Property managers: Jacks of all trades

By Liz Best
    
Being taken for granted is generally considered a bad thing, but for a residential property manager, being taken for granted is the whole point of getting up in the morning and going to work.
    Because South Florida has so many seasonal and absentee homeowners, as well as people who own sprawling ocean-front estates, finding someone who can take care of anything and everything that needs to be done to maintain a property is vital. It adds up to peace of mind for the homeowner.
    Some local property managers in southern Palm Beach County have figured out that it’s vital to their professional peace of mind to tailor services to individual clients.
7960376255?profile=original    Bob Frangione, owner of Tricoastal Property Management, is a one-man show. His office is in South Palm Beach, and his clients are mostly absentee property owners who spend little time in their vacation homes, most of which are located in Delray Beach and Ocean Ridge.
    So Frangione takes care of everything, from letting housekeepers in, to setting up video surveillance systems, to visiting each property twice a week just to make sure the toilets flush and the air conditioner is operating properly.
    If he spots a problem he can’t solve, such as an electrical issue, he contracts with an electrician, oversees the project and reports progress to the homeowner.
    “It’s all about peace of mind for clients,” he said.
    For Frangione, 64, a retired Navy engineer who also worked in the securities industry in upstate New York, becoming a property manager satisfied two goals. He escaped the cold New York winters and he’s able to integrate some of his hobbies into the job.
    “Because I enjoy technology, let’s say someone’s wi-fi breaks down, I can usually find out what’s wrong and take care of it,” he said. “I really like troubleshooting.”
    Frangione prefers to keep it small, no more than five clients at once. He has no staff and likes being able to give homeowners hands-on service.
    On the other end of the property management spectrum are Tom Flint and Paul Crage, 45-year-old entrepreneurs who decided two years ago to establish Andover Property Management, based in Boca Raton.7960375698?profile=original
    Andover limits its clientele to only high-end coastal estate property owners, and Flint and Crage are experts at thinking outside the box.
Both have business experience and used to co-own a home inspection company. Two years ago, they decided to create a “one call for it all” property management business and they haven’t looked back.
    They’re too busy.
    Their clients are wealthy and some of them are well-known celebrities but they still have to deal with the day-to-day chores of maintaining a home.
    “I like to think of us as quality of life enablers,” said Flint.
    They have a list of trusted vendors, from construction companies to party planners, and have completed thorough background checks on each.
Any job they contract to a vendor is videotaped and the client receives a copy of the tape. “Whether they watch it or not, I don’t know. But it’s there. Full disclosure,” Flint said.
    Andover has a staff of six, and someone is always on the property with any vendor hired to do a job. And they don’t limit themselves to the property, either.
Once, a client was expecting an important document in another state. A member of the Andover staff flew to the location, received the document and hand-delivered it to the client.
    When something like that happens, Flint and Crage know they are doing their jobs because it all boils down to developing trust.
    “It’s very fulfilling to have a company where we can provide the types of services we provide and get that sense of gratification,” said Crage.
    Flint adds, “The trust our clients put in us, you just can’t put a value on that trust.” 

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