Thomas Feldman, NALP

Leasing Consultant, The Dolben Company

Thomas Feldman, NALP is the 2008 NAA PARAGON Award winner for National Apartment Leasing Professional of the Year. The PARAGON Awards are given annually and are the highest honor bestowed by the National Apartment Association.

I have always had an interest in real estate as my father had worked as a real estate agent for many years. I also had appraised real estate before but found that real estate appraising (while interesting) was not personally engaging enough for me. I started thinking about Property Management and leasing because it seemed to be the perfect marriage of the person-to-person interaction that I enjoyed, combined with a never- ending growth industry.

Property is never going away…we all have to live somewhere. I liked the idea of becoming part of an industry where there is always work and always growth. Markets may rise and fall…but we still need qualified, competent people to lease and manage where we live.

I started working for The Dolben Company in 2003 and the company and my community just seemed like a natural fit. In no time I was being trained on the nuts and bolts that make a community happen.

The real estate industry is about people, not property. Being a “people person”, I knew that working in the apartment industry would allow me to interact with new clients all the time while also having a solid team of people that I could work with and rely on. I have seemingly endless energy that lends itself well to multi-tasking as well as communicating the enthusiasm you need to get people excited about a new home. With each apartment tour I gave, I just felt that I had found a good career for me.

I received positive feedback immediately. My company had me “mystery shopped” very early on to see how I would score given the little training I had received at that initial point. To their surprise (and mine) I scored quite well, which showed me that I had some innate abilities that worked well with the job and also got me excited to formally train those skills. In a matter of months, my closing ratios were very high and I’ve been able to keep that pace consistently. By the time the official recognition arrived (Employee of the Month, Employee of the Year, NAA PARAGON Winner), the track record of success I had created felt like reward enough.

I love that I find people exciting new homes; it is what I love about my job! It’s so easy to get lost in the details of closing sales and following up with the necessary management responsibilities that you may forget the bottom line: Your residents are happy in their new apartment homes. I also love that over time, my residents and my management team have become like my family. I have been at my community for five years and I have seen my residents get married, have babies and unfortunately, in some cases, even pass away. The job becomes a real part of your life and something to look forward to. I also stay in touch with my Property Manager and Assistant Property Manager over the weekend when we all aren’t working together. I never dread Mondays!

There are endless opportunities within the apartment industry. No other industry allows you to develop your natural abilities to their strengths while also providing so many different roads to use them. Whether your skills lie in sales, management, marketing, accounting or technology…there’s a place for you to exceed your potential in the apartment industry. I’m living proof. You can start at a job with just potential and then five years later be accepting the NAA PARAGON award for a Leasing Consultant.

My advice is to go after what you want and play to your strengths! No matter where your strengths lie, there’s an exciting career for you here! And don’t get distracted by advancement options that ultimately will take you away from what you want. I have had opportunities offered to me within the industry that would have meant advancing my career, but I knew that I wouldn’t have enjoyed doing those jobs. I know my strengths and I know the aspects of the industry that I really enjoy. Staying focused on what you truly want, and playing to your strengths will help you bring out the best to meet your own personal success. You and the apartment industry will be better because of it.