many hats, and none are a one-size-fits-all. A good manager is a chameleon, if that chameleon also happens to be extremely patient, an efficient communicator and great at multi-tasking.

What is the hardest part of all that?

On the surface, the dabbling into law, building maintenance, employees, finance, HR, all the while being on-call for your buildings is a little snapshot. Getting a 2 a.m. call that there is a major flood, a fire, or visitors parking is full (everyone defines emergency differently) is never a fun experience so we are grateful when the stars align, and the phone is quiet. Having to be on the receiving end of extremely difficult phone-calls and meetings is likely one of the hardest parts of the business. No one likes to be berated for doing their job, and luckily most people are polite, but expectations are sometimes out of whack, even from the condominium Board. There are the residents that blame us for increasing condo fees (even though buildings do in fact need funds to function) and enforcing rules (we would like to spend our time doing things other than reminding residents that Christmas in June is not a thing, so those lights should come down).

So, you sit at a desk all day?

Every day something unexpected pops up, and we often are heard saying “that is a new one”. You have never “heard everything” in property management; situations will make you scratch your head, ponder if drinking on the job is acceptable and praying you do not accidently hit “send” on that draft email. On the positive side, every day brings a new learning experience, and nothing is ever dull. You must be familiar with your site(s) and even that role varies; some property managers have an office in their one building whereas others look after more smaller properties. To answer your imaginary question, we do not sit at our desk all day, even though that would be easy to do as we get more mail than Santa Claus.

You mentioned a Board…

The Board of Directors, whom we take direction from and report to, are a bag of mixed candies; some are sweet, some are sour, and some explode upon contact (pop-rocks style). They come from all walks of life, educations, and backgrounds, from students to former CEOs of multi-million-dollar companies. Sometimes it is just a husband and wife, and if they cannot find a babysitter, their child may come along as an observer. These Directors can change at any time, and so you must quickly adjust to the new random mix of personalities that get thrown at you at the drop of a hat. Some Boards are very casual and would make a sailor blush with their language. Other are very formal, and you feel the need to change into your good shirt or tie during the Zoom call and review Roberts Rules of Order before the meeting. Loyalty and trust-building can be difficult since a newly elected Board may wish to clean house and get a new management company, despite years of a strong working relationship. I personally like the adage “managers manage, directors direct” and when there is a stream-lined process in place, a condo should run like a well-oiled machine (that is, until there are not enough funds in the reserve account to operate said machine).

So, you are like a real estate agent that does superintendent work?

Are you even listening? Where was I…the Board are the folks that hire us property managers, and as I mentioned, these people range in not just their working backgrounds, but in the type of Director they are. Some must have been military sergeants in their past lives while others are silent ghosts who disappear if you look at them too closely. Luckily for the most part, directors are there to ensure that their investment, as well as all the other owners, is being well looked after. Clear communication goes a long way in working hand and hand with the Board, and it is extremely satisfying when that major project gets completed, or you come to the end of dealing with a difficult situation together.

I still don’t get it.

That is okay. A lot of condo home-owners do not really understand either. We are often seen as the “bad guys” who tell them their adorable family dog is not permitted, that their cigar habit is a nuisance to neighbours, or their four vehicles have nowhere to go. You can just imagine how well it goes being the provider of such good news and deflating the excited energy of someone who just purchased a new property. The CAO and ACMO provide so much helpful information on their websites, and we can only hope that those in the market for condos (which grows daily) educate themselves before purchase.

So you enjoy it?

Despite kindergarteners not putting “condominium manager” up there on their career wish list along with astronauts, hockey players and rock-stars, it is an extremely important job that deserves more attention. There have been many articles written about the manager shortage crisis in Ontario, and hopefully more people are attracted to the profession that never gets boring. There are always interesting people to meet and connect with, and new and exciting things to learn. It also feels great to get so much accomplished for people’s homes, so go thank your property manager today! 

