This was the most difficult project in our career, and I’m proud of this story of perseverance and ultimately preservation of capital. In a time where there is much negativity towards Syndications and multifamily, this story hopefully gives hope to the operators out there doing the right thing, giving every bit of smarts and execution to protect capital. This story is a save. I don’t know many other operators that would have been able to pull off what we did and the challenges we faced, how we survived and thrived. Our strength as GP guarantors at Sharpline, our track-record, our relationships with Freddie and Fannie were the key. It’s a testament to Sharpline and the commitment of our team as well as the patience and belief from our investors. I want this post to be a reality check and not considered bragadocious but give homage to the people in Sharpline and the many partners (lenders, vendors, consultants, investors) that helped get this insurmountable project to where it is today. Here we go. 3 years ago we bought this as a heavy value-add post covid. We couldn’t get new roofs that were leaking for 7 months, so this inhibited our reposition to improve the property, which kept some of the bad elements at the community there longer than we wanted. Fire property management company 1 , Fire property management company 2 (proverbial jump out frying pan into the fire, scary). Decided to self-manage project. This was in an early stage of our self-management journey about 2 years ago (we now self-manage 1500+ units). We purchase one half of the project with cash and the other with a bridge loan with floating rate debt (our only floating rate Sharpline has ever done, we didn’t buy a rate cap either, not smart) 4% bridge loan. We begin to execute capex plan successfully (we ripped the mansards off #MansardSlayer). The process of reposition took longer than we liked because of construction delays and bad PM companies, but we ultimately had the safety net of the 24 unit townhouse project that was getting higher occupancy that we purchased with cash as part of the syndication. So we refi’d the 24 unit with a local bank and GPs personally guaranteed the loan as we continued to do projects. This allowed us to free up liquid capital to continue executing to get higher occupancy, but we were still not there yet. We were at 65% overall occupancy on 128 units and the community was improving.

Anybody using, or considering the use of AI Agents to cold call, Text or email Property Owners?

We have received more members and the group is starting to reach a critical mass where we can create more engagement. What would you like to see more of?

I have interviewed dozens and dozens... and dozens of property managers in my time with Sharpline to help us find the best talent. This blog post is to help synthesize some of my best takeaways so far and help you improve your recruiting and hiring process for Property Managers going forward. Hiring the right property manager can stabilize your asset, protect your NOI, and prevent resident churn. The wrong hire slows down turns, invites resident issues, and costs you more than their salary. This guide gives you: - A short list of hiring best practices - The 10 most useful interview questions to assess ownership, systems, and performance - What red flags to look for Hiring Best Practices Define the role clearly - Unit count, property type (A/B/C), stabilized vs. value-add - What they’re directly responsible for: leasing, resident issues, vendors, reporting, maintenance coordination - Required systems knowledge (AppFolio, Yardi, ResMan, etc.) Screen for ownership early - Avoid candidates who blame their last company, team, or supervisor - Look for people who take responsibility and want to improve outcomes Prioritize real-world experience - Ask about what they did — not what they would do - Push for data and KPIs: occupancy, renewals, delinquency, NOI, turn times Assess alignment - Be clear about hours, pace, workload, team size, and pay - Ask if this role matches what they’re actually looking for - Don’t skip questions about income expectations and schedule Watch how they communicate - Do they follow up? - Are they organized and clear? - Do they understand resident-facing and ownership-facing communication styles? 10 Interview Questions That Work VERY Well Use these to assess both competence and character. Keep the tone direct and conversational. Take notes. Don’t settle for vague answers. 1. Why are you looking for a new role right now? - You’re looking for signs of ownership. Not blame. 2. What attracted you to this company and role? - If they don’t know much about your business, they didn’t prepare. 3. What does your ideal job look like — and how close is this one? - Helps you catch misalignment early. 4. What’s your biggest weakness — and how are you working on it? - Look for self-awareness. Avoid rehearsed or fake-sounding answers. 5. What KPIs did you own at your last property? What were your results? - Push for numbers. If they can’t give any, that’s a problem. 6. Tell me about a time you had to turn around a struggling property. - Listen for prioritization, clarity, and follow-through. 7. Walk me through how you manage resident complaints and maintenance follow-up. - Look for systems, not just “I follow up.” 8. How do you hold vendors and your team accountable? - You’re looking for leadership and communication under pressure. 9. What kind of hours are you looking to work — and what’s your minimum required income? - Set expectations early. Avoid surprises later. 10. What do you enjoy doing outside of work? - Adds context and helps you understand personality fit.

🌇 Market Update for Kansas City Investors 🌇 Headline: U.S. apartment rent growth flattens in July—but the Midwest stands strong Key Insights: - Nationwide rent growth is continuing to slow: national average monthly rent held steady at $1,717 with just a –0.03% change from June. Annual growth has tapered from 1.5% in January to 1.1% in July. - The Midwest leads the pack, seeing +0.06% month-over‑month and +2.6% year-over‑year rent growth. Kansas City benefits from this regional strength. - By contrast, the Sun Belt markets and the West are lagging due to oversupply. What this means for Kansas City portfolios: - Rents remain resilient, providing stable cashflows even amid national saturation. - Higher demand and controlled supply in the Midwest support ongoing performance—an encouraging environment for landlords. - A cooling national trend suggests continued caution—but Kansas City appears better insulated. https://product.costar.com/home/news/shared/1356708470?culture=en-US&source=sharedNewsEmail&t=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJjdWx0dXJlQ29kZSI6ImVuLVVTIiwiaWF0IjoxNzU0OTQzNjc1fQ.vRlz02Vz8W_V_pSR7OVyOnRQEr-nEvVXOlGHRnve9Xs