Expand Your Career With SKILLINGS Education

Who This Guide Is For:

Agency Commercial Leasing

$60,000 - $150,000 ¹

Agency Property Management

$55,000 - $135,000 ¹

Agency Tenant Representative

$90,000 - $125,000 ²

In-House Leasing

$60,000 - $150,000 ¹

Asset Management

$60,000 - $250,000 ¹

Where You Can Go:

• In-House Leasing
  Retention, renewals, options, and occupancy planning across an owner portfolio.
• Asset Management
  Portfolio strategy, budgets, capex planning, lender/board reporting, and income outcomes.

Why Move Client-Side?

• Workweeks you can plan: Base salary + bonus; fewer last-minute rushes than pure brokerage
• Own the outcome: One owner, one portfolio—see strategies through and watch decisions translate into higher income and value.
• Broader scope: Blend leasing with tenant experience, capital works, risk/insurance, and brand/positioning.
• Clear advancement: Progress to Asset/Portfolio Manager and leadership within the platform.

Differences between Agency Property Management and Asset Management (Client-Side)

• Purpose and time horizon.
  Agency property management keeps the building running day to day—repairs, compliance, tenant service, invoices, and budgets. Asset management sets the long-term plan for the property or portfolio—how to grow income, reduce downtime, and lift the asset’s value over years.
• How success is measured.
  ‍Property managers are judged on service and control: response times, tenant satisfaction, spend vs budget, arrears, and compliance. Asset managers are measured on financial outcomes: net operating income (NOI), occupancy, renewal results, and the return from upgrades or repositioning.
• Daily work and stakeholders.
  ‍Property managers work closely with tenants, contractors, building services and the leasing team, with fairly predictable weeks (emergencies aside). Asset managers spend more time on planning and analysis, meet with owners and lenders, and coordinate PM, leasing and brokers to deliver the owner’s plan—workloads spike around budgets, reforecasts and major lease events.
• Decisions and tools.
  ‍Property managers schedule works, manage vendors and administer leases. Asset managers decide what to invest in and why—setting pricing and positioning with leasing, approving capital projects (with a simple business case), reviewing reports, and managing risk and insurance. The role is more market-facing and finance-focused.
• Career path and compensation.
  ‍Property management has a clear ladder (Assistant → Manager → Senior/Portfolio) with steady demand and good geographic flexibility. Asset management roles are fewer and more competitive but typically offer a higher pay ceiling, greater decision authority, and pathways into portfolio leadership, acquisitions or development.

4 Tips To Make The Switch

• Tell the owner story on your CV:
  ‍Client-side hiring managers and recruiters care about outcomes (income up, vacancy down, better returns), not activity counts—so rewrite your achievements to show how your work lifted revenue, cut costs, or improved occupancy, signaling you already think like an owner.
• Take on client-facing projects:
  ‍Volunteer for renewal plans, capex briefs, or quarterly portfolio reports—turn these into case studies for interviews.
• Leverage Your Property Management Experience:
  ‍Your property management background isn't irrelevant - the best property managers already think like asset managers by focusing on ways to improve financial performance and enhance property value. Use this foundation to demonstrate how your operational knowledge can inform strategic investment decisions.
• Up-skill with formal training:
  ‍Enrol in a structured, practical SKILLINGS Education program for landlord roles to build skills in tenant retention, capex planning, risk/insurance, market positioning, and crisis response. Add the certificate to your CV/LinkedIn to signal you’re job-ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need prior asset-management experience?

Not necessarily. Many hires come from agency PM or leasing. Show you understand owner outcomes (income up, vacancy down, smart capital expenditure spend).

Will I have to take a step back in title or pay?

Sometimes. Roles like Assistant Asset Manager, In-House Leasing Coordinator, or Portfolio/Investment Analyst are common entry points. The trade-off is stable base + bonus and a higher long-term ceiling.

What should I highlight on my CV?

Outcomes, not tasks: rent uplift %, vacancy reduction, annual income added, cost savings, simple payback on upgrades, portfolio size and asset types.

Which skills should I build first?

Budgeting & variance, simple underwriting (rent roll → income; capex → payback/ROI), renewal strategy, and stakeholder communication with owners, lenders and lawyers.

Do I need advanced modelling or an MBA?

Helpful, not mandatory. Comfortable Excel and clear business cases beat complex models for most junior client-side roles. Advanced study can come later.

What’s the day-to-day like vs agency PM?

Less reactive work orders; more planning, analysis and meetings. Workload increases around budgets, reforecasts and major lease decisions.

Where do these jobs sit?

REITs and fund managers, private landlords, developers, major corporates with large footprints, and government property units.

Do I need a new licence?

Requirements vary by state/territory and employer. Check your local regulator (e.g., Fair Trading/Consumer Affairs) and the job ad.

How can I get “client-side” experience now?

Volunteer for renewal plans, write a capex mini-business case, contribute to a quarterly portfolio report—then bring those as short case studies to interviews.

What software should I know?

Excel is essential. Familiarity with portfolio systems (e.g., MRI/Yardi) and BI/reporting tools helps but can be learned on the job.

How can SKILLINGS Education help?

Courses at SKILLINGS Education are built for Australian professionals and focus on job-ready skills: owner metrics, budgeting/variance, renewal strategy, capex planning, risk/insurance basics, and stakeholder communication—plus templates, checklists and a certificate you can add to your CV.