Sara Hicks, B.A.,(H.), OLCM, RCM, LCCI
Vice President, Owner, MF Property Management
www.mfproperty.ca

Social media is an ever-evolving beast. Once you get comfortable with one algorithm, there have since been five updates, and a new sub-app that everyone is telling you to use. It’s understandable that most find themselves wanting to pull their hair out once tasked with social media managing. This can be especially frustrating if you are already overwhelmed should anyone utter “social media” around you. 

Where do you start? How do you map out your KPIs? What’s keeping all this from becoming too overwhelming and getting away from you?

It’s clear that social media is key to your continued success, and understanding how to utilize this tool will make marketing much less intimidating.

  Understanding the Importance of Marketing Your Condominium or Company

At its core, marketing your condominium, your management company, or your business can be simplified to one word: connection. 

Engaging with your audience, whether occupant, potential buyer, or industry network, is crucial to building a strong, positive reputation. People are in constant search of connection, and if you can strategize a way to appeal to your masses in a way that is more personable rather than robotic, you are on the right track.

Given how we are as a society, it’s important to understand one key thing: anyone who has never heard of you will look up your social media.

Anyone. Everyone. Staying relevant, consistent, and approachable online will help when it comes to first and lasting impressions.

The first thing you need to do is choose your preferred social media platform. You do not need to be on every single main platform, but you should be utilizing at least two. Take the time to get to know the platforms, and ensure that those platforms are where your audiences will likely spend their time.

Once you narrow down which social media apps your audience uses, and which ones you feel confident using, the rest will fall into place.

  Measuring Your Social Media Success

It’s not always about the number of likes a post gets. Though we all like to see that count rise, and get a little giddy when we see higher double and triple digits, there is more to measuring than meets the eye. 

Reach. Engagement. Total follows. Those are three areas where you always want to see in the green. Making sure your content goes out at the right time, on the right day, will ensure you hit those first two targets. The followers, will follow. 

Monitoring Your Social Media 

Social media is both simple and complicated. It can get away from you easily, and pile up under a mountain of updates and missed insights. 

If we circle back to your online reputation, there is one area of social media that you absolutely do not want to ignore. 

Reviews. 

By a show of hands, how many of us can say we monitor our online reviews, regularly? How many of us can say we know how to handle negative reviews or online disputes? 

Monitoring your tone online is a difficult task, and is especially difficult when you’re handling uncomfortable situations. And even more so, if the person handling the situation is already frustrated. 

The key to handling negative reviews is to deal with them ASAP. Since we’re now in the habit of checking our reviews regularly, it’ll become much easier to regulate your online presence. 

If you come across a negative note or comment, here are some quick steps to handling it: 

• Read the comment carefully. 
  • Ensure you understand exactly what the commenter is talking about, and if not, reach out to your team to see if anyone was involved with the interaction. 
• Respond to them promptly. 
  • Take the time to give them a thoughtful response. Acknowledge their experience, apologize for the circumstances, and invite them to discuss the matter privately whether through direct message or phone call. 
• Once resolved, ensure you update the review/comment. You can encourage the original poster to do so, but there is no harm with replying to the public comment with an update (i.e., we have touched base with Ms. Doe about X issue and are happy to announce that we have found a resolution. We thank everyone who has taken the time to share their feedback.). 
• There is no harm in asking for support from your condo board or marketing team. Reach out if you feel unsure of how to handle any social media-related situation. 

Social media is a great tool. Being able to connect with your audiences regularly will allow you to stay at the top of their list.

Using your platforms wisely, understanding your KPIs, and managing public reviews will have you running like a well-oiled machine. 

This is no easy feat. Working with a social media professional, or an online marketing professional can take some of the digital weight off your shoulders. 

Luckily, there is a plethora of information and resources out there in regards to social media and your digital presence. Stay tuned for our upcoming pieces as we discuss monitoring Facebook Groups, and understanding how “brand” affects you. 

Maggie Matian, Theresa Place Media
www.theresaplace.ca