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Agencies who only hire mature or experienced property managers are hindering young agents entering the industry, according to an award-winning property manager.
Property manager at Investors Edge Jewayne Loong said he experienced first hand the difficulty of finding a position in property management due to his age and lack of experience.
“I had to apply for a couple of firms before somebody said ‘Yeah we’ll take you on board’," he said.
“They want experience, but how do you get experience without someone giving you a try?
“Investors Edge was really good. They gave me the shot that I needed to get through. Without them, I’d probably still be applying for property management jobs.”
At 24 years of age, Mr Loong represents the next generation of property managers and he believes people his age have much to offer the industry.
“Sometimes with experience and age comes complacency because you’ve done it for so long and they don’t have the energy that a youngster does,” he said.
“We get up early, we go to sleep late, we can work afterhours quite easily, and that’s the major difference.”
Mr Loong launched his career as a property manager at Investors Edge at the start of 2012 after completing a double degree in property and accounting at Curtin University.
He currently manages a rent roll over 110 properties in Perth’s northern suburbs.
Last month, Mr Loong became the first Generation Y recipient of the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia’s Property Manager of the Year award.
“I was taken aback,” he said. “I’m not striving to be property manager of the year. I’m just trying to do my job as best as I can.
“To be rewarded for what I did was a great honour but something that was completely a surprise to me.
“I thought that people who had been working in the industry longer with a lot more experience in the field would have taken it.”
Mr Loong is not only showing that young agents can succeed, he is also breaking the stereotypical image of a female property manager.
“I think there will be more males stepping into the role if the stereotype starts to be broken and people start to see more men in the industry doing the things that I’m doing,” he said.
“I think people will start realising it’s not as easy as it sounds being a property manager. It doesn’t take a woman’s touch or a man’s touch. It’s about doing your job properly.”
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