The Art of Acquiring More Doors

Gaining and growing new business is essential for success as a Property Manager. This course explores effective strategies for acquiring new clients and determining if they’re a good fit for your business. You’ll review sample scripts for engaging with prospective clients and learn proven techniques for securing their business.

A well-crafted management agreement is vital for establishing a clear, long-term relationship. By the end of this course, you’ll be confident in selecting clients that align with your business goals and in creating solid agreements that benefit both parties.

This 3-hour course is an adaptation of the popular NARPM 101.

Talent Management and Retention

This course is designed to help you foster team harmony within your organization. Previously included in Personnel Procedures Advanced, this course delves into key areas such as evaluating a personnel policy handbook, implementing effective management supervision, and utilizing tracking methods for team performance.

You will also explore strategies for adopting compensation structures, conducting meaningful performance reviews, and managing termination/exit procedures. By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to create a more cohesive and efficient team environment.

How to Successfully Market your Company

The content covers some 101 general marketing and later moves into more targeted marketing on how Property Management companies should and could be marketing to help address challenges they are faced with. Marketing is an important part of a successful business. Formerly Marketing for Residential Property Managers, this 3-hour version is tuned to specific marketing concepts designed for Property Managers. Topics include branding and measuring outcomes and growth. Various forms of media options will also be reviewed. This course will also assist you in developing a mission statement related to your goals.

Tenancy and the Law

Staying current with laws and regulations is essential for every Property Manager. This course focuses on key federal, state, and local laws that directly impact the property management industry. Topics include the Fair Housing Act, Service Members Civil Relief Act, EPA/Lead-based Paint regulations, IRS Rental Income reporting, and Megan’s Law.

By the end of this course, you’ll have a stronger understanding of these laws and be better equipped to navigate legal responsibilities while working with tenants. This 3-hour course is adapted from sections of the Tenancy courses.

Framework for a Successful Team

This is a recently recorded virtual class. The video has been slightly edited to fit a video delivery method. The course student materials (pdf) which are printable are the same as used in the virtual delivery therefore there may be some interaction points that you will not use viewing the video. The video is not downloadable. This course focuses on creating an environment of harmony amongst team members. Formerly part of Personnel Procedures Advanced, this course will cover topics in evaluating a personnel policy handbook, implementing management supervision and tracking methods. Ways to adopt effective compensation structures, performance reviews and termination/exit strategies.

Risk Awareness - Owners and Tenants

Property Management is embroiled in risk and it’s your job as a property manager to understand the risk and figure out how to minimize it. This course will help you do this. First you will identify the risk associated with owners, tenants, regulations, and the law. Then this course will tell you how to approach these risks. This 3-hour version was developed from the course formerly known as Risk Awareness.

Hiring Best Practices for Property Managers

This 3-hour version was developed from NARPM’s® Personnel Procedures – Essentials course and will cover hiring personnel and more. Topics include developing effective job descriptions, compensation best practices and hiring selection practices. Upon completion of the course property managers should feel more comfortable about how to better fill staffing needs.

Policy and Procedures – Increase Efficiency and Decrease Risk

Upon completion of this course the Property Manager will have a better understanding of the importance of having a Policy & Procedures manual. The course will also discuss important items to include and how to best update and revise in the future. This course was formerly known as Office Operations: Policy & Procedure.

Introduction to Houses

The Introduction to Houses, formally part of Intro to Maintenance, this 3 hour version is designed to familiarize the property manager with the structure and components of a house. This course will review the functionality and maintenance issues of the structure and components. When a property manager understands how houses work, they will be able to coordinate and schedule contractors and vendors effectively. They will be able to secure the best price and quality for products and repairs and in turn maintain better relationships with owners and the residents.

Maintenance Basics

Handling maintenance is one of the top 5 responsibilities that a property manager has with their clients and their tenants. This course will review evaluating property conditions, identifying risk, and making recommendations to property owners. Other topics will include the need for developing a maintenance plan and schedule, policies, and procedures for maintenance requests from tenants and how to manage outside contractors and vendors. This 3-hour course was developed from parts of Introduction to Maintenance and Maintenance Beyond the Basics.

Maintenance - Beyond the Basics

This course reviews many safety and health issues found in housing that property managers must be aware of. Awareness and proper maintenance play a large role in managing these issues. Communication with the owner, the management agreement and dealing with vendors as it pertains to maintenance will be discussed. (Formerly part of Maintenance: Beyond Basics)

Maximize Profitability & Enhance Relationships

This course will familiarize Property Managers with ways to grow and streamline their businesses. Understanding your clients and their goals is necessary to build lasting relationships. This course will help evaluate and improve metrics used by your business and better identify services that can be beneficial to owners, tenants, and vendors. This 3-hour version was developed from the course formerly known as Profitability & Client Relations

Finance: Cash Flow Analysis (In-classroom Course)

This advanced course will teach you how to forecast and calculate your client’s cash on cash return and their internal rate of return on their investment properties. You will also learn how to measure your performance and effectiveness as a property manager. Whether your client is a traditional investor or a “frustrated seller”, once the property becomes a rental, it is all about the numbers. Understanding the “numbers” will enable you to advise your clients based on what is in their financial best interests and explain how to forecast that. You can better forecast how a replacement vs. a repair or a rent increase can enhance the property’s value. You move from someone that just collects rent and coordinates repairs to being their consultant.

