Agent Spotlight: Shannon Thomson, senior property manager, Xceed Real Estate

Most teenagers have no idea of what they want to do when they leave school, but at 14 Shannon Thomson knew she wanted a career in property management.

She is now a REIWA Accredited Property Manager, was nominated for Property Manager of the Year at last year’s WA Awards for Excellence and has over 270 properties under her management. And did we mention she is only 25?

With National Property Manager’s Day coming up on Friday 21 July, we spoke to Shannon about her experience as a younger real estate professional, and how both owners and tenants can ensure a smooth tenancy.

How did you get involved in real estate?

I originally took an interest in property management as a 14-year-old. My mother is a property manager. I attended home opens with her, and listened to her talking to clients and speaking about property management when she came home. Over the years I learned a lot from her about what was involved in the industry.

I was 18 when I took my first step towards becoming a property manager. At the time I was a receptionist at a smaller boutique agency and was offered my first portfolio of approximately 100 properties. After about 18 months I decided I wanted to further my experience and grow as a real estate professional.

In 2020, I started at Xceed Real Estate as an assistant to a property manager with a portfolio of over 600 properties. Within six months, my licensee and CEO asked me to take on my own portfolio.

Today, I manage over 270 properties with a full-time assistant. I’m thoroughly enjoying the challenge of managing different types of properties, including strata properties. Adding knowledge in this area was the next step in progressing my career.

What is your experience as a younger person in the real estate industry?

Despite being in property management for seven years and having a reasonable amount of experience behind me, it can be challenging when people see that I’m younger and in the back of their minds think that I’m inexperienced or new to the industry.

What they often don’t see is someone who joined the industry fresh out of high school and has overcome multiple challenges to get to where I am now and have the experience that I do.

Being a REIWA Accredited Property Manager is an indication of my experience and knowledge. The REIWA Accreditation Program identifies REIWA members who meet extensive criteria regarding their area of specialisation, training and number of years in the industry.

What are the challenges of being a property manager in the current market?

When investors decide to sell their property it is hard having to provide the vacate notice to tenants. And with rental supply the way it is at the moment, it is proving quite difficult for tenants to secure a new property, even if they are good tenants with a good rental history.

It tugs on the heartstrings as we don’t like to see anyone homeless. What people don’t see is the work we do behind the scenes to help. Where we can, we try to help people secure a new property through our own portfolio.

What are your tips for tenants and owners for a smooth tenancy?

For tenants, make sure they check all the elements of their application and that everything is included when they press ‘submit’. This ensures a straightforward application process. Often, they will be up against a lot of other applicants and having everything ready gives them a foot in the door. This also avoids property managers having to go back and forth during the application process to get documents that others have already submitted.

For owners, I would recommend having an investment property that has been well kept and maintained. This ensures we can get a tenant into the property as soon as possible to maximise income from their asset. New tenants are taking the time to inspect a property thoroughly, so I would recommend owners make sure everything is up to scratch and that there are no issues prior to the tenant moving in. This makes the whole transition process as easy as possible.

What are your tips for aspiring property managers?

I would highly recommend they take the time to find the right agency to work for. I am incredibly lucky that I have had the support of my licensee and CEO, I wouldn’t be the property manager I am today without them. You want to find the people who will support you and help you grow in your role.

You also need to commit to providing a high level of service. I believe that is what has gotten me to where I am today.