It is nearly impossible to master the wide range of technical, legal and business skills that an owner may expect of his/her property manager.  However, we as managers need to be well versed in a wide expanse of situations.  Constantly developing expertise with the legal and accounting issues, human resource practices, building codes, zoning and bylaws, as well as the various legislative acts that govern the industry itself, we become more and more efficient.

Understand when hiring a property manager, that most of your skill requirements will be met and all of the soft skills within the candidate's ability should be considered. Communication skills and the ability to organize and prioritize are much harder to develop than technical expertise.  The most important attribute your property manager should possess is the ability to quickly and successfully identify and solve the various problems arising on a daily basis.

This can only be achieved if the manager has a thorough understanding of the goals and expectations of the client.  In most cases this involves creating pro-active and cost effective procedures that will ultimately maximize the asset and lessen the burdens for the owner.