Paperless Office (Online only, required for CSS® designation)

Course materials will include conversion of paper to digital documents, ease of transferring documents, office sharing of documents, uploading documents to clients/ customers using the internet, portability of information, and cost savings/increasing revenues.

Lead-based Renovation, Repair and Paint

The Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting Program is a federal regulatory program affecting contractors, property managers and others who disturb painted surfaces. It applies to residential houses, apartments, and child-occupied facilities such as schools and day-care centers built before 1978. It included pre-renovation education requirements as well as training, certification and work practice requirements.

Hiring Best Practices for Property Management

This 3-hour course was developed from NARPM’s® Personnel Procedures – Essentials course and will cover hiring personnel and more. Topics include developing effective job descriptions, compensation best practices and hiring selection practices. Upon completion of the course property managers should feel more comfortable about how to better fill staffing needs.

Finance and Property Management

This course provides the basis of the financial side of property management. The course explores terminology, budgeting, trust accounting, best practices, reconciliation, and property management finances as they relate to ethics.

HR: Start to Finish

This course provides an overview of human resources procedures, from hiring employees to developing your team to best fit the needs of the company.

The Basics of Fair Housing

This course is compiled from a Housing and Urban Development video on the basics of Fair Housing along with other documents issued by HUD and other agencies specific to Fair Housing. Course PowerPoint and other documents are printable. This Fair Housing course covers:

• • What is Fair Housing?
  • What issues are covered under the Fair Housing Act?
  • What are protected classes?
  • What makes discrimination illegal?
  • Who must comply?
  • The Fair Housing Act and Disability.
  • Domestic Violence and Fair Housing.
  • Familial Status,
  • Advertising,
  • Additional Resources.

Google Workspace Essentials

Google’s suite of apps for business is powerful, accessible, and integrated. In this course, Google expert Laurie Sherrod provides an overview of the most common apps and a few more you may not be aware of! Did you know you can create your own public website in minutes using Google Sites? Have you thought about using Google Translate on your phone to have a conversation with someone who speaks another language? Did you know you can work offline with files stored in your Google Drive? These are just a few of the skills you will learn by taking this course.

Intro to Microsoft 365 (2021)

Microsoft 365 is your powerful workspace in the cloud! Microsoft 365 is far more than classic Microsoft Office. Powerful collaborative tools like OneDrive, Teams, Planner, and Forms combine with traditional Microsoft apps to form a powerful productivity-boosting tool – and in this course we’ll get you started with Microsoft 365 with a short introduction to what it is, how to access it, and how to use Search and Help to find what you need inside Microsoft 365.Topics covered include:

• • • An overview of Microsoft 365
    • The core apps and platforms inside Microsoft 365
    • Navigating inside Microsoft 365
    • Using the Search and Help features in Microsoft 365

The Interviewing Process

Welcome to our seven-part video course on the interviewing process! When organizations decide to reject a prospective employee, it’s not always because the applicant was the wrong person. Sometimes it’s because it was a bad interview. As a result, managers and supervisors who don’t know how to conduct good interviews often miss out on hiring quality employees. This video course will help you put a solid process in place and provide the best interview, not just for the potential employee or yourself, but for your company as a whole.

Negotiation Skills

The online course “Negotiation Skills” provides managers with the necessary tools to negotiate successfully. It enables them to make the right decisions when confronted with different negotiation situations, considering both their own and their partners’ interests. The content has been specifically developed for managers who wish to improve their skills in negotiations at work. They will be able to develop negotiation strategies by learning how to define the appropriate negotiation objectives, structure their arguments, manage their own emotions and take full advantage of their negotiating power.

Persuasion: The Art of Communication

There are many reasons why we communicate – to inform, to share our viewpoint, to educate, and to sell. Communications guru Barbara Evers would argue that all these forms of communication are in fact forms of persuasion. In this course Barbara Evers and Wofford Jones walk through tips and techniques to take advantage of when you’re seeing to communicate and persuade.

Brain Bites - Email Management

There are many reasons why we communicate – to inform, to share our viewpoint, to educate, and to sell. Communications guru Barbara Evers would argue that all these forms of communication are in fact forms of persuasion. In this course Barbara Evers and Wofford Jones walk through tips and techniques to take advantage of when you’re seeing to communicate and persuade.

