When I was 19 years old starting out in this business I saw the opportunity for growth and a career in this industry. Under the guidance of my mentor I was encouraged to take my RCM courses, and within 1.5 years I had completed all four courses and wrote the RCM exam.
From that time onward being an RCM helped me advance to be a property manager, senior manager, and district manager and gave me the confidence to own a business. An RCM gives you recognition, credibility and boosts your confidence.
With licensing coming, an RCM will help to recognize you as a professional and hopefully the financial recognition will follow. I would encourage anyone looking to make property management their career to invest in the courses. With just one course under your belt – companies will recognize your commitment and review your resume reviewing transferable skills.
As an RCM no two days are the same and you will NEVER be bored.
Laura Lee, RCM, ACCI, CCP, Senior Manager, DEL Property Management Inc.
Approximately 10 years ago when I first ventured into this industry from an IT background, my expectation of property management was that I would be managing an enormous computer. My job was simply to ensure all components work together flawlessly. While that wasn’t entirely off the mark, I soon realized that I’m managing something far greater than just a giant computer – something that people call HOME.
Looking after someone’s home – not to mention hundreds of homes – is a huge responsibility. I felt obligated to make sure that I was giving my best. The RCM was the answer. Now I know not only that I am making the right choices, but I am also making the best possible choices for a place where my residents call home sweet home.
I believed that I owed it to the people who entrusted me with possibly one of their most important investments of a lifetime, and that had driven me to become an RCM.
Simon Lam, RCM, Times Property Management Inc.
I am an RCM. I only have to look to ACMO’s recent 40th Anniversary Celebration to understand that it took a group of people that were dedicated, believed that their careers were in fact a profession, and worked tirelessly to create and implement a vision that would allow those that followed to benefit from their work; this set the stage for future condominium managers to be recognized as professionals.
I have always looked at an RCM as someone that wanted to set themselves apart from the crowd. Someone that wanted to be part of a profession of like-minded individuals and someone that wanted to be part of an Association of their peers that believed in continual improvement.
Having the RCM is a statement that says, I have the knowledge, training and experience to perform the duties required of a professional condominium manager
John Damaren, RCM, Maple Ridge Community Management
The role of a manager can include being a decision-maker, mediator, adviser, organizer, liaison, motivator, initiator and at times spokesperson. A manager who is well-informed can perform each of these roles with confidence. That is what the RCM designation means to me: someone who is well-informed about condominium management.
Not only does the education received through the courses, seminars and conferences give the manager confidence but the three letters – RCM – validate to the end user that the individual had the discipline, commitment and knowledge to earn the designation.
In an industry that is continuously growing, having the initials RCM after your name delivers the message that you have obtained a specific competency level in the condominium management field. Assuming that you are a member in good standing, it also lets the industry know that as a professional you are likely reliable, accountable, honest and ethical. In other words, the “label” implies a lot.
This is why I AM an RCM.
Anne Burgoon, BSc, RCM, Eastern Ontario Property Management Group
I felt it was important to educate and familiarize myself with the various elements of condominium proper ty management. The industry has grown vastly in the last several decades, and with this rapid expansion, it has struggled to “manage” effectively as there have been no actual requirements in place to educate oneself before embarking on a career as a property manager. The horror stories (and insurance premium hikes from lawsuits) that followed have exhausted property managers everywhere
as the educated must double their efforts to negate the bad press created by all of the confusion and uncertainty in an industry that doubled and then tripled in size in the span of a few decades. Becoming an RCM was, for me, a necessary step to formally educate myself on the legislation and procedures that I as a property manager will work with on a daily basis.
Kirsten Both, RCM, Property Manager, Muskoka Condo Services
am a RCM because when I became a property manager I accepted and embraced all the responsibilities and challenges this profession brings with it. Becoming a RCM was my ultimate goal and now that I have obtained the designation I can prove to my clients, employees and fellow property managers that I have the knowledge and experience to back me up on the job while representing a community.
The RCM designation is not a mandate but an option, and that is exactly what encouraged me to obtain it. Going the extra mile shows everyone around me that there is always room for improvement and that I am committed to the profession. I have always thought that if you choose a path to follow, you better prepare yourself for the ride. I decided to be a RCM because as a property manager it is clearly a step on the right direction.
Daniel Perez-Arteaga, RCM, Property Manager, FirstService Residential
I came to Condos Plus as green as can be and was hired on as an internal bookkeeper. At the time the owner of the business was my mother Joan Agnew. Joan had expressed an interest in retiring and having me take over the business as both office manager and a shareholder.
When I decided that I would honour her request, it was suggested that I take over the management of a small corporation in order to have a better understanding of property management.
I decided that the best way to have a clear understanding of my duties, not just as a property manager, but as a manager/owner in the business was to educate myself. I carefully checked over the options for education in property management and felt confident that the courses offered through ACMO were the best option to obtain the level of education that would give me confidence in performing my duties.
I was petrified at the thought of going back to school. I decided that an in class environment would be my best option for the Condo Law course and the Finance course. Every Saturday morning I drove with two other employees of Condos Plus to Humber College to sit in class all day to take these courses. I must say how pleased I was with the course content and the teachers who taught both courses.
I took the remaining two courses online through Mohawk College. I followed up by taking the refresher course in Toronto prior to writing my final exam.
Teresa Girardin, RCM, Condos Plus, London, Ontario
