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How to hire a commercial property manager

Commercial property manager hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring commercial property managers in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a commercial property manager is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per commercial property manager on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 83,180 commercial property managers in the US and 42,369 job openings.
  • Los Angeles, CA, has the highest demand for commercial property managers, with 9 job openings.
  • Chicago, IL has the highest concentration of commercial property managers.

How to hire a commercial property manager, step by step

To hire a commercial property manager, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a commercial property manager, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step commercial property manager hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a commercial property manager job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new commercial property manager
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a commercial property manager do?

A commercial property manager is primarily in charge of overseeing the daily operations at commercial properties. They manage all leasing activities and serve as the tenants' point of contact. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documents, answering inquiries and correspondence, supervising the property staff, and developing strategies to optimize operations. There are also instances where they must collect and process payments. Furthermore, as a manager, it is their duty to handle issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.

Learn more about the specifics of what a commercial property manager does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The commercial property manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    Hiring the perfect commercial property manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    Here's a comparison of commercial property manager salaries for various roles:

    Type of Commercial Property ManagerDescriptionHourly rate
    Commercial Property ManagerProperty, real estate, and community association managers take care of the many aspects of residential, commercial, or industrial properties. They make sure the property is well maintained, has a nice appearance, and preserves its resale or leasing value.$17-49
    Leasing AgentA leasing agent primarily works to assist and represent property owners when finding and managing tenants. They are in charge of advertising and promoting the properties in different areas or platforms, developing marketing strategies, coordinating with applicants, gathering their requirements, verifying the applicants' paperwork and references, and negotiating leasing terms... Show more$12-19
    Product LeadA product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands... Show more$41-78
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Property Management
    • Real Estate
    • Portfolio
    • Commercial Property
    • Yardi
    • Cam
    • Reconciliations
    • Property Inspections
    • Tenant Relations
    • MRI
    • Project Management
    • Service Contracts
    • Office Buildings
    • Capital Improvement Projects
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage vendors including developing key performance indicators plus RFP and provider selection.
    • Manage segment's treasury function including equity forecasting and investment requests as well as lender relations in a difficult banking environment.
    • Train entire company on new software OneSite from old version of YARDI.
    • Employ contractors to repair and maintain the building, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and operating equipment.
    • Lease vacant commercial space, prepare lease and abstract, bill monthly rents, input data into Yardi.
    • Perform a variety of maintenance and construction duties involving 21 HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical and structural building and maintenance.
    More commercial property manager duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your commercial property manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A commercial property manager salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, commercial property managers' average salary in alabama is 53% less than in california.
    • Seniority. Entry-level commercial property managers earn 65% less than senior-level commercial property managers.
    • Certifications. A commercial property manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a commercial property manager's salary.

    Average commercial property manager salary

    $61,361yearly

    $29.50 hourly rate

    Entry-level commercial property manager salary
    $36,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 18, 2025

    Average commercial property manager salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$97,262$47
    2Connecticut$81,812$39
    3New York$81,070$39
    4Massachusetts$75,473$36
    5Maryland$74,421$36
    6District of Columbia$74,354$36
    7Washington$73,834$36
    8New Jersey$70,456$34
    9Virginia$62,923$30
    10Michigan$57,435$28
    11New Mexico$55,959$27
    12Arizona$55,692$27
    13North Carolina$54,030$26
    14Texas$52,783$25
    15Tennessee$51,261$25
    16Georgia$48,969$24
    17Missouri$48,347$23
    18Florida$43,966$21
    19Iowa$43,178$21
    20Colorado$42,976$21

    Average commercial property manager salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Western Alliance Bank$127,261$61.1812
    2Essex Property Trust$126,499$60.82
    3W. R. Berkley$107,942$51.905
    4EMC Insurance$98,609$47.4124
    5The Travelers Companies$97,226$46.7423
    6GuideOne Insurance$91,945$44.208
    7Building and Land Technology$87,236$41.94
    8Monster Products$85,165$40.942
    9Ryan$80,393$38.655
    10GPAC$76,099$36.59
    11BERKLEY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES$69,513$33.4212
    12Lincoln Property Company$68,159$32.77114
    13American Services$65,701$31.59
    14Rockford Construction$64,203$30.872
    15Malace$60,637$29.15
    16Retail Properties Of America$59,982$28.841
    17Oakbrook Solutions$59,914$28.8015
    18JWilliams Staffing$57,257$27.53
    19Randstad North America, Inc.$57,176$27.49
    20CBRE Group$56,952$27.38105
  4. Writing a commercial property manager job description

    A commercial property manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a commercial property manager job description:

    Commercial property manager job description example

    A Bachelor's degree from accredited college or university, preferred, or 5+ years related experience in real estate project management experience.

    Qualifications:

    Strong organizational skills

    Detail oriented, ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously, extremely professional, and customer service oriented

    Strong leadership and motivational abilities

    Exceptional verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact with a wide range of people

    Ability to function within various disciplines (i.e. TRP, Brokerage, Information Systems, and Accounting)

    Computer skills, positive attitude, and team-oriented approach

    Solid understanding of the construction industry, terminology and design disciplines

    Relationships:

    Maintains relationships with associates and all other departments within the company

    Maintains relationships with general contractors, designers, architects, suppliers, vendors, and others serving the Company or the project(s)

    Maintains relationships with clients and/0r tenants

    Activities:

    The activities listed here are not all-inclusive; rather, they indicate the types of activities normally performed by this position.

    Project Management

    - Oversee and manage projects from planning through due diligence, permitting, bid procurement, Construction, FF&E, and move management

    - Develop project budgets, monitor and ensure budgets are met

    - Create and evaluate project schedules

    - Provide and/or review the accuracy of project programming materials

    - Identify resources needed and assign individual responsibilities

    - Manage day-to-day operational aspects of a project and scope

    - Communicate regularly with internal and external clients as appropriate in order to ensure the delivery of high-quality service and system support

    - Advise corporate management on all perceived risks to the successful completion of the project, and obtain decisions and approval from management on changes to project scope, design, schedule and cost

    - Set all project meetings inclusive of any necessary vendors and/or consultants, etc.

    - Prepare and/or review project contracts

    - Responsible for review and processing of all invoices

    - Facilitate dispute resolution

    - Oversee document preparation and completion (contracts, close-outs, punch lists, etc.

    - Provide accurate project documentation and records maintenance.



    Expectations:

    Polite/Respectful (Internal and External)

    Committed to Customer Service

    Take ownership of projects and tasks

    Communicate Effectively and Efficiently

    Responsive to requests whether internal or external to the company

    Team member and collaborative

    All interested applicants should respond with an attached resume and salary requirements. Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

  5. Post your job

    To find commercial property managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any commercial property managers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level commercial property managers with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your commercial property manager job on Zippia to find and recruit commercial property manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting commercial property managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new commercial property manager

    Once you have selected a candidate for the commercial property manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new commercial property manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a commercial property manager?

There are different types of costs for hiring commercial property managers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new commercial property manager employee.

You can expect to pay around $61,361 per year for a commercial property manager, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for commercial property managers in the US typically range between $17 and $49 an hour.

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