.png)
Q&A with Jamie Horner - Licensee and Maria Pace - Senior Property Manager at Empire Estate Agents
When the average tenure of employees in Australia is closer to 3 jobs in one decade, and a Property Manager 1.6 years in the industry, Maria’s real estate service and experience of over 10 years is a true testament to her commitment and passion for her job as a Property Manager.
Maria’s commitment to a life in Property Management has meant helping thousands of Owners and Tenants in their property journey.
This month at Empire we celebrated 10 years with our Senior Property Manager Maria Pace…so what does Maria love about her job, what does she hate? What has Maria learned about people and property? All of that answered in our Q&A with Maria. Q: So what do 10 years mean to you? Time flies when you’re having fun! Working at Empire has brought me a lot of exciting roles and variety over the past 10 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of the positions and enjoyed learning new things. Q: When and why did you start in property?
I started in 2006 because I was interested in the property and especially in rentals. I like that rentals are complex, always different and its long-term, so you get to build real long-term relationships. I began at Empire in 2008 as our ‘Director of first impressions’ then quickly moved into managing a property management portfolio of my own.
Q: What Roles have you had in Property
Craving a change I went into a Sales and Administration role, then became a dedicated Leasing Manager and now… back into managing a Residential Management portfolio. It really has been wonderful experiencing several different roles within our office, being able to work in an office with such multiplicity has really made me enjoy my time here.
Q. What is a typical day in Property Management?
No day is ever the same!
Q. What have you learnt?
I have learnt about people…how to communicate with a large variety of people, not just my Owners and Tenants and colleagues but also strata companies, contractors and our property and the local community. I have also learnt about the importance of being flexible, embracing change and continuous learning, which has enabled me to manage my portfolio more efficiently.
Q. What are the parts you love and the parts you hate?
I love seeing home improvements and the transformations because I have managed properties for a long time, I see them start as older character homes or properties that need TLC, all the way to properties that start as brand new but after 7 years need a colour update.
Hate is easy! I really don’t like going to Court. If we are going to Court it means that I haven’t been able to get the desired outcome for both parties…and in my experience no-one wins, as its a financially and emotionally taxing experience for all with an unpredictable outcome.
Q. Funniest moment?
Conducting an open for home viewing at the wrong house..it was only next door but still very embarrassing.
Q. What’s in store for you over the next 10 years?
I am looking forward to long-service leave and for me, it's still about the people, so getting to know our lovely owners, tenants, contractors and my colleagues better. I also look forward to further broadening my skills and continuing to work in a vibrant workplace. From all of us at Empire…
“Having a positive, diligent and hardworking employee like Maria who delivers great service and who has been nurturing excellent relationships for 10 years, goes a long way in helping us achieve our important goal of ‘clients for life’…Jamie Horner.
All the team at Empire would like to congratulate Maria on achieving this significant milestone in service to Empire. We sincerely thank you for being part of the Empire team and we appreciate you, and could not achieve all our successes without you. We are so proud to have you as part of our work family. We hope that you are also with us for many more years to come.
Thanks, Maria!