An Inside Look: A Property Manager’s Perspective


Gary Miecke has been active
in the Wilshire Center and
surrounding areas as
a businessman, property manager,
contractor and property owner
for over two decades.

 

by Gary G. Miecke
President and Manager
Surachi and Company, Inc.


As early as the Babylonian era, we are told of the practice of utilizing property managers to preserve an owner’s assets and land values. In fact, history recounts stories of Genghis Khan, the great warrior who would leave behind his captains (Managers) to oversee and maintain control of the territories and lands he conquered.
Although this practice continued in various forms throughout time, the actual manifestation of the Property Manager as a necessary and meaningful profession came about during The Great Depression.


During the Depression, hundreds of lending institutions
including banks and savings and loans were foreclosing on real estate properties. The numbers were too large for their existing staff to handle and in reality, the staff had no prior experience which prepared them to cope with the demands of such enormous real estate portfolios. This was the time and also the opportunity for the evolution of the profession. As a result, real estate investors and brokers began to specialize in the little known field of property management
With the passing of six decades, the industry has grown by leaps and bounds into professional companies throughout the world. These companies provide all facets of professional services for office buildings, apartment units, business parks, medical facilities and for most real estate properties.

The basic objective of a property management company is service, a very specialized service designed to relieve the investor/owner of all the administrative burdens of their property while providing the optimum income and benefits over the greatest period of time.
A good property manager maximizes his skills to elicit positive procedures for performing every task that is set before him. Every detail that constitutes the daily job of real estate management is controlled systematically through the application of sound business administration to ensue operational efficiency and maximum income.
I strongly believe that a well-run building is due to the manager’s vision, empowered employees, encouraged team work, patience, awareness and building positive relationships with existing tenants.
Regardless of the specific components, whenever the combination of money, manpower and land are brought together, some form of profit is usually the end result. Professionals, investors, management and workers all combine their skills, effort, talents and energies to erect structures of all shapes and sizes; providing shelter, housing and a productive working environment for millions of people.

The property manager becomes a juggler responsible for maintaining the appropriate and necessary balance of all the components required to keep the owner and their tenants satisfied and to preserve and improve the value of the property left in his or her charge.
In conclusion, Property Managers are looking to the changing trends in the economy and environment to see what the future will hold in the real estate market cycle ( which seems to repeat each 18 to 25 years and always lags behind the general economy).
The challenges are before us. Surachi and Company, Inc. represents a hallmark of hard work, professional integrity, sound business ethics and is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the field of property management. We would welcome the challenge of meeting your individual and corporate needs.