How to hire property, real estate, and community association managers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Act as liaisons between on-site managers or tenants and owners. • Clean common areas, change light bulbs, and make minor property repairs. • Direct collection of monthly assessments, rental fees, and deposits and payment of insurance premiums, mortgage, taxes, and incurred operating expenses. • Manage and oversee operations, maintenance, administration, and improvement of commercial, industrial, or residential properties. • Meet with clients to negotiate management and service contracts, determine priorities, and discuss the financial and operational status of properties. • Plan, schedule, and coordinate general maintenance, major repairs, and remodeling or construction projects for commercial or residential properties. • Prepare detailed budgets and financial reports for properties. • Solicit and analyze bids from contractors for repairs, renovations, and maintenance. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong reading comprehension, speaking, active listening, critical thinking, writing and monitoring skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, administration and management, English Language and economics and accounting • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $33.65 an hour ($69,990 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for property, real estate, and community association managers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to act as liaisons between on-site managers or tenants and owners. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to clean common areas, change light bulbs, and make minor property repairs. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to direct collection of monthly assessments, rental fees, and deposits and payment of insurance premiums, mortgage, taxes, and incurred operating expenses. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to manage and oversee operations, maintenance, administration, and improvement of commercial, industrial, or residential properties. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What property, real estate, and community association managers do
- Act as liaisons between on-site managers or tenants and owners.
- Clean common areas, change light bulbs, and make minor property repairs.
- Direct collection of monthly assessments, rental fees, and deposits and payment of insurance premiums, mortgage, taxes, and incurred operating expenses.
- Manage and oversee operations, maintenance, administration, and improvement of commercial, industrial, or residential properties.
- Meet with clients to negotiate management and service contracts, determine priorities, and discuss the financial and operational status of properties.
- Plan, schedule, and coordinate general maintenance, major repairs, and remodeling or construction projects for commercial or residential properties.
- Prepare detailed budgets and financial reports for properties.
- Solicit and analyze bids from contractors for repairs, renovations, and maintenance.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for property, real estate, and community association managers
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Experience usually needed to start: Less than 5 years (BLS)
- Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +3.7% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 36,900 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay property, real estate, and community association managers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Washington | $119,320 |
| Massachusetts | $103,410 |
| Colorado | $100,080 |
| New York | $99,390 |
| District of Columbia | $94,080 |
| Louisiana | $49,990 |
| South Dakota | $49,490 |
| Arkansas | $47,760 |
See property, real estate, and community association managers pay in every state
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.