Brain Bites - Organizing Your Files

On average office workers spend one to two hours per day looking for information. Having an organized, searchable file and folder structure makes everyone more efficient –and this course will show you how to do it Brain Bites micro-learning courses are information-rich and convey important topics with an engaging mix of video and animation. With 5 minute video lessons and 30-minute-or-less courses, Brain Bites are the perfect tool to educate today’s busy workforce.

Brain Bites - Microsoft Teams Meetings (2023)

If someone said you’d learn in less than 30 minutes how to easily meet virtually and collaborate using Teams, would you believe them? Believe it! Bigger Brains can teach you how to join a Teams meeting, use the controls available and present flawlessly. Thanks to its features and ease of use, Microsoft Teams is quickly becoming the dominant meeting platform for businesses of all sizes. Don’t be left behind! We’ll take a look at the major features of Teams meetings, including its deep integration with Microsoft Outlook and collaboration tools like Microsoft Whiteboard and PowerPoint. We’ll take a look at the major features of Teams meetings, including: Joining a meeting from a channel, calendar, or email invitation Starting a call or meeting Customizing your audio and camera choices Managing background video and audio distractions Using in-meeting controls to manage your meeting and attendees Sharing screens, app windows, PowerPoint presentations, and whiteboards By the end of this course, you will be able to identify multiple ways to initiate a Teams Meeting, and describe how to share documents, presentations, whiteboards, and more. Brain Bites micro-learning courses are information-rich and convey important topics with an engaging mix of video and animation. With short video lessons and 35-minute-or-less courses, Brain Bites are the perfect tool to educate today’s busy workforce. Enjoy award winning HD content in the “Uniquely Engaging” Bigger Brains style with Brain Bites! Brain Bites micro-learning courses are information-rich and convey important topics with an engaging mix of video and graphics. With short microlearning video lessons, Brain Bites provide the perfect tool to educate today’s busy workforce. All courses include captions and transcripts in 29 languages, downloadable handouts, and optional LinkedIn digital badges on course completion.

Awkward at the Office (Workplace Harassment) – Supervisor Edition

We’ve all sat through a mind-numbingly boring sexual harassment course. The material is important and necessary, yet it’s hard to make engaging. This course is different! First, it focuses not just on reducing harassment, but on creating a positive work environment in which everyone feels safe and supported. Second, it follows the story of an office team facing harassment issues as they learn how their words can impact those around them, and how to treat each other with respect. Third, it includes interactive assessments that challenge the student to think through scenarios and what constitutes appropriate workplace behavior. Lastly, it includes a section specifically for supervisors that follows the story of another office team dealing with quid pro quo harassment at work. First, in the Employee portion, in a series of vignettes mixed with instruction, students will meet Adeela, Jason, Lisa, and Michael as they deal with both the major and minor effects of workplace harassment. Students will observe them demonstrate real world responses to situations ranging from inappropriate comments to gender and racial differences. We’ll see how workplace harassment affects not just the people involved, but the productivity of the company as a whole. Second, in the Supervisor portion, students meet another office team dealing with more serious harassment allegations including quid pro quo sexual harassment claims. The management team must deal with the claims and then implement changes including a new policy, training, and an investigation process. Workplace harassment destroys trust, creates tension, saps productivity, and can lead to legal action as well. In between vignettes our experts Jacki Flynn, Rebecca Heiss, and Jeremy Pickens will teach how to identify, resolve, and report workplace harassment. By the end of this course, students will be able to describe their rights and responsibilities related to workplace harassment, as well as their responsibilities as a supervisor, and feel empowered to be part of a positive change in their organization. Enjoy award winning HD content in the “Uniquely Engaging” Bigger Brains Teacher-Learner style! Taught by top subject matter experts, Bigger Brains courses are professionally designed around key learning objectives, and include captions and transcripts in 29 languages, downloadable handouts, and optional LinkedIn digital badges on course completion.

Employee Training 101

Investing in employees can be the smartest decision a business could ever make. In this course, you’ll learn what employee training is, some of the common types, and how you can become a trainer your employees will love.

Internet Marketing 101

This course is a must-take for anyone who wants to drive in more profits from your online business generators Whether you’re just getting started or trying to generate better results from your current online marketing strategies, this course is a how-to for anyone wanting to generate more profits online. You’ve heard of businesses making it big online, and others not making it at all – and the difference is whether or not they can master online marketing techniques. If you need to drive in better results with your marketing budget, this course will help you design and implement an effective strategy. Topics covered include: – Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Learning Pay-Per-Click marketing (PPC) – Identifying White Hat and Black Hat techniques – Utilizing best practices of social media marketing, blogging, and email marketing – Planning your own online strategy Enjoy award winning HD content in the “Uniquely Engaging” Bigger Brains Teacher-Learner style! Taught by top subject matter experts, Bigger Brains courses are professionally designed around key learning objectives, and include captions and transcripts in 29 languages, downloadable handouts, and optional LinkedIn digital badges on course completion.