Faith Marts Career Background
What is your biggest career achievement?
- At a young age, I knew that I wanted to work with people, and Property Management became the perfect outlet for me to do just that. I have had much success in my career such as being promoted from Leasing to Assistant Manager to Community all within a span of 3 years and being awarded "Lowest Delinquency" for 2021 for the entire portfolio, which I credit to amazing mentors and leaders within my company. And, in my time as Community Manager, I developed leadership skills that allowed me to fully staff a new community, train the team, and build an unbreakable foundation for the property. But my biggest career achievement by far has been the successful transition from Onsite team management to National Trainer.
In my current role, I use my passion, creativity, and knowledge to continue to support current associates and set a standard for all new associates who join us. Property Management is a people-based industry, not only for those residents and vendors but for associates as well. I am blessed with the opportunity to do what I love, build connections within our company, gain employee trust, and look for ways to help identify training needs and implement new training strategies designed specifically for the associate at hand.
Given your past experiences, what event/ project or moment would you revisit and how would you go about it differently based on your current frame of mind?
- When I look back at my experiences and my career, I find myself to be extremely blessed; however, now I understand the importance of networking and serving within the industry. Had I networked more within my local apartment association, joined committees, and tapped into the resources available to members, I believe I would have had an easier transition into some of my roles within Multifamily. I started in the industry at the young age of 21, and as a young professional, I allowed my age to stop me from getting too involved in groups that I most liked would thrive within.
I have a passion for outreach and know I could have left a mark had I given myself the opportunity to do so. Knowing what I do now, and meeting some amazing people in the industry, I push all our teams to join in on the association activities, take advantage of new training and networking events, and join committees that interest them. There is a whole support system available to every position in this industry within our apartment associations and so much knowledge to learn from others.
From your perspective, what is the industry lacking to support the modern renter and how do you plan to help supply that need?
- The industry trends have shifted drastically over the past few years, and it was clear that the focus needed to shift to finding creative solutions to meet the renter where they were. The beginning of COVID taught everyone that in order to meet our renters' needs we must establish an online presence and utilize technological tools that brought the tours directly to the prospect, using features such as virtual tours and video calling.
The downside of this, however, was that office teams were used to locked offices, communication was done strictly online, and the industry lost the "personal touch" in the customer service experience. Renting is becoming more popular these days given the rising interest rates, and the handful of amenities that were not prevalent years ago. To stay competitive and given that offices are now open to the public, the industry needs to relearn the art of communication, empathy, and how to deliver an experience, not just the service. The best leasing agents will build and maintain relationships, benefit sell, and close deals on-site. Too many competitors are offering similar amenities, floorplans, and prices. To stay ahead of the competitors, teams must sell themselves, and their experience, and build a bond with the prospects. Follow-up is a dying art, and as an Ellis Mystery Shopper, I can personally attest to that. Current renters know that they need a home. They can be wowed by the amenities, but what they don't realize they want is the ability to trust a person, a team, and a company to handle their money and take care of their home. In my role, I have hosted several Back to Basic Training Sessions in partnership with our Marketing Department to ensure that our teams have all the tools, support, and foundation to successfully follow up and attract their prospects, and maintain their current residents.