1. Real Estate Broker Interview
RE300F15 Tim Kovar
September 24, 2015
Erica Torrez, Broker
Tricia Pelletier W1182311

2. Gary Keller said, "It's not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do, it is that we feel
the need to do too many things in the time we have." After interviewing real estate broker,Erica Torrez,
it was obvious that time management is a staple in the realestate world. Direct issues she faces are
competition in her field as she sees more and more property management companies developing in
addition to investors developing ideas on how to run their own properties in the least costly ways. Erica
is constantly busy as she has many performance rolls.
The basic function of a property management company is to act in the best interest of the owner. Erica
succeeds in doing so by keeping the units occupied, collecting rents, & budgeting. The roles within the
company consist of, recording transactions, dealing with vendors & handling tenants. Erica’s activities
encompass handling notices, reporting to owners monthly & providing monthly draws,in addition to
various other administrative & financial tasks. Instances when emergencies come into play, take
precedence over other responsibilities, the most critical involving tenants without hot water,fires &
flooding. As Erica cannot spend all of her time on each of these rolls; tasks are split up & delegated
amongst employees. It’s difficult to reference a time frame towards individual tasks,however in
summary, 12 hours of AP & AR is provided weekly, each on-site manager contributes 40 hours of work
per month, with Erica spending 30 hours weekly overseeing the company.
Erica acquired a real estate license at 19 years old, after studying through Allied RealEstate School.
Eleven years later she became a broker. She started off her first year working as a receptionist for an
escrow office; thereafter she was an on-site manager with Nielsen Property Management. Working her
way up, she then held a position as an agent, then was promoted at 25 years old, taking over management
for Nielsen. Erica has worked under Lyon & Wasatch Property Management, managing a total of 1,450
units over a 5 year period. Having an extensive career history paired with her education background,
Erica opened her own property management company in 2000. Not only does she balance running A & J
Property, Erica also works as an independent contractor for Nielsen.

3. To achieve this level of success & advancement in real estate,one must be completely dedicated, always
learning more and doing better each day. Staying up-to-date with classes not limited to, fair housing, trust
handling, risk management and incorporating property management seminars have also contributed to her
success. A&J’sbusiness office is located at 4826 El Camino Avenue in Carmichael. Erica’s company
provides full property management services for 28 different property owners, overseeing 38 properties.
One source of payment is provided through the maintenance department Erica runs, with the main source
of payment, being a percentage of the occupancy from income collected for properties. Erica has 7
employees, consisting of 5 on-site managers,1 accountant and 1 full-time/on call maintenance technician.
Erica discusses the issues she faces in her daily business life, competition & cost efficiency. To compete
with these issues effectively you must provide the best possible service & treat each account with the
utmost importance. Nothing gets treated less important, all issues big or small are handled properly &
acknowledged professionally, at first incident. With the owners being happy, they remain loyal with her
company & intern; refer new clientele to A & J. Erica brought to light the importance of time
management & without having management in place together with other assistance; the job in the life of a
real estate broker would lead to chaos & maybe even the demise of a company.