Secrets to Longevity in Property Management – with Virginia Love

Episode 44

When you think about your career in property management, do you think about sustainability? What about passion? Virginia Love, an industry rock star, joins us to share her secrets to longevity in property management and loving what you do.

Host(s): Jonathan Saar from Market Me Social and Mark Howell from Howl Creative Concepts

Our Special Guest: Virginia Love from Entrata

Virginia Love is the Industry Principal at Entrata. She is responsible for the national-level marketing, branding, and promotion programs as well as technology and operations systems to maximize the communities’ performance. Has presented countless leasing, marketing, and operational speaking engagements and training sessions at the local, state, and national level.

Show Highlights

Leasing consultant, manager, education, and marketing: these are just a few of the paths that Virginia has traveled in her property management career. Her open-minded approach has proven to be an invaluable component to her career longevity and success.

Key Questions/Topics Covered

Who is Virginia Love?

I had no intention of getting into property management. Back when I was finishing up school, I didn’t even know it was a thing. I actually got started in retail, and I was good! I loved the sales challenges and worked to make sure I won. 

During this time, I was looking for an apartment of my own and had what I thought was the weirdest experience. Here I am driving around in a golf cart with the leasing manager, eating a cookie while looking at units. I couldn’t help but think how strange it was, but it piqued my interest. 

One day a good customer of mine said that I needed to get into property management, and it just so happened that her husband was the senior executive of Trammell Crow. Not too long after that, a friend interviewed and started working there and I followed suit. I fell in love with the sales aspect of property management and that you never have the same day twice as a leasing agent. From there, my career grew as I did, and I have been privileged to work in the many different and challenging avenues of our industry.

Property Management – So many opportunities!

I am a very competitive person and a big fan of doing what people want me to do. But I am always looking for more. There are so many different directions anyone can go in this industry. I believe that if I am going to do this, I am going to do it well. That is what separates a career from a job, which meant more to me than collecting a check. 

An excellent springboard for me was getting involved with my local apartment association. That got the ball rolling, starting at a local level and growing to a national one. Engaging on this level opened up so many doors and opportunities, and it was a truly pivotal point in my career.

How to keep the passion burning

To start with, let’s make it clear that it’s not possible to be passionate about every little thing every single day, and you don’t have to, nor do you need to love your career all the time. 

My passion comes from the people I have had the privilege to get to know over the years, and some have become my closest friends and mentors. Surrounding myself with incredible people has not only helped me in a business sense but personally as well. These people have helped me find and keep my passion.

Combatting on-site apathy

I think one of the biggest challenges that our industry faces is with our on-site people. Theirs is a truly tough job, and Covid did not make it any easier! They need acknowledgment; specifically, when decisions are made that will directly affect them, even going so far as to include them in the decision-making process. Training and support are also crucial. We need to take these steps to help our on-site people keep their passion and stay motivated as an industry.

Things have really changed in the property management industry, and we have only touched on a few aspects here. We could easily keep going. The takeaway for today is our passion and longevity in our career are directly related to our openness. Be open to new opportunities, new people, and new ways of doing business. If we truly embrace this, we will love what we do!

What one actionable tip could you share that has served you well as an educator?

Say yes a lot and take that meeting!

Virginia Love

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