Noujan Nayeri, Harcourts Cooper & Co
Property may be the key word in Property Management, but people are the key to success hence Noujan putting communication at the top of her attributes list in what she considers making her an efficient property portfolio manager. Here is a little insight into a day in the life of 2023’s Number 1 Property Manager for the Northern Region of New Zealand.
Q & A with Noujan
IW: What would you do during a typical day?
NOUJAN: I would love to say that I have typical days in Property Management however most days have an outline of tasks and appointments scheduled in my diary which will then evolve into several impromptu dilemmas to solve between those appointments. How your day tends to look in the morning when you are leaving the house is often very different to how your day was once you return home. But that’s all part of what makes this job enjoyable, you'll never be bored and nothing is ever predictable.
IW: How did you get into this industry?
NOUJAN: I was 22 at the time and had been working at a gym for a few years and thinking about what career path to pursue. At the time me and my partner were searching for a rental to move into and after attending multiple viewings I felt drawn to property management and could see it being a well suited job for me complimenting my skillsets. I had no experience at the time, very eager to learn but had no idea where to start. I started to send expression of interest emails to branch managers and property managers asking if they knew of any Property Management roles coming up. Stars aligned and I coincidently helped sign a gym membership for one of the Cooper & Co branch managers- I started asking for some advice on how to enter Property Management, and she kindly got me in contact with the right person who also remembered receiving one of my expression of interest emails a few months prior. The timing seemed perfect and it lead me to secure an entry role with Lizzie Simanke in the Milford office. I worked alongside Lizzie and her team for 5 years learning everything about the processes of Property Management and the Residential Tenancies Act before getting the opportunity to now manage my own portfolio.
IW: What do you enjoy most about your job?
NOUJAN: I enjoy relationship building, and in Real Estate it's such an important component. We do our property inspections every 3 months, so I enjoy catching up with tenants and seeing their Christmas trees go up, meeting their new family pets, helping them relocate due to personal circumstances and seeing their babies grow up. I've had many landlords who have enlisted me to manage their property while they live abroad and I love receiving the updates from them sailing around the world, or photos of them in hot air balloons. Although the job is primarily about ensuring the property and the tenancy are in order, I enjoy the personal touch and building a relationship with all the clients.
IW: What is the most challenging part of your job?
NOUJAN: I would say that I find the most challenging part of being a Property Manager to be the frequent law changes. There have recently been so many changes to the Healthy Homes, Privacy Act and Residential Tenancies Amendment Act. Managing a property has so many risks with a large amount of penalties in place that can be enforceable if you are not operating to the guidelines. You need to ensure that you are always up to date with the current regulations and are aware of the dates in place for compliance.
IW: What advice would you give others that are looking to move into this industry?
NOUJAN: My advice would be to not take things personally - although this is something I still struggle with even after 9 years of working in Property Management.