How Can I Gain Property Management Experience

[Andreas Mathews]

Good Morning,

I am a former Claims Specialist with the Social Security Administration and currently unemployed homeowner who is looking for guidance on how to gain property management experience here in the Central Coast of California.

My wife is the only one working at the moment, so times are tough to say the least.

We're looking to rent out a portion of our home in order to save up enough money to purchase our second home (or multi-family unit), rent that out, and begin to expand our portfolio. At this stage, the main thing we need is for me to get back into the workforce and get some money coming in, in order to achieve that dream.

With that in mind, my immediate goal is to gain employment in the field of property management, as opposed to wasting my time working in another field that is not associated with real estate. The problem I'm facing is, most of the jobs out there are looking for someone with a real estate license, Yardi and/or property management experience, which I'm lacking at this time.

Ultimately, my wife and I are both looking to transition over into real estate full-time, with my wife becoming a real estate agent and I would work on the property management end, and eventually possibly going into business on our own. In the meantime, I would like to gain experience through employment with an existing real estate or property management company.

Is there anyone out there that can provide me with some good advice/guidance as to the best and most practical route to achieve that goal?

- Should I go back to school and obtain an Associates degree in Real Estate? 

Or

- Should I sign up for courses through the National Association of Realtors?

Or

- Should I sign up for courses through the Allied Real Estate Schools?

I'm getting up there in age and feel like I'm getting a late start, so I'm looking to avoid any unnecessary steps along the way.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Andreas