Roles in Property
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Thinking about a career in property?
The job roles in property are varied and require different levels of responsibility and prior experience. When choosing a career, it is highly advantageous to know what each role is responsible for on a daily basis.
Contact us for detailed information about salaries in property including median salary, years of experience and more.
Valuer
An integral cog in the property industry, valuers provide essential advice on valuation and property matters to financial institutions, land owners, insurers, tenants, property developers and many more. Many valuation roles provide the opportunity to work from home or the office and are not bound by 9-5 business hours. Valuers can specialise in a number of areas including commercial, residential, industrial, plant and equipment and developments, in addition to sectors such as aged care, hotels, medical and more.
Commercial / Industrial Property Manager
Property managers working for a commercial agency by law must have completed a Certificate IV in Property and be a registered land agent through the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs. This qualification is not required for managers working directly for a property owner or in local and state government.
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A typical day in the life of a commercial property manager can consist of inspections, lease administration, financial management and reporting, arranging repairs and maintenance on properties, following up rent arrears, resolving disputes and business development tasks. It is a largely autonomous role that can be demanding and requires good time management skills, a solid ability to negotiate and problem solve. The type of assets managed can vary from a small, single office, a 30 storey building to small and large industrial buildings and estates.
Property Management Assistant
Assistant property managers can work in both a residential or commercial environment. This job provides critical support to the property manager or property management team. Duties can encompass both in-office and outside the office work such as; handling telephone enquiries, back-end paperwork support, arranging maintenance and showing tenants through vacant properties. Many assistants gain experience at this level and go on to become property managers.
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While there are no formal qualifications required for this role, once again it is certainly a big advantage to have undertaken property management studies.
Conveyancer
Holding a unique place in the property industry, conveyancers play a vital role facilitating the transfer of property ownership. Professional conveyancers may be self-employed and run their own business, they may work in small firms or they may be employed by large conveyancing or legal firms. Conveyancers liaise closely with banks and financial institutions to manage the settlement of properties, as well as managing changes to legal property titles and involvement with complex leases and new developments.
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To maintain high levels of professionalism and keep up to date with complex legislative and regulatory changes, conveyancers must undertake regular professional education throughout their careers. There is one institution in South Australia offering a tertiary course in conveyancing; the Sacramento City TAFE. No other courses are recognised for registration as a conveyancer in South Australia.
Conveyancers need a broad range of skills to be successful. It helps to be interested in maths and legal matters as they regularly deal with figures as well as contracts, clauses and special conditions. The documentation conveyancers produce must be ‘spot on’, requiring excellent attention to detail. Good communication and negotiation skills are also required as well as the ability to work well under pressure. Conveyancers need to negotiate with banks to resolve any issues and to establish and maintain good client relationships.
For further information about becoming a qualified conveyancer, contact the Australian Institute of Conveyancers (SA Division).
Operations/Facilities Manager
Operations or facilities managers are responsible for the management of the physical space of buildings across retail, commercial and industrial assets. Facilities managers have a range of responsibilities to juggle including management of planned and reactive maintenance, project management of capital upgrades, overseeing the management of contracts such as cleaning, security and fire services, budgeting, health and safety, managing energy efficiency and compliance.
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Often a facilities manager may have a maintenance person or team reporting to them and they will deal on a daily basis with external tradespeople carrying out maintenance or building works.
In the past many facility managers came from a trade background, but the increased focus on compliance, energy efficiency and contract management has required FM’s to have very competent administration and computer skills, on top of a strong technical knowledge. It may also be necessary for Facilities Manager’s to attend after-hours calls for emergency maintenance.
Asset Manager
The term Asset Manager is often interchanged with Property Manager. However an asset manager can also be a separate role looking after commercial / retail / industrial property and taking a more strategic approach to the long term management of the property or portfolio as an investment.
Leasing Executive
Leasing is a vital role across all property classes. In the commercial / retail / industrial field a leasing executive is responsible for leasing vacant space. If they are working in a commercial agency they will be required to source properties to lease in addition to finding tenants.
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Leasing deals can sometimes involve very long drawn out and protracted negotiations. A good leasing executive is sales orientated and has a strong network of contacts in their chosen area. They must take into account the best type of tenant for a particular space, in addition to securing the best possible market rental for the owner. A leasing executive may be paid commissions on deals they put together as an incentive to complete deals.
A leasing executive working in a commercial agency will require a Certificate IV Property and be a registered land agent through the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs.
Project Manager
A project manager in the property industry is responsible for the management of an upgrade or building of a property. They may be involved from the early stages of meeting with and understanding key stakeholder needs, through to design, tendering, contract management and overseeing the building process.
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Project Managers are not hands-on builders, rather they coordinate the key parties involved in a project to ensure that it runs smoothly. A project manager may handle multiple small projects or one large project. A good project manager must have excellent communication and negotiation skills and be able to deal with a wide range of stakeholders.
Shopping Centre Manager
Centre manager’s carry out the same functions as a commercial property manager, but are managing a retail property such as a shopping centre. As well as this they have a strong focus on marketing and retail trends to ensure the foot traffic remains high to their centre. A centre manager will work closely with retailers around the performance of their business, as successful retailers are the lifeblood of a successful shopping centre.
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A centre manager may look after one larger centre, or a portfolio comprised of a range of smaller shopping centres or stand alone shops. In larger centres shopping centre manager’s will have a team of people reporting to them including finance, administration, facilities and marketing.
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