Working as a property manager affords a variety of opportunities, whether it be with larger commercial properties, rentals, or real estate management companies.
We reached out to Baholo Chimombe to find out what attracted him to property management, and what it’s like to be in this profession; and to relay the wisdom he has gained along the way.
Baholo Chimombe is a Centre Manager at Eris Property Group. Eris Property Group is a commercial Real Estate company.
What was your title when you first started working here?
Centre Manager at Maseru Mall.
Can you give an overview of the duties, functions and responsibilities of your job?
Basically I do leasing, that is getting tenants and maintaining relationship with the current tenants and marketing the mall. Other function include overseeing maitenance and security.
What do you find unique about your career field?
I enjoy working with people so I find different industries, different disciplinary restaurants, problems won’t be the same as someone in fashion, and fashion won’t be the same with banking.
What are the major qualifications for success in this occupation?
You’ll at least need to have some form of property qualification, somebody in accounts can do it, somebody in marketing can do it, somebody who is basically able to know some numbers, even communication.
What sacrifices have you had to make to succeed in this field, and do you feel the sacrifices are worth it?
In the beginning when you’re trying to find your feet and growing the centre, you sacrifice a lot of family time. It’s sometimes worth it, it’s sometimes not worth it because if you allow it to get out of hand. You need to manage your time right.
Can you estimate future job openings?
Depending if there are other buildings or other malls, it’s not an industry that has a lot of job openings.
When people leave this career, what are the usual reasons?
Burn-out and growth.
Do you have any advice for someone interested in this field/job?
Read any article on property. Get interested. Know your community. Know the market and industry worldwide, and broaden your horizons.
What other kinds of organizations hire people to perform the function you do here?
Pioneer mall. In as much as there are not a lot of property with this role in Lesotho, South Africa has a number options like Standard Bank, FNB, Redefine Property, Growth Point and many others.
Any special word of warning or encouragement as a result of your experiment.
I would not warn them, because it comes off as scary but I would rather encourage them to work hard.