AM Role Changes - Good or Bad?
All,
I am at a multifamily investor that invests in major rent controlled markets (think NYC, LA / Santa Monica, SF, DC, Portland). I was hired in an asset management role with a typical broad focus - analytics, modeling / budgeting, capital / cash management, capital markets, LP communications, etc.
They now have expressed a desire to have me narrow my focus to capex, unit turns, and repairs & maintenance. I would be responsible for making all the decisions for our major capex projects, unit turns, changes to how we handle repairs & maintenance - generally focusing much more on operations.
I feel that in order to learn more about the operational side of the business this will be a valuable change. It is nice not to be stuck in Excel 24/7 updating our AM models for once, but I worry somewhat about getting stuck. My eventual hope was to move more onto the acquisitions side of multifamily (either at a GP or in REPE) and I am concerned that I get pigeonholed as the operational AM guy.
Should I stick it out, or try to make a move to another firm where I'll be closer to the overall investment decision? Anyone else go through something similar?
Seems like this would generally be a positive. I know AM experience is generally well-regarded for acquisitions roles.
My first worry hearing that was you're becoming more of an in-house property manager/construction guy (so yes, pretty strictly operations). That's not inherently a bad thing but it depends on your goals. If you're learning in that role, if you're now seen as more critical to the firm, if you get real decision making power regarding major capex - those are all good things.
The one thing I'd ask is if you'd also have any input into cash flow planning (budgeting/reforecasting counts) or better, if you're also underwriting the effects of these improvements on the overall investment? If neither, and your involvement with numbers stops strictly at determining and keeping up with project costs, and that's basically your whole job, then you're the construction guy, not the AM. And again, nothing inherently wrong with that.
Regarding the first part - I think that's fair. It is a relatively critical role as we thousands of units that are constantly turning, and are in the process of acquiring a few thousand more. So this role seems critical and I will have real decision power. To date our construction team has been fairly unchecked on costs & scope.
I would say that I will have some input. I will underwrite all the individual unit turns and make scope decisions. I will also be responsible for providing our team that handles budget models and forecasting (roles getting siloed) all the necessary inputs so they can keep the model up to date with our capital partners.
My goal is really to learn more about the construction & day-to-day property operations, in order to become more well rounded and hopefully move to a more senior acquisitions / investments role at some point, then eventually break off and start investing on my own.
I'm not in acquisitions or asset management (I'm in development), but my opinion is that understanding how the sausage is made will always be helpful down the road. I'd say this is a good experience to have, especially if you want to move into owning and operating real estate on your own.
Buying buildings is relatively easy, you will have to sift through a lot but fundamentally it's all just levers on a proforma guiding you to a price. Actually operating the real estate and hitting your projected budget is harder. Being able to learn how to do that on someone else's dime seems like a good opportunity.
For example, knowing how different MEP/building systems and materials age/stand up to maintenance can give you better knowledge when doing acquisitions work. If you spot a trouble area that you know will require more money down the line you can bake it into your model (you may lose out on the opportunity, but at least you didn't lose money), and vice versa, you can spot areas that aren't as big a deal as your competitors might think it is, and you can undercut them. Maybe it's just the academic in me, but I feel that more knowledge is always a positive.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, your situation presents both opportunities and challenges. Here's a breakdown:
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From previous WSO threads, it's clear that many professionals in AM have successfully transitioned to acquisitions by leveraging their operational knowledge. However, the key is to maintain a balance and not let your role become too narrowly defined. Networking, staying involved in investment-related discussions, and showcasing your broader understanding of real estate will be crucial.
In summary, this role change could be a valuable learning experience, but you should remain proactive in managing your career trajectory to ensure it aligns with your long-term goals.
From back office to super back office. Damn. I would quit
Looks like your MO is just trolling around and telling people that AM is back office. Really good contributions all around.
This is a hard one. It sounds like an infinitely more interesting and impactful role, but also one that could hamstring you when you interview for you next role if you don’t know how to sell it.
I would be fine with the shift. Others may not be.
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